In the audience chamber, Lesper kneels before Queen Laevateinn III.
As the commander of the Knights and the Queen's nephew, he is one of the candidates to succeed the Queen, who has no direct descendants.
The other candidate, Suppan, was arrested (or faked) on suspicion of assassinating the queen, leaving him as the only candidate remaining who cannot be officially recognized as the heir to the throne.
...That's the summary of the previous episode.
But the Queen was not so generous as to give the succession for free!
It's a test!!
"Are you the spirit of fire that resides in the scorching hot land of death...?!"
"Yes, the fire spirit Napalm likes people and likes to test their generosity. If you are approved by him, you will surely be granted the 'Pyro Stigma'."
Suddenly this is turning into a fantasy story.
It's kind of refreshing since recently we've been seeing a lot of modern stories like power struggles, investigations, and cabaret clubs.
"If you want to become king, you must bring back the Pyro Stigma!"
"I understand! But what kind of treasure is this "Pyro Stigma"? It's hard to imagine what it looks like just from the name...!?"
"You will understand it if it appears before your eyes."
No hint at all.
It seemed as though the hurdles were being raised one after another at the Queen's whim, but if he could overcome them, his throne would be assured, so Lesper had no choice but to back down.
"I, I understand! I will definitely bring back the treasure and get my aunt's... no, Her Majesty the Queen's recognition!"
"Well then, let's set the time limit for the trial to within twenty days from today."
"Is there a time limit?!"
"Otherwise you could try again and again, right?"
"But didn't you just say that the volcanic region where the spirits live is about eight days' horseback ride away?"
Moreover, that's only one way, so the round trip takes a total of 16 days.
That many days were consumed just by travelling, so 20 minus 16, leaving only four days for the actual attack.
Moreover, we can't afford not to take the time to prepare, and the event will last twenty days, including today, and today is already halfway over.
No matter how hard you try, the actual number of days you'll have to conquer it will be two or three days.
That means it's going to be an incredibly tight schedule!
"As a king, there are times when you are forced to make difficult decisions without being given enough time. Know that this is a rehearsal for that."
"I understand! Let's get started!"
Resper eagerly lifts his hips.
There was no time to waste. We had to get ready at full speed and head towards the spirit at the speed of the wind.
"Aiya, wait a moment."
"What is it!?"
The Queen stops it.
Maybe your nephew is playing with you?
"Don't be hasty. I haven't even revealed all the conditions for the trial yet, you know?"
"You mean there's still something else?!"
"Yes, the last one. ...Pot."
yes?
Suddenly, my name was called.
What is it?
"You should accompany Resper into the trial. You can act as a supervisor."
"A supervisor?"
"I'd like to hear the details of how you passed the trial, Resper. I can help you if you want."
"that's great!"
Resper groaned.
"I wanted to see the power of Sao-kun, who is well-liked by my aunt, up close. And if he is willing to help me, I'll be glad to have him join us."
"Think about it."
◆
Having come this far, I am gradually beginning to understand the Queen's intentions.
Despite all her complaints, she had gone along with my wishes.
The more suspicious figure behind the attempted assassination of the Queen is Lesper.
The reason he decided to arrest Suppapan, who had been framed, and go along with his plan was to give him control over what he wanted, creating an opening for himself.
As if according to plan, after Suppan was arrested he immediately met with the Queen and urged her to support him.
The challenge that the Queen issued in response would be a very troublesome invitation if Lesper was truly the mastermind.
Because the trial will require Lesper to leave the royal capital for a considerable period of time.
Even if they were to dig up evidence that he was the mastermind behind it all, there would be nothing I could do to stop it while I was away.
Of course, he probably has subordinates who manage secrets on his behalf, but the accuracy and speed will be far less than if he were to make the decisions himself.
It seems the Queen intends to thoroughly re-examine the matter while Resper is away from the royal capital.
It was also a good idea to put a time limit on the trial.
This forced Lesper to leave in a hurry, leaving him no time to destroy evidence even if he needed to.
Even if it is possible, it would be done in a busy situation, and there are bound to be imperfections in work done in a hurry.
Isn't this the opening that investigators should exploit?
It seemed like he only listened to what I was saying with half an ear, but he had set such an elaborate trap.
Her Majesty the Queen is a frightening person after all...!
The only thing that's puzzling is...
Why should I accompany Lesper?
◆
"Sao-kun, please take good care of us on the way."
"Thank you."
Resper prepared to leave that same day and left the royal capital at sunrise the next morning.
This is quite efficient.
I can't help but feel that if you can't do this much, it would be impossible for you to be king.
"It's a great stroke of luck for me to have you accompany me! Your abilities are revered in many different areas!"
"Eh, is that so?"
"In fact, my aunt has given you a helping hand. It is a great gift. Why don't you take this opportunity to join the Eighth Knights, who I lead?!"
"I'm still a student, so..."
I dodge the question with the usual line.
On the surface, Lesper's demeanor is entirely casual and friendly.
Despite his status as royalty, he shows equal kindness to me, a commoner, and never shows the slightest sign of dislike.
It is true that the nation would be safe if such a person were at the top, but...
I don't know, but there's something a little artificial about Resper's friendliness.
"Then let's hurry. My aunt has imposed very strict conditions. In fact, whether we can overcome this challenge depends on how quickly we can shorten the trip there and back."
"Yes sir."
Lesper had prepared more than a dozen very fine horses for this trial.
There are only three people there, including me.
This is probably a horse to change to so as not to slow down their movement.
Horses carrying people tire easily due to the weight, so if they become tired and slow, you can quickly switch to another horse. A horse that runs side by side and has no luggage and therefore has plenty of stamina.
Are you so determined to hurry on that path?
His determination to become king was palpable.
"Considering that, there aren't many people accompanying you, are there?"
"It's inevitable. The more people there are, the slower people move."
surely.
It may not be so difficult for just one or two people, but when it comes to a squad or army, it takes time and effort to prepare camp, and with a large number of people the number of paths they can take is limited.
And when moving in a group, you always have to follow the lead of the slowest runner.
At that rate, there's no way we'll be able to meet the Queen's "20 days" time limit.
Having a small but elite team was a natural progression.
"My aunt didn't limit the number of attendants, but I guess that's on purpose. Did she really think that I would assemble a large army and waste time moving at a snail's pace?"
For the time being, we have narrowed down the successor candidates to an appropriate number without falling for any booby traps...
"Well, let me introduce my companions. Sao-kun, this is Martha Curley."
He is introduced to another companion who will be joining the commander of the knights.
As I said earlier, there are many horses in this group but only three people.
One of the three was Resper, the subject of the trial, and the second was me, who was assigned as the supervisor.
So, the question is, who is the last one?
That person is this Martha Curley.
No, this is it.
It was so huge that you had to look up at it.
Her chest was exactly at eye level with mine.
Though it was a full plate breastplate since his whole body was covered in metal armor.
Being looked down upon with such a height difference is extremely intimidating.
Feeling pressured, he takes two or three steps back.
"Even Kirinji is intimidated by Martha's huge size, isn't he? That can't be helped. Her physique is rumored to be the best not only in the royal capital, but in the entire country!"
"she!?"
"Is that surprising? Even though she's a woman, Martha is taller and stronger than any man. I was impressed by her imposing presence and welcomed her into my Eighth Knights. As expected, she has achieved many successes, and is now the leader of the Royal Guard."
The Guard?
"It's an elite unit that I personally organized by selecting the most outstanding fighting forces among the knights. If Sao-kun joins, he will surely become a member of the royal guard, but Martha is the strongest among them. She's not just big for show."
"I'm honored..."
When Martha, with her huge build, bowed her head in thanks, it was so scary that it felt like the ceiling was going to fall on me.
That aside, her voice was cute and appropriate for her gender.
"Sao-sama..."
"Yes!"
"I heard that you are of commoner origin, is that correct?"
"No doubt about it! I'm not lying!"
The fear of being harassed by Yankees in an alley!
"I'm also a commoner. I'm of low social status, and with my stature I'm the type of person that everyone around me looks down on, but only Lord Resper has ever valued me. It's because Lord Resper welcomed me into his order that I've become known as the unrivaled giant knight."
…Were there giants in this world?
I couldn't help but think about that.
"Lord Resper, who values people regardless of their status or appearance, is worthy of being the new king of this country. Let's work together to help Lord Resper and raise him to the position of king."
"Hahaha, Martha. I'm glad you're enthusiastic, but it's not good to force him. Sao-kun is only in the position of being watched over by his aunt, after all."
"I, I'm sorry..."
She is a giant, or rather a giantess, who obediently submits to Lesper.
She seemed to be fascinated by Lesper.
"Well, that's enough of the greetings. It's time to depart. Auntie has given us very little time. We want to reach our destination as quickly as possible. It's going to be a forced march, so prepare yourself, both of you!"
"roger that..."
"Ryoss."
Thus, unexpectedly, I ended up heading to the trial grounds with Resper.
I have a mission to find evidence of his secret activities while Lesper is away, but I'm away from the royal capital with him.
Why!?
◆
No, I understand.
It doesn't have to be me who can carry out a burglary-type background check while the occupant is away.
This kind of thing is especially the specialty of the traitorous assassin, Dark-chan.
It would be better to leave it all to her.
On the other hand, it seems that it is secretly known that I am searching for the mastermind behind this on royal orders from the Queen.
Of course, Lesper must know too.
If he were to leave me in the royal capital like that, even Lesper would be wary.
Even though they are busy, they may take great care to destroy evidence.
However, if I accompany him and we leave the royal capital together, Lesper will feel more at ease and will no doubt lower his guard.
Was he accompanying me because he had anticipated that?
Plus, it's still necessary to keep an eye on him from the closest place.
While keeping Resper away from the royal capital, they keep a close watch on him while luring him into letting his guard down.
It's scary to think that a queen can achieve all these effects with just one move.
in.
◆
"Tomorrow we'll be in the volcanic area..."
Tonight marks the sixth night in a row that I've been sleeping rough.
But it looks like I can get there tomorrow.
So that means we managed to shorten our usual eight-day trip by one day.
Awesome.
"You never know what's going to happen when you're there. It's not a bad idea to give yourself as much time as possible."
The giantess knight Martha said as she looked at the bonfire.
There is a crackling sound as the bonfire burns and explodes.
"Lord Resper must become king. I will do anything to make that happen. I am even prepared to sacrifice my life."
"That's passionate."
Although it was a rushed journey, I got to know Martha better after spending a few days with her.
Her huge size was surprising and dazzling, but I thought that inside she might be a very charming, sensitive woman.