Chapter 208 : Chapter 208
Chapter 208
“Ah?”
Finance Minister Adrak’s mouth fell open blankly.
He was dumbfounded by my words.
“You say it’s an offer you can’t refuse, yet you refuse?”
“You heard correctly.”
I lay down. It was a very insolent attitude. It was as if a thud sound was made.
“It’s true that Prime Minister Belrsasal is detestable, and I do want to be of help to Her Majesty the Queen, but……”
“But?”
“This place is so comfortable that I don’t feel like leaving.”
It was an absurd thing to say.
Adrak suppressed the urge to shout.
To say that a dungeon where bugs crawled around was too comfortable to leave, he wondered how a person could be so shameless.
Adrak sighed and suppressed his anger.
He looked at me with sharper eyes than before.
“…What are you scheming?”
“Scheming? There’s nothing of the sort.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d be honest.”
“I’m already being honest, you know?”
I was being rude, and Adrak did not lose his manners.
However, I resolved to see my rudeness through to the end.
“My mind will not change.”
I crossed my legs while leaning back.
My posture, no different from an idle loafer, had a way of provoking one's anger.
It was enough to draw out the deeply hidden irritation in the heart of Finance Minister Adrak, who was famous for his character.
“Look for someone else.”
“…Hah, I have completely misjudged the man.”
Adrak turned to leave without hiding his displeasure.
His gaze was even mixed with a hint of contempt.
“Shion of Merion. It was just an empty reputation. No, it makes me wonder if you are even that man at all.”
“Then let's just say I was a fraud.”
I’m already imprisoned, so what difference would it make, I chuckled.
Amethus couldn't help but be impressed.
His master never seemed to lose a single word in an exchange.
“It's nap time, so please leave.”
“…There will come a day you regret today’s rudeness.”
Adrak’s steps quickened as if he didn’t even want to exchange any more words.
Yulan, who was staring blankly at the finance minister’s back, tilted his head.
He had lost his memories and become as innocent as a child, but he hadn't lost his common sense.
He was puzzled, unable to find a reason for my rudeness.
“Why did you send him away like that, Mr. Shion?”
“I told you, I have to take a nap.”
I lay down more deeply. From a half-lying position to one for a full, deep sleep.
Even in the small cell, I stretched my arms and legs.
A single long stretch of my body brought relaxation.
At this rate, it felt like I would fall asleep soon.
“Take a nap, Mr. Yulan.”
Amethus was already lying flat on his back.
When I did things he couldn't understand, he was used to just following without asking further questions.
It wouldn't be particularly wrong to say he was fed up or jaded.
“There's nothing else to do here anyway.”
***
A day passed quickly.
It was to the point of worrying if it was okay to be so leisurely when less than three months remained until the Cordis Empire's full-scale invasion.
Amethus was a man with a ghost-like intuition and demon-like swordsmanship.
He rarely had anything to worry about, but following me often gave him cause for concern.
“Phew, my back is killing me, I can't sleep.”
Contrary to his words, my face was very refreshed.
When I stretched, a refreshing sound came out. I hummed and grumbled.
“Leaving home is always a pain.”
It was too sweet a slumber to call it a pain.
After lying down to take a nap, I slept soundly for at least eleven hours straight.
This was in contrast to Amethus and Yulan, who had woken up from time to time.
Why is the urge to go to the bathroom so strong when I wake up?
I opened the small door in the corner of the cell.
A very stylish and clean bathroom greeted me.
Of course, it wasn't a facility that was there from the beginning.
It was just that among the various magical tools I carried, there happened to be a portable toilet woven with spatial magic.
To think that you could face such a clean bathroom by just attaching the doorframe to any wall, the advancement of technology is truly a great thing.
Having woken up and relieved myself, I sat down in a chair, enjoying my leisure.
It was a high-quality product that cost eight silver coins, so it was very comfortable.
The rug on the floor and the teacup in my hand were also quite to my liking.
This too, of course, the chair, the rug, the teacup—none of it was originally in the cell.
They were things I had stuffed into Mana Armor Valziart.
After the Great Witch Beluchian Pollinglight had reinforced the armor, the available space had greatly increased, so there was no shortage even after stuffing all sorts of things inside.
“It's so uncomfortable, I could die. A prison is uncomfortable, after all.”
With a not-at-all-uncomfortable face, I repeatedly said it was uncomfortable.
Waking up after sleeping for eleven hours straight and enjoying a leisurely cup of tea while going on about uncomfortable, uncomfortable—my antics were even more detestable than yesterday.
“Then who are you, making an already uncomfortable cell even more uncomfortable?”
“…Greetings, Sir Shion.”
Beyond the prison door was a man.
He looked twenty years younger than Finance Minister Adrak.
I put down my teacup and spoke.
“The title 'Sir' feels awkward. It's more than I deserve, too.”
“Not at all, Sir.”
The man bowed his head to me.
“What title could be too much for one of the Upper House of the Dawn Brotherhood, one of the Seventeen Elders?”
“Hmm, judging by your smooth tongue, you must hold a high position.”
I opened the prison door.
“It’s a fine morning, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”
The guard watching him was dumbfounded.
He couldn't even begin to guess why a prisoner was opening the prison door so calmly, and why he was so docilely staying locked up while doing so.
If the man had accepted my offer, it would have been even more dumbfounding.
“I will accept the sentiment, Sir.”
“That’s a shame.”
I filled a second cup.
“If you're not here for a cup of tea, what brings you here so early in the morning? I've been locked up in prison for two days now, so I'm not in a very good mood.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Well. Does someone want to see me?”
“Exactly. As expected, you are wise.”
The man smiled brightly.
“The Prime Minister wishes to see you, Sir Shion.”
“Isn’t Belrsasal the only Prime Minister in Schmeizen?”
“…Even so, it would be best to add a title of respect.”
“And if I don’t want to?”
“…Then there is nothing to be done.”
I sent a scoff.
“I don’t understand why Prime Minister Belrsasal, who just watched without intervening when I was imprisoned, is looking for me now.”
“I fully understand your feelings, Sir. The Prime Minister also said he wished to meet you in person and apologize.”
The man continued.
“Actually, word of yesterday’s events reached the Prime Minister’s ears.”
“Yesterday’s events?”
“I hear you drove away Finance Minister Adrak quite forcefully. It seems the Prime Minister solidified his decision to cooperate fully with you then, Sir Shion.”
“His words are quite slick, aren't they?”
I drained the second cup. Amethus and Yulan watched their conversation with interest.
“If he was going to say that, he should have come himself.”
“I figured as much, so I followed.”
An old man with the impression of a fierce goat appeared.
It was Belrsasal.
The man who was Schmeizen’s Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and Chief Secretary, a man who couldn't rest easy unless he had grasped all the power there was to grasp.
“First, let's talk outside.”
Belrsasal stroked his goat-like beard.
“Is it right to keep the hero of the West, Shion of Merion, locked up like this?”
“It was Her Majesty the Queen who imprisoned me. Is it alright for you to release me on your own authority, Prime Minister?”
“Why would you assume I do not have Her Majesty's permission?”
“Why indeed?”
“……”
There was a hint of a smile in my eyes as I looked at the old man.
It was as if to say, Isn't your action a clear abuse of authority?
The look, filled with obvious ridicule, was enough to make Prime Minister Belrsasal feel very unpleasant.
“…You’re a quick-witted man, Shion of Merion.”
Belrsasal furrowed his brow.
“But you’re immature. What do you gain by making it obvious you’re quick-witted? Everything would be easy if you just pretended not to know and followed me out.”
“How can I pretend not to know what I already know? Since Her Majesty the Queen imprisoned me, I won't leave unless she comes herself.”
“……Fine. I will take responsibility for getting Her Majesty’s permission. I, Belrsasal, promise you.”
The prime minister gestured.
He had already opened the prison door and was tempting me.
“So hurry up and come out. Let's go to a nice place, not somewhere like this, and have a meal. If the mood is right, we can have a drink. I've prepared a good place to discuss the future of the West.”
“That sounds tempting.”
I stroked my chin.
Tea was just starting to feel unsatisfying.
With the guarantee of Schmeizen's most powerful man, a splendid banquet would surely be waiting for them.
Amethus, who was watching my reaction, raised his head. He thought it was about time to get up.
“It's an offer with no reason to refuse, Prime Minister.”
Amethus lay back down. He knew what my answer would be.
“But I refuse.”
***
“The political strife seems to be fierce.”
Amethus glanced beyond the bars.
“For the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister to visit on alternate days.”
“Yeah. It seems so.”
“More importantly, is it alright to provoke Prime Minister Belrsasal like that, Shion? He left in a complete rage.”
“I don't know.”
I lay down again. I had just finished lunch.
I ate biscuits Serena had made, topped with high-quality ham.
Even with food still in my stomach, lying down brought a truly refreshing sense of happiness.
“Before, she told me to stay put and not move, so I’m staying still. If the Prime Minister had suggested we talk here, I might have agreed.”
“You follow her words very well. Do you trust her, Shion?”
“Have you forgotten my second secret?”
The second art of the Septem Arcana,
‘The Unclosable Twenty Steps’.
The corresponding second secret,
‘He does not trust’.
People are not objects of trust.
It was a secret he had no choice but to declare, having gained a broken heart in return for all his trust.
Whether it was childishness, hot-bloodedness, or even an excuse, the current me still harbored such a secret.
“She spoke for her own sake. There was no reason to lie, and she was in a situation where she couldn't lie. If so, there's no reason to doubt. Shouldn't I do as she said, to stay put for three days no matter what?”
“That is trust, Shion.”
“No. A feeling created by racking one's brain cannot be trusted.”
I declared flatly.
Amethus swallowed the words he wanted to say.
My ideal was high.
Because I dreamed of perfect trust, I declared that I would not trust anyone in the world, believing that imperfect trust was not trust at all.
Even if it wasn't the wrong answer, it couldn't be the right one either.
Because whatever the result, my pain would inevitably follow.
“…Anyway, the second day will be over soon. Let’s wait until tomorrow night, and if nothing happens, let’s find another way.”
I tapped the bars.
On a full stomach, I took out the ‘Fantasy Finger’ and grabbed the bars, and they bent very easily.
It couldn’t even be called a prison break.
The moment Amethus and I decided to, we could break out of this small cell.
“At this rate, won't someone visit tomorrow too?”
***
Another day passed.
Their cell had become a little more splendid, and I either slept or ate.
I also exchanged some silly jokes with Amethus and Yulan.
“Today is the third day.”
“Why does time fly so fast?”
I grumbled.
According to the Widow Queen’s words from before the regression, if I just waited until tonight, something would happen.
Though there were no signs of it.
“Someone will visit tonight too, right?”
“It seems someone has already come.”
Amethus said.
I sensed a presence too.
Even if not on Amethus's level, my senses were also beyond the scope of an ordinary person.
There were three sets of footsteps.
Two followed, and one led.
The two following were undoubtedly knights.
They were dull footsteps that could not be made without being wrapped in heavy armor and the one leading footstep echoed clearly, tok, tok.
“…It’s a woman’s footsteps.”
“It’s a woman’s footsteps.”
I smiled, baring my teeth.
Three people emerged from the darkness.
Just as presumed from the footsteps, there were two knights and one woman.
The woman’s face was covered.
All that could be seen was that her hair was black.
“Want to bet on who she is, Amethus?”
“Well. The bet won’t hold since we’ll have the same answer.”
“As expected, right?”
I stepped forward boldly.
Amethus stepped back.
Yulan, as he had been doing, just watched them quietly.
I spoke to the woman.
“I did not expect you to grace us with your presence all the way here.”
“……”
“To welcome such an esteemed guest after a minister and a prime minister, it’s quite a surprising turn of events.”
Instead of answering, the woman revealed her covered face.
Black hair, black eyes, black mourning clothes.
Yulan gasped.
If he wasn't mistaken, she was the very person who had thrown them in prison.
“What brings you to this deep prison, Your Majesty the Queen?”