Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Flantica's neck is thin enough to fit in my hand.

「Y-your Majesty, this is……right, a misunderstanding! I was also deceived……higuuh!」

The woman stopped her excuse midway because she felt bloodlust from me……no, it was because my hand unconsciously tightened its grip.

「Guh……damn you……」

Flantica rolls up the hem of her maid outfit, pulls out a needle concealed in her underwear and stabs it in my arm with both hands.

But the needle is barely noticeable.

My arm won't budge from a tiny hole being made in the skin.

「Gi……gh……」

Realizing it was ineffective, Flantica throws the needle away and tries to twist my wrist with her hands.

But even if ten of her attempted it together, they would lack the strength to twist one finger.

「Gah……d-……die……」

Flantica scratches my arm helplessly as her legs go limp――

Then I feel a judging gaze on my back.

「Gnuuu.」

With a growl aimed to intimidate myself, my arm releases the woman just before her life is taken.

「Kaahah.」

Flantica falls to the floor on her hands on the verge of suffocation, gasping for air.

She stands up before catching her breath, only to stumble, and is quickly pounced on by Celia and Carla, and immobilized.

「You didn't kill her.」

Lucy smirks as she checks her wound……or rather her torn dress, since her wound has healed at this point.

「Yeah, it was what you taught me initially after all.」

I punch myself in the forehead several times to suppress the excessive anger and also to punish myself for seriously squeezing the woman's neck.

「Right, you must not kill girls no matter what happens.」

She pats my head for a job well done, dissipating my anger.

That was close. If I choked Flantica to death, even if it was for Lucy's sake, she might have abandoned me.

Flantica, whose arms and legs are locked by Celia and Carla respectively, lifts her head.

That expression is perhaps one of relief.

「Aegir definitely won't kill a woman. That's Aegir.」

「I suppose I'll give credit for stabbing her. Fumu, his looks are to my taste too. If you're going to eat her, give me half.」

Flantica hunches over on the floor, seeing the fangs of Lucy and Brynhildr that humans don't possess.

She lets out a scream as Celia's joint lock pulls harder on her non-resisting body.

My fury and hatred towards the assassin that stabbed Lucy hasn't completely vanished, though my heart has somewhat relaxed from the idiotic exchange.

「Man. How nasty of you to butter me up so cleverly. I didn't notice anything wrong.」

I move Celia and Carla off Flantica and take off every single piece of her clothing.

Fumu, she has a nice body.

「You stripped her like it was the most natural thing to do.」

「Can't begin without sticking your dick in her first……?」

Nonna and Sekrit sigh.

No you're wrong, I won't fuck her.

She has a nice body, but my anger is still prevailing over me so I won't have any sexual desire.

「I doubt you planned all of this. Spit out who you're working for. If you don't, I'll have to torture you. I won't show any mercy to you since you targeted my beloved mother.」

I brush my hand down Flantica's shoulder to her chest and firmly grab her breast.

「You better not bite your tongue or ingest poison. You can't escape even if you die. I want you to talk while alive.」

Flantica looks at Lucy and Brynhildr, and gives up, dropping her hidden drug on the floor.

Flantica explained everything.

She had been trained in espionage and assassination as a child by a prestigious family and sent to be a lady in the inner court through Baron Mildorian. However, the previous king didn't entertain her advances or show any openings for her to act, thus she remained on standby within the inner court.

And now with my usurpation and new policy, her main family worried greatly and decided to move.

I couldn't resist the perfect invitation from her, who successfully became an innocent court lady.

「「「……」」」

The room is silent.

「I didn't think you would fail to see through her……you certainly can't be that dumb.」

Surprised, Head-helmina literally peeks just her head through the crack in the door.

「Let's get back on topic.」

So that was how Flantica was able to carry out the plan setup over many years, of which it went well 90% of the way.

The assassin's goal was not to kill me.

Excluding the fact that it was difficult to defeat me, killing the king would cause another uprising and it was uncertain what the resulting outcome would be. Although the ringleader's family is a distinguished house, they did not have the power to control messy fighting nor the guts willing to take a gamble.

Their desire was probably to take either Lucy or Nonna hostage and have me voluntarily concede the throne, recommending them to be the successors while making it appear like a peaceful switch to the public……or something along those lines.

Further, her guarantor, Baron Mildorian, who knew nothing of her background, would be the poor soul that played decoy for her main family if she failed.

「A trap laid over several years, huh……yet you talked about everything rather forthrightly.」

Celia stares at Flantica to ensure she wasn't lying.

「……I mean, with those vampires there, they would turn me into their servant after I died and make me talk anyways. I've been lavished with luxury since I was a little girl, promising to lay down my life for the family head, but it's not worth it to be a servant forever after I die.」

「How simple of you.」

Sekrit also stares at her.

「I guess if you act as a vivacious stupid girl for several years until your role comes……」

「You actually become one?」

Carla stares at Flantica, who chuckles nervously.

Anyways, I've heard everything I wanted to know.

The investigation is over and I'm glad I don't have to torture her.

All that's left is to decide how to deal with the girl, and that's when Lucy speaks with a disgusted face at Casie who turns pale……I think she does or at least she is afraid, I'm not sure since she's transparent.

「Let's talk somewhere else. This place is a little too loud.」

Lucy covers her ears and exits the room.

I wonder, I don't really hear any noise.

（Uuuuu……they're gathering. They're starting to clamor.）

Casie hides behind my feet.

「Close your eyes and listen carefully.」

I do as Brynhildr tells me and hear faint whispers all around.

（Blood, blood, the blood won't stop. It's cold, so cooold.）

（I'm dead. I've been killed. Aah, it hurts, it hurts.）

（Hot, it's hot! How cruel it is to be burned to death. Curse him, I'll curse him!）

The overlapping resentful voices ring directly in my brain.

It's not just one or two, it's more than twenty. There are a staggering amount of voices.

When I opened my eyes, something swirls over the corpse of the person I killed like a whirlpool.

At first it was like a thin haze, but it gradually became thicker like a translucent shadow, and eventually it transformed into the anguished face of a woman.

（Hiii, a ghost! It's the evil spirit of a woman!!）

Casie clings to my back in tears.

It undoubtedly is a ghost and an evil spirit, I just don't know what to say.

「The inner palace is the dwelling place of snakes and scorpions. Concubines, mistresses, and their children……they've been murdered and assassinated left and right. It was horrible when I initially came too, though I ignored them because they calmed down for some reason.」

Brynhildr looks at the spirit like she would look at a piece of filth.

「Good thing I made preparations.」

Celia brandishes a silver knife and stands in front of me.

Her judgement of using garlic instead of that on Lucy was wonderful.

I squeeze her cheeks from behind as a form of praise.

「T-thid id a dangerous thiuation, plead stoffh!」

By the way, evil spirits are outside Carla's jurisdiction so she is glued to my back.

There's actually a spirit by the name of Casie on my back though.

「Let us in that safe space too.」

「Single person use? With how big the madam's are, I'm sure she can fit three people.」

Nonna, for the second time today, uses her boob technique and plunges her head in her cleavage, followed by her two attendants who also try to bury themselves between the giant mounds from the side.

Is that a simple shelter or something?

「Mmmu, I can't see!! I can't see anything!!」

No matter how hard Irijina strains her eyes, she can't see anything in the direction everyone is looking, so she ends up eating her garlic. It's no use even if the carpet is being lifted up and the whole room is shaking.

「It seems they reacted to the blood and dead people. In the end, they are merely ghosts haunting those in the inner palace. I guess I should scatter them.」

Sekrit is totally pumped up and faces the human-shaped forms with her sword.

As expected of someone who has survived countless hells, there isn't a trace of fear in her.

But she is a little hasty.

「They might be evil spirits, but they are still women so we can't cut them. Besides, they're only reacting to the corpses and won't actually attack us, right?」

The ghosts only have a scary appearance and are just spouting their grudges, they aren't attacking.

I'm sure they are haunting this place because of the cruel way they died.

「They were quiet this whole time. If we leave them for a while, they'll settle down shortly. That's right, this is perfect timing.」

I guide Nonna, who is still buried in her breasts, and Carla to the exit.

「This will be one of Flantica's punishments. She will stay here for one night and reflect on her actions. Oh yeah, and bind the arms and legs of the corpse, it'll turn into a zombie.」

Celia, who carefully inches back, and Sekrit, who was drenched in water, also leave the room.

「Wahahaha! I feel like drinking to go along with this garlic!!」

「Close that damn stinky mouth. If you don't, I'll rip……uurk, stinks. Enough, never get near me again……」

Irijina and Brynhildr leave next.

「Eh? Huh? No way. Corpses and evil spirits alone with me?」

I give a small cloth bag to Flantica.

「Apparently, it is a charm to disperse spirits. Well, it's just a precaution.」

Flantica clutches the charm to her chest.

「An old alcoholic at the bar gave it to me after treating him lots.」

The crude stitching and crappy letters that say "ward spirits" scream handmade, but I'm sure it's fine. What's worrying is that it had no effect when placed on Casie's head, that's about it.

The door closes, leaving Flantica in the room to scream.

What I saw last was countless black shadows flying all over the room.

「Now then.」

I casually crack my shoulders and stretch.

With a few slaps to the face, I refresh my mood.

「That house―― the head and his family should be in a mansion within the capital.」

I call Celia over and tell her to pick up the Dual Crater which should be in Flantica's room.

「What that woman said isn't proof though.」

I interrupt Sekrit before she can finish.

「I don't need proof. I decide what is the truth.」

That is the special privilege and duty of the king.

Celia and Irijina carry the Dual Crater together.

Sekrit smiles happily.

Since the enemy is in the capital, an army is not needed.

――Morning.

I'm not proud of the one-sided carnage that can't even be called a battle, nor do I particularly want to remember it.

I knock on my bloody forehead until my face goes back to normal, back to the one I can show my women and children at home.

Except I――immediately sliced the head of the family in half as soon as I met him, beat the eldest son to death, and crushed the head of the younger brother as he was begging for his life. The females of the family rushed out when they heard the ruckus and didn't even lament at the sight of the tragedy that happened to their relatives, they just lay prostrate on the ground in fear.

After sparing the women and children younger than ten years old, I stripped them of their status and banished them.

I killed the rest――it was an easy-to-understand way of disposal.

「There was something unnecessary at the end though.」

I don't remember anything.

「You banished them and……then you said, "if you become my woman and bear my child, you will be reissued the status of a noble".」

「A woman who has lived her whole life as a noble will only have a miserable future if I exile her so suddenly. That's too sad.」

Then again, didn't I just offer them to be my mistresses in spite of killing the men in front of them?

「Putting that aside, I think it's about time to let Flantica out of the room.」

I'm sure she's thought long and hard about her actions during the one night in the room filled with spirits.

If she has reflected and wet her pants in fear, then the anger in my heart may diminish.

「That's if she's alive.」

Sekrit snickers.

No need to worry, she has a protective charm.

That's when Flantica comes into view in the corridor, walking unsteadily and wobbling unnaturally.

「Hey, you can't just come out on your own.」

Flantica responds, her head tilting 90 degrees to the right.

「I-I-I-I-I-I-」

I'm not sure what she means by repeating that one word.

Her head proceeds to tilt 90 degrees to the left this time.

「I-I'm terribly sorry. I w-will be m-more careful in the future.」

When she bows politely, I don't feel like condemning her further.

「I guess we'll keep you confined in a room somewhere, but for now……your eyes are weird. Do you need eye drops?」

It feels like her eyes are rotating in separate directions.

And her speech is old-fashioned, was she traumatized that badly?

「I-i-it is nothing. P-pardon me.」

Flantica starts walking shakily.

「I'm concerned. I'll get a doctor to check on you……okay?」

When I turn around, Celia and Sekrit are stuck to the wall for some reason, watching Flantica.

「No, I think she needs something other than a doctor.」

「Yes, that is definitely what it is.」

I won't know what you're talking about if you don't say it clearly.

「I-I have-I have gotten inside. I'm in, I'm in. Kekekekeke.」

And Flantica, don't run around screaming weird things.

You're actually bound for execution or the dungeon.

I chase the odd Flantica and try to think back.

It feels like I'm forgetting something.

「Do you mean me, Your Majesty?」

Peeking one eye through the crack in a door is Rosario.

「……sorry Celia, catch Flantica for me.」

I have urgent business to attend to.

Celia and Sekrit look truly reluctant to do so as Flantica screeches and bounces around, meanwhile Rosario looks at me sadly from behind the door.

「About the matter that became blurry yesterday.」

Nonna comes over.

「Why do I have to be behind you!!?」

「Fufu, I'm Aegir's mother after all. I'll be enjoying the bath first.」

Lucy walks along while arguing.

（D-dozens of people got inside that person……migyaa!）

「I heard we're having roast veal today! I can't wait!!」

Casie is trembling about something, then gets stepped on by Irijina.

I check my face in the mirror in the corridor, then turn back to everyone after confirming it is suitable. I feel Head-helmina's gaze.

「What is a king, I wonder?」