Chapter 209 A Reliable Man â¡
Part 1
After all, I am not cut out to be a Hunter. I am not competent enough, and it is also too mentally taxing.
I wonder how many times I have been summoned by Franz-san by now. But it is normal to have meetings during an escort, and I have screwed up a lot, so I have plenty of ideas why I have been summoned so much.
I have been summoned to a lot of places, but no matter how many times I am summoned, I never get used to it. In the background, Kruz was complaining about being pushed around.
âAlright, the only reason Iâm going along is because Lapis told me to listen to your order, Yowaningen, desu. However, no matter how much you rely on me, youâre the Leader so you have to be firm or itâll be problematic, desu.â (Kruz)
âUn, un, thatâs rightâ¦â¦â (Cry)
It is not good. I really need people like Sytry, Eva, Anthem, or Ark to lead the organization.
What on earth does he wantâ¦â¦ With the Conference coming up, Franz-san shouldnât have time to worry about me.
I went to Franz-sanâs room, always ready to give him my best Dogeza at any time.
In front of the room, fully-armed knights from the Imperial Guard stood there like a gatekeeper.
I wonder if they wonât turn me awayâ¦â¦ But my hope was crushed to pieces and I was promptly let through. Inside the room, there were not only Franz-san and the Imperial Guard waiting for me, there was also the familiar-looking Emperor.
He had a well-trained body that did not look like a member of the Imperial family, and his fearless face gave him the air of a hero. At that unexpected sight, I could only freeze my expression with a smile.
When I thought I was called by Franz-san, it was the Emperor who was there. Why the heck are you hereâ¦â¦?
Was this why some Imperial Guards were standing in front of the room?
Toizant was a backyard country compared to Zebrudia, but when it came to accommodations for foreign dignitaries, they were no less than the Empire. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The desert climate was a bit exotic, but the spacious room was air-conditioned and furnished with expensive-looking furniture. I had no idea how much it would cost per night.
As I enter, His Majesty raised his hand to the guards around him before Franz-san could open his mouth.
âThank you for coming, ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã. â¦â¦ Leave us alone.â (Radrick)
Except for Franz-san, the Imperial knights followed his order and left the room. The only ones left were Franz-san, His Majesty, and Her Imperial Princess, who was standing still behind him.
Franz-san frowned when he saw Kruz behind me.
âI, intended to call only youâ¦â¦â (Franz)
Apparently, it seems that Kruz is no longer useful. Why would he want to talk to me rather than Kruz, who is so much better than me?
Before Kruz could open her mouth, I quickly say something.
âNo, Kruz is useful, you know. Besides, you can trust her.â (Cry)
If we listened to them together, she should be able to stop me when I tried to do something wrong.
âThis isnât what we are talking abâââ (Franz)
âNo, it is fine. Franz.â (Radrick)
His Majesty stopped Franz-san, who seemed to be in a bad mood. To completely stop a nobleman like Franz-san with just a single word, he has such an amazing charisma.
Radrick Atrum Zebrudia was a *gorigori* burly martial artist with a reputation for being a rare and outstanding man, and apparently, that was true. Come to think of it, he has maintained his dignity even as a frog. It is hard to believe we are of the same race.
âWe donât have much time. First of all, I would like to thank you for all your hard work in escorting me here. I have summoned you here to discuss the matter of this escort and our future plans.â (Radrick)
I seeâ¦â¦ I didnât expect this discussion to come at a time when the Conference hadnât started yet, but I should have expected it.
Will he cut my head off? Will I be captured? I should have told my Sheet Ghosts to wait outside so that I could escape at any momentâs notice.
Franz-san continues with a grim expression.
âYou have invited members of the infamous ãNine Tail Shadow Fox (Kyubi no Kage Kitsune)ã to be part of His Majestyâs escort, resulting in the crash of the ãBlack Starã, the pride of the Empire. According to the Empire laws, of course, you deserved to be executed. Whatever the reason, using His Majesty as bait is unacceptable, and leading him to a Treasure Shrine is completely unheard of.â (Franz)
Noblemen are usually arrogant and donât care about the common people. The laws of the Empire are fair to a certain extent, but even so, there are many stories of the common people crying because of the arrogant act of noblemen.
However, Franz-sanâs words were kind of very convincing. If I were in Franz-sanâs position, I would say the same thing.
ââ¦â¦ I see.â (Cry)
I canât say that I am surprised to hear him say thatâ¦â¦ But it has been yet another terrible trip. When I nodded understandably, Franz-sanâs veins appeared on his forehead.
I am calm because I have been through something similar a few times before. Kruz, who was following behind me, raised her voice.
âWait. I admit that Yowaningen went too far, but as a result of his action, we have arrived safely in Toizant, desu. The reason he invited members of the âFox (Kitsune)â was to flush them out, and considering that, there are extenuating circumstancesâââ (Kruz)
âNoâ¦â¦ I just didnât notice it.â (Cry)
â!? Haaaah?â (Kruz)
Kruz makes a hysterical voice.
Iâm sorry for my incompetence. But you wouldnât normally think that a member of such secret organization would be mixed in with the members of the famous ãMagic Wand (Ma Tsue)ã. Besides, Kechakchakka was also very suspicious. Who would have guessed that such a suspicious woman was really a bad guy?
By the way, I think Franz-san, who accepted the members I brought with me, may have a problem as well.
His Majesty checked with me as I was shifting the blame in my mind without expressing it.
âFumu. Cry Andrich. In your opinion, do you think that ãAbyssal Fire of Destruction (Shin En Kametsu)ã is a member of the âFox (Kitsune)â?â (Radrick)
âNo. I donât think so.â (Cry)
You donât even need to think about this possibility. His Majestyâs eyes widened as I answered immediately.
âCan you tell me why?â (Radrick)
âIf she was a âFox (Kitsune)â, she wouldnât be assassinating people.â (Cry)
ãAbyssal Fire of Destruction (Shin En Kametsu)ã is a Baa-san similar to an angry fire dragon. If she tried to do something, she would choose to burn it to the ground.
His Majesty frowned at what I said. He thought about it for a while and then nodded his head.
ââ¦â¦ If you didnât know about them beforehand, then it was unavoidable.â (Radrick)
ââ¦â¦ As you wish.â (Franz)
After a moment of silence, Franz-san responded to the grave words that came out of His Majesty in a stifled voice.
The tide has turned. Kruz stared in wonder. And for some reason, I felt the urge to vomit.
Franz-san opened his mouth. His expression was still disagreeing with the current situation, but he had no intention of objecting. His loyalty is totally admirable.
âHis Majesty says he will heartily forgive you for your past mistakes. Normally, this is something that would have never happened.â (Franz)
âThis isâ¦â¦ Normally impossible, isnât it?â (Cry)
âListen silently.â (Franz)
TL notes:
Thanks for reading!
Sorry I couldnât post the chapter yesterday
Without further ado hereâs the chapter
Tchao à plus!