The next morning, we passed through the gates of the royal capital without incident.
Well, there wouldn't be any gatekeepers who can stop me. The gatekeepers of the royal capital and the royal palace should have memorized my face, of course.
Since they had spread so many rumors, it's obvious that the Second Prince's faction knew that I was coming too.
I didn't mention the army that followed behind us, but of course they knew that much. They weren't that stupid, so there was no way they weren't gathering information. Of the hundreds and thousands of soldiers, there was no way that not even one person wasn't leaking information for money or colluding behind the scenes.
However, there were no enemy soldiers waiting at the city gate...
"Hurrah! Angel-sama, hurrah!!"
"Whoa!" (Kaoru)
I was surprised!
...What is this 'welcome in the city' mode?!
The advertising is too effective!!
At this rate, it would be difficult to capture me openly. If we're not careful, a skirmish between soldiers and citizens could break out...or worse, a bloody battle could break out!
Well, it seemed most of the nobles and soldiers had abandoned the second prince and defected, but those with a strong stake, those who could no longer turn back... those involved in the king's death... were likely betting on this last chance.
Yes, if I and the first prince, Fernand, die, the situation would be resolved and the second prince would rule.
Right now, the nobles, the military, and the general public had all turned their backs on him, but if the second prince became the sole legitimate successor to the throne, the story would change again.
In that case, what measures should the other side take?
Whoosh!
Bash!
Yes, it was an assassination. Between me and the First Prince, Fernand.
But even an idiot could understand that much.
Francette's physical abilities exceeded those of humans, and she not only had superior strength and stamina, but also outstanding long-distance vision, dynamic vision, hearing, and reflexes. Therefore, things like "Knocking down an arrow with a sword" or "Slashing a javelin" that an ordinary soldier could do were easy for her. Of course, everyone in "The Four Walls" could do the same.
Besides, I was wearing chainmail just in case. If I wore plate armor, it would be too heavy and I wouldn't be able to move, but this was manageable.
Moreover, this is that thing. ...Yes, it's the one that was made as a "potion container." Therefore, it's lighter and easier to move than normal ones, and it's also stronger. It should be able to easily stop an arrow from a long distance.
What if you're targeted by a powerful, large composite bow, crossbow, or ballista? What if you're hit with a head shot?
Hahaha.... Hahaha....
I'm counting on you, Francette!
I couldn't rely on an "Automatic defense mechanism" that I didn't know if Celes had installed.
I couldn't deny the possibility that the attack by the former priest (that time) was a coincidence, and I was not stupid enough to entrust my life to something uncertain. I'd just assume that the protection of Celes didn't exist.
Francette, who had knocked the flying arrow down, glared in the direction it had come from, but since they were far away and had likely hidden themself after firing the arrow, it seemed she was unable to find the archer.
Well, even if she found them, they would probably be able to get away even if she chased her. They could just hide somewhere, or quickly change clothes and blend into the crowd, and that would be the end of it. And in the first place, we couldn't see the archer, so we couldn't chase them. There's no reason for them to be dressed as a soldier to shoot an arrow, so they would have been dressed like an ordinary civilian from the start.
It would be the height of stupidity to split up the five-man guard force to search for something like that.
...Or rather, I could think that their goal was to separate me from my guards. After all, they probably thought that I had no fighting ability whatsoever.
That incident in the battle against the westward invading army of the Alligot Empire was said to be the "Wrath of the Goddess" or the "Divine Punishment of the Goddess" and was passed down as a tale of the Goddess exacting revenge on those who had done evil to Angel-sama. Therefore, the rumor that I only had the ability to make medicines was one that had been purposely spread.
Yep, the whole explosive thing (the potion thing) was supposed to have never happened. It was all the work of the Goddess herself.
But still, if you're sane, you wouldn't want to lay hands on such a dangerous person, right...?
Well, I guess that's why he's not normal and did something stupid like this.
Even if I hadn't been there, Fernand would have raised an army and surrounded the royal capital, or other countries would have called for troops, or someone would have sacrificed themselves for their country and assassinated the second prince, or they would have been eliminated early on by some other means. The moment they failed to kill the first prince, Fernand, and let him escape, it was already checkmate.
I would speed it up just a little, and reduce just a few lives that were needlessly lost. That's all.
Things might have been different if the second prince had been more popular and had a support base equal to that of the first prince, but there's no point in saying that now.
Well, we're about to arrive at the palace.
I'd been here once before.
Yes, that time when I was given an invitation to a party, showed up wearing a dress I had requisitioned (stole) from the Baron's house, and quickly changed into a maid's uniform once inside, and a lot of things happened.
...But this time, for some reason, there was no gatekeeper.
Maybe, "As a gatekeeper, I can't let you through. But if I don't, I'll be punished by God," and so he temporarily abandoned his job... no, wait, he's probably gone to the bathroom. Physiological phenomena couldn't be helped!
So all six of us passed through.
...But it seemed that it really had been completely abandoned. To be abandoned even by the gatekeeper was quite something...
No, but if you thought about it, it made sense.
The first prince, the rightful heir to the throne, was leading his army towards the royal capital.
Most of the nobles and military sided with the First Prince.
Merchants and ordinary people all supported the first prince.
The temple also supported the first prince.
The second prince was supported by some nobles with bad reputations, corrupt merchants, and several outside priests of questionable origins.
And then there was the triple combo of rumors that spread: "The Parent-Murdering Usurper", "The Wrath of the Goddess", and "The Visit of Angel-sama". Now those who supported the second prince had come full circle, and I respected that....
Then, we walked briskly, further and further in.
Come to think of it, I was the only one out of the six of us who's been here before.
And of course, I only went to the changing rooms and the party venue.
But for some reason, everyone else was walking without getting lost, so I just followed them...
Since everyone was familiar with the royal palace of their own country, I wonder if they could roughly understand the layout of royal palaces of other countries as well.
Well, maybe I'd just have to keep quiet and go along with it...
"Here it is." (Francette)
No, Francette, even if you say 'It's here'...
How do you know where the King (laughs) is? Is he in his office, his bedroom, his conference room, or his dining room?
So, here it is...
"The audience chamber. This is the only place where a cornered king can receive his accusers." (Francette)
...Was that in a play or a minstrel's song?
Well, if I'm going to check everything out anyway, it doesn't matter where I start. For now, I'll start from here...
…….
………….
………………There you are, hey!
So, I opened the door and there he was.
At the very back, wearing a crown and sitting on a throne, was a young person who looked like the king, or the second prince, or something.
Behind them were several people who looked like priests.
And of course, in front of them were the soldiers guarding them. Perhaps they couldn't escape, or perhaps they had some other reason, or perhaps they were staying behind out of "loyalty to the King"...
If they attacked me, I had no choice but to defeat them. I was not so soft-hearted or stupid as to insist on not killing here. And even if the king's guards were all skilled, there's no way they could win against Francette and the Four Walls wielding the sacred sword. Anyway, I'd be lucky if I survived and only got seriously injured.
"Oh, you've finally come! We welcome you, Angel-dono!"
Then, I could hardly believe my ears when I heard some extremely unexpected words from the second prince, Ghislain.
"Huh?" (Kaoru)
And then, while I was dumbfounded, I was attacked again.
"I am grateful that you led the Balmore Kingdom's army and came to join me. As a reward, when we defeat the Balmore Kingdom, I will take you as my queen!"
...I guess he was so desperate that he ended up in a pitiful state...
However, the priest-like man and the guarding soldiers seemed to be normal. Everyone had pale faces, probably due to tension. And the soldiers seemed to be gripping the handles of their weapons tightly.
Putting the Second Prince aside, for the sake of the other spectators, I should probably proceed as planned...
Author's Note
Mile, Kaoru, and Mitsuha. Figures of the three girls are all here! (^^)/
These will be sold by Komino Koubou at the garage kit exhibition and sale event, Wonder Festival, held in the summer of 2019 (Sunday, July 28th, Makuhari Messe)! (15 of each)
Only one month left! (^^)/
Mitsuha: "Why am I the only one who has to pay 2000 yen?"
Kaoru "Last time, I sold six of them for 1,000 yen, below cost price, but it was a huge loss. The reason why one of them is cheaper despite being the same scale is because it was a prototype made with a 3D printer for market demand research. I made six, but they sold out in an instant within eight minutes of the start, so I don't know if they sold because they were cheap or because the character was popular, and it was meaningless as a 'market demand research for 3D printer products', which was my purpose. So this time, I'm making 15, the same number as Mile-chan and I, who are both genuine resin products. Do your best!"
Mitsuha: Y-Yes!