Chapter 202
I left the cleanup to Sebas and teleported to the castle.
Inside the castle, which was in utter chaos because of the ceremony, many people looked startled when they saw me, but I ignored them and continued climbing higher.
I was headed for the top floor—the throne room.
As I went higher, I passed senior nobles and ministers.
Everyone panicked whenever they saw me. They fidgeted, wondering what was happening, but no one tried to follow me. They could probably guess where I was headed, but I suppose no one was foolish enough to get between an SS-Class adventurer and the Emperor.
Then I reached the throne room.
I showed my Adventurer Card to the Imperial Guards standing watch and opened the door.
Several people had already arrived in the throne room.
"Silver. You don't look like you've come to offer congratulations."
Father sighed when he saw me.
In stark contrast to Father, Gordon, who had come to offer his greetings with Prince William, openly displayed his anger.
"Silver! This is beyond disrespectful!"
"It is indeed disrespectful."
Erik echoed Gordon's words.
Important figures from the Imperial State were beside him as well. If I remember correctly, one of them held a ministerial position in the Imperial State. He was related by blood to its royal family, and as the Empire's foreign minister, Erik had to negotiate with him.
However, Erik was watching our situation, seemingly trying to determine my objective. He was keeping a step back compared to Gordon, who openly showed his anger.
I ignored all these visitors—the two princes and the dignitaries.
"I have something to discuss. Clear the room."
"Oh? Is it something the princes cannot hear?"
"That's right. Unfortunately, I don't trust your sons."
"I see... All of you, leave. Prince William, Minister Martin, I'm sorry to interrupt your greetings. Could you come back later?"
"Father! Are you really prioritizing some mere adventurer over our distinguished guests!?"
Gordon's anger exploded, but Father's response was cold.
"That's what I said. Leave. Now."
"Damn..."
Having been dismissed so decisively, Gordon had no choice but to fall silent.
Erik and the dignitaries did not argue. They simply bowed and left obediently. They were more mature than Gordon, at least.
Once the four of them had left, only Father, me, and Franz, who stood at Father's side, remained in the throne room.
"Should Franz leave too?"
"There's no need. I want the Chancellor to see this as well."
Saying that, I handed Franz several documents I'd brought back from the Grimoire's base.
"What is this...?"
"The Dull Prince asked me to take down the base of a troublesome criminal organization. I accepted because I didn't like the idea of a criminal organization having a base beneath the Imperial Capital, but it seems things have become more troublesome than expected."
"So the Grimoire Arnold mentioned really was active in the Imperial Capital... You went to a lot of trouble."
"Indeed. If you want someone to investigate, you should give them a little more manpower. That prince has recently started bringing every troublesome matter straight to me."
Father gave a wry smile when I said that.
Then he took the documents from Franz and read through them. His expression gradually grew more severe.
"Magic experiments using the Saintess..."
"That's the plan."
That's right. The documents at that base were all about "how to use the Saintess."
They were desperately researching something they had not even obtained yet.
That was far too unnatural.
"The Saintess's security is tight. And yet they were planning what came after her abduction, not the abduction itself. You can't tell me you don't understand what that means."
It didn't matter how strong the Saintess's protection was.
They had a way to obtain her—Leticia, despite being protected by the Imperial Guards.
Leticia herself wielded the Holy Staff. No half-hearted force could hope to capture her.
Moreover, there was no sign that they had prepared for it. Abducting the Saintess would inevitably be a large-scale operation. Some weakness should have appeared somewhere, yet I could not see any.
In other words, it was not the Grimoire that would capture the Saintess.
"The Grimoire consists of researchers seeking the deepest secrets of magic. I can understand why they want the Saintess. If the only things found at that base were plans like these, then someone is cooperating with them, and that collaborator is responsible for abducting the Saintess. And we have been unable to identify that collaborator. That's why you say this is dangerous, Silver?"
"Exactly. We should send the Saintess back to the Kingdom immediately."
"You're taking quite a partisan stance, aren't you? This is a political matter."
"A human life is at stake."
"I see... Then I will tell you my decision. She will not be returning to the Kingdom. She will enjoy the ceremony and the festival afterward as scheduled, and then return to the Kingdom."
"...It will be too late once something happens!"
Father nodded deeply at my words.
There was no way he failed to understand what it would mean for the Saintess to be abducted in this country.
Assassination would be better. If she fell into the Grimoire's hands, the Empire would be the one to bear the brunt of their research.
The Grimoire within, an enraged Kingdom without. It was the worst possible scenario.
"First, I want to ask one thing. Could the reason there were no other documents at the base be that they were disposed of?"
"I found no traces of that. Even if it were true, what would change? The fact that the Grimoire is targeting the Saintess would remain unchanged, and we still don't know how they intend to do it. Sending her back to the Kingdom because there's danger—what exactly is wrong with that?"
"But you destroyed the Grimoire's base, didn't you? Can't you say the danger has dropped considerably?"
"...Do you want the Saintess to die? Are you hoping for war with the Kingdom?"
"Silver. Even His Majesty has few options available to him."
Franz interrupted.
His face wore a grim expression.
"What do you mean?"
"...The Kingdom wants war with the Empire. This ceremony also serves to demonstrate that the Empire, believed to have been weakened by the loss of the Crown Prince and various incidents, remains strong. If we send the Saintess back because it is dangerous, the Kingdom will become convinced that the Empire is weak."
"If that happens, the Kingdom will invade. The United Kingdom and the vassal states will move as well. That is why we cannot show weakness."
"This isn't the time to worry about appearances. If the Saintess is abducted within the Empire, the same thing will happen, won't it?"
"But... the Kingdom will be severely weakened. There are pro-Empire and anti-Empire factions within the Kingdom, and the Saintess belongs to the pro-Empire faction. If she is abducted, the pro-Empire faction will assume the anti-Empire faction was behind it. Once the Kingdom is no longer united, there will be countless openings to exploit."
"So if war is inevitable, a Kingdom without the Saintess will be easier to deal with...? We can save a life if we act now!"
"Even if we send her back to the Kingdom, the Saintess will not live long. The anti-Empire faction is dominant in the Kingdom. She will eventually be assassinated. She told me so herself. She wishes for peace with the Empire, but apologized that she lacked the power to achieve it. Her supporters remaining in the Kingdom understand the situation as well. They will not run wild in anger at the Saintess's death. The Kingdom will certainly cease to be united."
Once it ceases to be united, it can be divided in any number of ways.
That was what Father's eyes told me.
I bit my lip at that. I understood what he was saying. But if I accepted it, Leo would surely be left with a deep wound. That was something I could not accept.
"Silver. Your position and mine are different. If you save her simply because she can be saved, she will surely either be killed or used in the war. The latter would be worse for the Empire. The Kingdom is everything to her. When the time comes, she will choose to oppose the Empire—if she believes that is for the Kingdom's sake. If that happens, our soldiers will be the ones to lose their lives. I am the Emperor. I must put the Empire first."
"...You're saying it would be better for the Empire if she died? Is that your answer?"
"Yes. Of course, we will protect her—with every precaution. I've already asked Senki-dono to place a barrier around her room. No one can enter unless she opens it. Even you would find it difficult to get in within a short time."
"Senki-dono's barrier is indeed formidable. I admit that. But every defense has a weakness."
"I've done everything possible. If something happens to her despite that, then so be it. Franz and I have already been planning what to do in that event."
Faced with such a realistic argument, I could say nothing.
Whether as an adventurer or as a prince, I no longer had the right to say anything.
I wanted to save her for Leo's sake. As a prince, I had accepted her death, but as Silver, I could not.
Save the lives that can be saved. That was Silver's creed.
But this was a matter on the level of nations. If that was the case, the Emperor's decision was absolute.
"I see... I understand your position."
"Are you disappointed?"
"No... I understand your position."
"I see. That's a relief. It would be different if she were... one of the Empire's own."
That's right. Even as a prince, I had reached the same conclusion. For someone belonging to the Empire, saving someone from the Kingdom was unreasonable.
In the end, that was where it led.
I could no longer save her even as an adventurer. If I saved her while ignoring a decision made by the nation, even Silver would be seen as a problem. This was no longer a matter of personal choice; it was politics.
In other words... I could only leave it to Leo.
I gave up and turned to leave. But I stopped immediately and asked one final question.
"Your Majesty. Since they are targeting the Saintess, an attack carried out solely from outside is impossible. There must undoubtedly be an accomplice inside the castle. Do you have any suspects?"
"I've had Franz investigate."
"...Be careful around the princes."
"You think my sons would betray the Empire? Impossible. Once one of them gains the throne, the Empire will belong to him. Who would harm what is his own?"
"There are people with the destructive mindset that they would rather destroy something than let it become someone else's."
"My sons aren't that foolish."
Trust could be glimpsed in Father's face as he said that.
He seemed certain that, at the most fundamental level, they would not betray the Empire. Normally, of course, that would be true. But this succession struggle was somewhat different.
Franz must have sensed that as well.
Beside Father, Franz wore a pensive expression.
There was nothing wrong with a ruler trusting his subjects. Even if that trust proved misplaced, his retainers could support him. And Father had a brilliant strategist at his side.
Thinking that I had worried unnecessarily, I left the throne room.