My mind was already made up: either way, I wouldn’t give up on Sue.
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He said to reject it immediately. He said we don’t need Lihnea’s charity if Sue was the cost.” The duke spoke proudly of his brother with a faint smile on his face. His Majesty the King of Belfast was truly an amazing specimen. I was glad to hear he agreed. Plus, it wasn’t like we knew for certain that the rejection would ruin trade between the two countries. And even if it did, it wouldn’t be until that moron prince got put on the throne.
The trade with Belfast was surely benefiting them as well, so I had a feeling that Prime Minister Wardack wouldn’t put an end to it. If he wasn’t an idiot, at least.
“Then we’re rejecting it?”
“Yes. I shall be doing so. I’m sure some of the other nobles will chatter about it, but they can only talk after it’s their daughters being hounded.” Exactly. At least Sue will be able to rest easily now. As I was pondering, a knock came at the door and Leim wandered in.
“Sir. The Lihnea Kingdom’s messenger has arrived.”
“Oh? He sent a messenger? He must’ve gotten impatient, good timing! Send him right in.”
“Very well.” I tried to leave the room, but Duke Ortlinde grabbed me by the shoulder.
After a while, a young man who looked to be around twenty years old came through. He bowed his body in a still, formal manner, allowing his tied-up chestnut hair to shake a little.
“Most esteemed Duke Ortlinde. Pardon my rudeness and my intrusion, I have been sent to receive your response to the prince’s proposal.”
“Worry not, you haven’t intruded. Please, take a seat.” The two of them settled on comfy seats facing one another, just a little bit away from me. Duke Ortlinde was to my right, and the messenger was to my left. I almost felt like a referee at the start of a soccer game.
The messenger from Lihnea glanced to me, and was about to open his mouth, but then Duke Ortlinde started to talk.
“While we appreciate the proposal, I am afraid we must reject it at this time.”
“...If you don’t mind, could I ask why?” Hm? Did he just smile? It looked like a wry smile too, not a sneer... Guess he was expecting this.
“Indeed, it has been decided that my daughter will be marrying another man.” Wait... no, hey, don’t do that! That’s... no!
“...And to whom will she be betrothed?”
“To the gentleman in the room with us. This is Mochizuki Touya, His Highness the Grand Duke of Brunhild.” You sneaky bastard! You went and used me like that?! If I speak out against it now the messenger will think you’re lying! I’ve been played like a damn fiddle! “Th-This man is the ruler of the Duchy of Brunhild?!” The young messenger’s eyes widened in shock. He immediately shot up and began prostrating himself on the floor. Ah, wait... stop. That’s not necessary! Stop bowing, stop bowing!
“I-I never thought I’d be able to meet you here of all places... thank God... oh, thank God!!” Wait... uh, huh? Isn’t that a little much? Calm down a little, guy!
“I’ve heard tales told of you, Milord! Tales of wonder and awe! Pardon my selfishness, but please let me ask... can you use transportation magic? Is it true?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah. That’s true...”
“A-Ah... P-Please, please save my mother!”
Wait? Sorry, slow down. Too many plot threads at once here. What mother? When did he learn I can teleport?! I guess he could’ve heard about it because of the coup, or maybe when I was purchasing stuff in bulk... or maybe when I... was kind of just using it as a daily convenience... I guess I haven’t really been hiding it at all, huh.
“Sorry, can you start from the beginning? What’s going on exactly?”
“M-My name is Cloud Zeph Lihnea. I am the second prince of the Kingdom of Lihnea.”
Duke Ortlinde and I stared, slack-jawed. Our gasps overlapped. The second prince? Here? The illegitimate heir who was treated like garbage? Why was he here as the messenger? Was that part of his family’s cruelty?
“If you’re the second prince, that means you’re here because your mother’s ill... You want me to cure her disease?”
“My mother has no disease. In truth, she’s been locked away. She’s in the clutches of that filthy cur, Minister Wardack!” Cloud, the second prince, raised his head. His eyes were burning with rage.
Of course. Of course this was going to happen.
◇ ◇ ◇
Second Prince Cloud Zeph Lihnea of the Lihnea Kingdom lived a solitary life.
From the moment he was born, he was taken from his parents and made to live in a small home away from the castle. By the time he even found out he was a prince, his brother had already drilled his own worthlessness into him. Depending on how Prince Zabune felt, days could consist of things like insults, or things like kickings and beatings.
Insulting was fine, of course. The young prince could take that, but he could not stand to hear his mother slandered. The guardsmen and other young sons of noble families would not help him either. In fact, they would hold him down as his elder brother kicked him in the ribs and face.
Even if Prince Cloud’s mother could be considered nobility, she was originally the daughter of a mercantile family. It was only by chance that she was adopted into blue blood. A baron and his wife could not have children, and they adopted the girl as their own, granting her the status in the process. It was because of this that Prince Zabune was taught by his own mother to despise his younger brother on principle.
“Frankly, I’ve always wanted to leave the country because of my brother. But I couldn’t leave my mother behind, and they knew it. She was falsely diagnosed and locked away. My mother is isolated now, kept hidden from the world. They said she was contagious, and not to approach.” They effectively took his mother hostage, leaving the young prince at his brother’s mercy, with no way out. By the time he’d noticed his mother’s status as a prisoner, it was impossible to even visit her anymore.
“She’s still alive, right?”
“She is. There’s a girl that takes care of my mother, or at least she did. This girl is also a subordinate of a nobleman that takes care of me, so I know about her safety thanks to that.” Why would they do something like this? Is the older brother just jealous of the younger one, or something?
“My brother preys upon the weak. He uses me for jobs like this to show everyone my pathetic state. By displaying me as the messenger, everyone gets to see that my place in his world is that of a lowly errand boy. I am nothing more.” That’s seriously messed up. I haven’t even met him yet and I hate his guts.
“What about the king? Doesn’t he speak up about this?”
“My father cannot speak out against Prime Minister Wardack. I fear that he may even be killed if he resists that man’s whims. The noble families that supported my father have been driven away one by one, as well. My father has no friends in that place.” The prince’s hands shook as he answered Duke Ortlinde. It was far worse than I’d thought. The prime minister was probably thinking of replacing the king with someone who had his family bloodline. Treating it simply like replacing a light bulb was nuts, though. Wait, hold on... “Then... the marriage proposal was for...”
“I believe so. The intention would be to announce his marriage alongside his taking over of the throne.” Makes sense, then... That means he could’ve just picked anyone to marry, really. Or maybe he deliberately chose Sue because she’s young, and thinks she’s weak? Even if they’re married, a guy like Zabune wouldn’t let a woman stand on equal footing with him. If Sue marries this jackass, she might end up being abused, killed, or worse... this is sickening.
“When he made me the messenger for this, I saw a chance. I’m aware that Duke Ortlinde and Your Highness are good friends, so I had intended to beseech Duke Ortlinde to meet with you somehow. I did not expect to be able to meet you today, however.”
“Then you want me to save your mother, right?”
“Yes, absolutely!” Prince Cloud began to kneel again. I wondered what to do. Using [Gate] would be easy enough. Finding his mother probably wouldn’t be impossible either, but there were still potential complications.
“Grand Duke of Brunhild, if you’d allow...” Duke Ortlinde suddenly opened his mouth to speak. Hm? What’s with that tone? Is chatting like this in front of a third party bad, or something?
“We should call an immediate emergency meeting of the western powers. We should not hear just the opinions of Belfast. It is prudent that we hear out Regulus, Mismede, and Refreese as well. It is equally prudent that you be involved.” What?! The matter’s that important?! I-I mean, I’m not opposed to a second opinion but this is a little much.
“If Prince Cloud thinks it appropriate, I believe other nations may need to take action here. That fool of a first prince should be deposed, and Prince Cloud should take the throne.” WHAT?! Duke Ortlinde grinned and spoke with a confident bravado. All Cloud and I could do was stare.
“...And, that’s basically the situation!” The leaders of the western alliance were all assembled in Brunhild Castle’s meeting room. Present were representatives from the Kingdom of Belfast, the Kingdom of Mismede, the Refreese Imperium, the Regulus Empire, and the Ramissh Theocracy. Ramissh was the newest member of the alliance.
I gave them a rough outline of the situation, explaining we needed to decide our next course of action.
“Indeed, our intelligence reports reflect much of the same information. The prime minister of Lihnea exceeds the king in power.” The emperor of Regulus let out a murmur, confirming he knew the same.
“Well my people have little to do with Lihnea, I don’t think I have much to add here.” The beastking tapped his chin with a finger as he spoke. Lihnea seemed to have frequent relations with Belfast, Refreese, and Regulus, but no such relations with Mismede or Ramissh. Same for Brunhild.
“That being said. The first prince and the prime minister both offend me on a personal level. I feel pity for the citizens.”
“Indeed! I’ve heard stories that the people of Lihnea have been heavily taxed in recent years. The excuse given is that they are preparing a war effort against the Palouf Kingdom. It is troublesome indeed...” Her Holiness the Pope sighed and shook her head.
“I’ve no concern with Prince Cloud ascending to the throne. He certainly seems qualified, but will that undo the damage that is already done? I doubt anyone in office will listen to him, as the government is filled with the prime minister’s corrupt cronies.” His Imperial Presence of Refreese also had a point. Changing the head wouldn’t fix much if the body itself was diseased. We’d need to pull it all out at the root.
“What are your thoughts on this?” I spoke up, addressing the prince. He was dumbfounded and began to babble. Yumina’s Mystic Eye confirmed that he was a good person, and the pope would be able to easily tell if he lied.
“R-Right, well... I intend to make use of the people that the prime minister shunned or exiled. For over a decade, there have been many nobles and ministers who were treated poorly due to their social ties. Including many talented people. The current situation is that if you cannot pay Wardack, you cannot keep your position.” The prince spoke in a deprecating manner, and the beastking shook his head in response.
“Filthy... what a corrupt and... Ah, apologies. I did not mean to speak ill of your home.”
“No, it... it’s true.” Prince Cloud looked down, eyes welling with sorrow. On the bright side, he was looking more and more like a good, honest man.
“Are there powerful or skilled nobles on your side, then?”
“Absolutely. Marquis Koupe is the former prime minister. They also have the support and trust of most of our noble families, and is the person that supported me from the shadows many a time.” Prince Cloud instantly answered the king of Belfast’s question. It seemed he had friends as well as foes. It looked like there was no shortage of powerful families that disliked Wardack. If we could unify them, then the country would function fine even with Cloud on the throne.
“But that aside, Prince Cloud. What of you? If you only wanted to help your mother, then simply fleeing the country is an equally valid option, no?”
“...No. I’ve seen many suffer at the hands of my brother and Prime Minister Wardack. I was weak, helpless. I couldn’t aid them. But if I can do something, even if my aid is late. I’d like to.”
“That would mean you starting a revolution in Lihnea. Even if the prime minister holds the true power, you’d still be opposing the king. Are you fine with going against your father?”
“I must, so yes.” The young man spoke confidently. Even though it wasn’t directed at the king, it was still a coup. Though ideally it would be done without mobilizing a military force.
“Well then, everyone? What do we say to supporting Lihnea... No, Prince Cloud’s revolution?” I asked everyone seated at the table.
“Our country supports Prince Cloud. The vile corruption in Lihnea could spread to our homelands if left unchecked.”
“Hear, hear!” The king of Belfast was the first to speak up, with the emperor of Refreese following shortly after.
“The Regulus Empire indeed cannot overlook this. While we cannot actively provide forces, we still offer our support.” The emperor of Regulus spoke up, as well. They still hadn’t recovered from the recent coup, so their national strength wasn’t at its peak. It was only natural they couldn’t spare resources.
“While our heartland is unrelated to this mess, I still pledge my support to you and our allies. I cannot bring myself to tolerate Lihnea as it is now.”
“Our Holy Nation feels the same. We too, support Prince Cloud.” The beastking and Her Holiness the Pope also pledged their support. With that, all countries in the western alliance were backing Cloud as the next king of Lihnea. Now all that was left was the matter of overthrowing the prime minister and his stooges.
Ideally we’d want to avoid war or military campaigns. I was about to consult the others, when they all spoke up at the same time; “Well then, Touya. Good luck!” Excuse me?! You’re gonna make me mop this mess up on my own?! Rescuing his mother is fine, but the whole revolution?! No way!
“Sorry for the trouble, truly. Thank you so much for your aid.”
“A-Ah... no... I-It’s... It’s fine...” I smiled stiffly at Prince Cloud, who had gone and started bowing again. Damn them all to hell, I can’t possibly win! Combined they were formidable, but I guess they were all experienced rulers for a reason. They were pretty good, I could give them that...
“Righty-o, fellow monarchs! We’re all supporting Prince Cloud? Great. Now, since we’re all in Brunhild... we should probably go and improve our diplomatic relations.”
“Very well.”
“Ah, finally.”
“Heh...” At the king of Belfast’s remark, the other monarchs began shuffling out of the conference room. I knew what he meant by improving their diplomatic relations, because they were all headed for the game room.
The only people left behind were me, Prince Cloud, and the pope. The latter two presumably because they had no idea about the game room.
“Good grief... You should go join them, Your Holiness. There’s tea and sweets down there, as well. Partaking in that is His favorite way to relax, you know.”
“Oho? Then I’d love to.” Of course, the Him I was referring to was none other than God. God had recently started dropping in and stealing snacks from my game room. I had no idea how he kept sniffing them out. Even the God of Love came around now and then and ended up eating over half of my sweets.
I was surprised to find that they had already found the Frame Units and were piloting them gleefully. Rosetta and Monica were there doing maintenance, and apparently just decided to stop and teach all the monarchs of the western alliance how to operate a giant robot simulator.
They’d been developed to the point where four players could play at once. The external monitor showed four Frame Gears
in the simulation, labeled Red, Blue, Yellow, and Purple respectively. I couldn’t tell who was piloting which, though. But that wouldn’t matter, each pilot was equally terrible. They all hopped around and slashed in the wrong direction, then lost their balance and collapsed. It was kinda funny.
“Y-Your Highness, what is this?”
“Well...” Prince Cloud and Her Holiness were stricken with surprise. That was only natural, there was a lot of foreign stuff in here.
“This is my game room. It’s a room made for relaxation and play. Once a month, the leaders of the western alliance come here after meeting in my castle.” Though lately I was wondering if they’d been using the meetings as an excuse to just come and play. At least we actually hashed out an important issue this time.
I pondered about whether or not I should start training pilots from other countries. The Phrase threat was looming ever closer, after all...
If a massive amount of Phrase broke through the barrier, Brunhild alone definitely wouldn’t be enough to take care of it. Lending out Frame Units to other countries would probably be a smart idea. It’d be good to make them more accessible. Having only the rulers of each country trained enough to pilot a Frame Gear would be a disaster in itself.
As I pondered my next course of action, I asked Cesca and Lapis to bring some snacks for Prince Cloud and Her Holiness the Pope. I certainly had a lot going on, I couldn’t help but feel that the busiest leader in the room that day was me.
◇ ◇ ◇
I used [Recall] to retrieve Prince Cloud’s memories of his home, and from there opened a [Gate] to the Lihnea Kingdom. Honestly, I didn’t like using that spell on boys, but it was just one of those things. I didn’t want to hold hands with him, much less push my forehead against his.
There were five of us on the mission to rescue Queen Erya, Prince Cloud’s mother. The prince himself, me, Elze, Yae, and Kohaku. We wanted to make use of mobility and stealth rather than overwhelming force. The other party members would be staying at home in the meantime. I didn’t want to bring too many people, after all.
In Another World With My Smartphone_Volume 6 Page 5