Chapter 181
Preventing a war between the Kingdom of Ridill and the Empire.
She had said it in the heat of the moment, but Monica had no plan whatsoever. Even so, if Monica failed, the Emperor would surely leak Felix's secret to the First Prince faction.
...And then Felix's true identity would be revealed throughout the Kingdom of Ridill, splitting the kingdom in two and plunging it into civil war.
What could she do to prevent that? As Monica questioned herself, the Emperor wore a menacing smile.
"Now that you've put my life on the bargaining table, you will put yourself on it as well."
"...If I fail and it leads to war... will you kill me?"
The Emperor furrowed his brow at Monica's words, like a teacher confronted with an answer that completely missed the point.
"You fool. What would I gain from killing you?"
When he put it that way, he had a point. Then what did the Emperor want from Monica?
As Monica wondered, the Emperor grinned and leaned in to peer into her face.
"If the Kingdom of Ridill declares war on the Empire, you lose. At that point, swear your loyalty to me and serve me for the rest of your life."
The Emperor's words carried such force that they left no room for refusal.
Overcome by that pressure, Monica stood frozen as the Emperor seized her chin and spoke while wearing the expression of a lion devouring its prey.
"When my Empire and the Kingdom of Ridill go to war... Silent Witch, you will behead the royal family of Ridill and end the war with your own hands. In doing so, you will prove your loyalty to me."
I don't want that. I can't do it.
...That was what she wanted to say, but her tongue was numb, her lips trembled, and no voice came out.
"If you don't like that, then do everything in your power to prevent the war. Of course, I have no desire for a pointless conflict either."
The Emperor smiled coldly and turned his back on Monica.
"Now then, that was quite an eventful night. I shall return to the castle. Euan, you will accompany me. Heidi, keep watch over the Silent Witch."
Euan shrugged and drawled, "Sure," while Heidi bowed and said, "As you command."
Silent Witch Monica Everett. I shall watch to see what you do next."
With those words, the Emperor left with Euan, treading lightly through the grass with a soft, brisk step. Even from behind, he radiated the dignity of a king.
Once the Emperor had gone, Monica crumpled into a crouch, and Heidi looked down at her.
"Have your legs finally given out?"
"Y-yes, they... did..."
Heidi simply watched her in silence, offering neither sympathy nor a hand.
Eventually, Monica slowly got to her feet and began walking toward the dormitory. Heidi followed behind her, keeping a fixed distance.
Feeling awkward, Monica glanced back at Heidi several times before asking,
"Um, where do you... stay?"
"That is none of your concern."
It was more than a little barbed, rather than merely matter-of-fact. Sensitive to other people's hostility, Monica reflexively apologized. "S-sorry." Then she began walking sluggishly again.
Before long, the gate to the girls' dormitory came into view. From there, Monica would have to go around behind it and use flight magic to soar over the tall wall.
As Monica fidgeted, wondering whether she should say something to Heidi, Heidi opened her mouth with an expressionless face.
"I am dissatisfied with the present situation. I cannot return to the Empire until His Majesty determines that you have definitively averted the war."
"S-sorry..."
"There is no need to apologize. Produce results quickly. If you need backup, I will at least lend you a hand."
Being told to produce results quickly left Monica at a loss.
She had not even thought of a way to prevent the war in the first place.
The person who wanted war was Duke Clockford. So the first idea that came to mind was persuading Duke Clockford. But Monica could not imagine him listening simply because she asked him not to start a war. Felix—Ike was the duke's puppet, so getting him to persuade the duke would probably be difficult as well.
The next idea that came to mind was to maneuver First Prince Lionel into becoming king, since he did not want war.
But even if Monica alone endorsed Lionel as the next king, the momentum of the Second Prince faction could no longer be halted.
Short of assassinating Duke Clockford, it would be difficult to stop the war. And the king was bedridden. There was not much time left.
(The only thing I haven't investigated is "that matter," but... I don't think it can provide a breakthrough...)
Even so, thinking it would be better than doing nothing, Monica spoke to Heidi.
"Um, if you're willing to help... th-there's something I'd like you to investigate..."
"Investigative work is my specialty. I'll take it on."
Twisting her fingers together, Monica mumbled about the "investigation."
Heidi's somewhat thick eyebrows drew together suspiciously.
"...I don't think that information will help improve the current situation, but very well. I'll investigate it."
"Th-thank you."
As Monica bowed repeatedly, a faint trace of distaste appeared on Heidi's cool, composed face.
"There is no need for thanks or apologies. I am doing all this because I want to see Euan again as soon as possible."
Heidi said this curtly, then turned her back on Monica.
Once Heidi's back had vanished into the darkness of night, Monica wiped the cold sweat from her brow.
(...This is getting way out of hand.)
She had threatened the emperor of a neighboring country and promised to prevent a war.
And if she failed... she had also promised to kill Felix and the others with her own hands and bring the war to an end.
Her legs started trembling again, so Monica forced them to move and headed for her room. For now, she just needed to return to the attic. She would explain the situation to Nero, then search once more for something she could do.
After clearing the girls' dormitory wall with flight magic, Monica crept to the front of her room and activated flight magic again.
Unlike simply jumping, entering through the window required delicate adjustments.
Very, very carefully, Monica manipulated the wind until she reached the window, set one foot on the sill, and dispelled the spell.
"I'm home, Nero."
"Oh, welcome back."
Nero was still in cat form, with a book spread open on the bed. Apparently, he had been rereading his favorite adventure novel.
Monica flopped face-first onto the bed, then turned only her head to look at Nero.
"Nerooo... something really terrible happened..."
"Sure, I'll hear you out, but put in a bookmark first."
"Yeah, yeah."
Monica picked up the bookmark lying beside the pillow and slipped it between the pages Nero had opened.
Apparently, the novel had just reached a natural break and shifted to a new chapter.
Idly glancing at the open page, Monica caught her breath when she saw the chapter title.
──Chapter Fourteen "Bartholomew Alexander and the Black Grail"
"...The black... Grail...?"
Monica hurriedly got up from the bed and opened the desk drawer. Then she pulled out the scrap of paper tucked into the final page of her father's book.
It was a message cleverly concealed using glue.
'If you've discovered the truth of the Black Grail, you should visit the shop once more.'
Since the day she had found this message, Monica had been researching the Black Grail in works related to the fields her father had worked in.
But now that she thought about it, the owner of Porter Antiquarian Bookstore—the person who had left the message—wrote novels under the name Dustin Gunter.
Monica regretted her carelessness. She should have looked into that first.
"...Nero, do you already know what happens in this story?"
"Yeah, I've read it dozens of times."
"...What role does the Black Grail play?"
When Monica asked, Nero seemed pleased that she had taken an interest in the novel. Wagging his tail from side to side, he cheerfully began explaining what happened in the chapter—and the role the Black Grail played.
"The Black Grail is something Bartholomew Alexander encounters when he travels through a certain country..."
(...Ah, that's why... that's why...)
As Monica listened to Nero, her body began to tremble. She glared at the novel spread across the bed... at the words "Black Grail."
(...That's why my father was killed.)