Chapter 64 Shadows Lurking In The Rune Gaia Royal Family And Those Who Ward Them Off
"Adel-san and everyone, we have been waiting for you. Welcome to the Rune Gaia Royal Palace."
In the evening...
When we arrived at the palace at the agreed time, Princess Cress and her attendant Halim were there to greet us.
"It's quite generous of the princess herself to welcome us. What a warm reception."
"Oh no, it's only natural since you've come all this way."
Unlike when we visited the Silver Apple Inn, Cress was now dressed in formal attire.
Perhaps because of that, she exuded a more mature aura.
"The princess said she wanted to meet Adel-sama as soon as arrived. Initially, she wanted to go all the way to the Rune Gaia checkpoint, but unfortunately, she had official duties to attend to."
"Oh, Halim, you're too much. It makes me look like a dog waiting for its master to come home, doesn't it?"
"..."
Retracting the previous statement.
She really can be a bit childish.
"Everyone, you must be tired. Halim, please show everyone to their rooms first."
"Understood, Princess."
In response to Cress's words, Halim deeply bowed.
And so, we were guided to the assigned guest rooms.
* * *
"Each person gets their own room, right?... That's right... It's such a huge palace after all. I knew that. Yeah, I knew that..."
As we left the rooms and gathered together, Maia was muttering something under her breath.
"Maia-san, don't be so down. I understand how you feel."
"Maia, cheer up."
After we put our belongings in the rooms, we were once again led by Halim through the long corridors of the palace.
It seems we will also discuss the request and meet Rune Gaia, the king of the country, who is Cress's father.
However, Maia was walking sadly with Fran and Teti comforting her.
"Indeed, it might have been nice for the ladies to share a room. How about asking Cress about it later?"
"Um, no, Adel-sama. It's not like that..."
"...?"
Did I say something strange?
I feel like Fran and Teti are giving me weird looks.
Halim is also leading the way, saying things like "Being young is a good thing, huh?" that I don't really understand.
As we walk, Halim stops in front of a particularly grand door.
This must be the room where the King of Rune Gaia is.
Cress is also there in front of the door, giving us a slight nod.
"We've been waiting for you. Today, my father seems to be in good health. Please come in."
With those words, Cress opens the door, and we step inside.
Inside, there is a maid wearing a different type of serving outfit than Maia.
And one more person.
"――Are you the Black-Robed Executor?"
The person addressing me with that voice was sitting up in bed.
Despite his low and dignified voice, his hair is white and his cheeks are sunken.
As I had heard from Cress beforehand, it seems true that he is bedridden due to illness.
"Excuse me. My name is Zeios Rune Gaia. I am currently serving as the king of Rune Gaia."
Currently, huh."
From the slight upturn of the corner of his mouth, he might be quite a humorous person.
I wonder if Cress's friendly attitude is inherited from his family, making me feel a bit envious.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, King Zeios. I'm Adel Vandale."
"Hmm. I had heard some stories, but you have quite a handsome face. I see why Cress is so invested in this."
"W-Wait, Father!?"
King Zeios flashes a mischievous smile, causing Cress to let out a scream.
...Is he teasing me?
"Excuse the intrusion. I've also heard of Adel's achievements. You're said to be investigating the issues in our country. We would greatly appreciate your help in resolving the incident."
"No need for such formal words. If it's okay with us, we'll do our best to assist."
While talking with King Zeios, I could hear the voices of the three who were kneeling beside me.
"I've never seen Adel act like that before. It's refreshing, unlike his usual self."
"He used to be a prince, so handling that should be a piece of cake."
"Hehe, even Adel-sama is wonderful like that."
It seems they are enjoying seeing a different side of me.
...Hey, I can hear you guys, you know.
As I tried to turn around to look at the three behind me, I felt something strange in the corner of my vision.
"...?"
There stood a lady-in-waiting.
With her eyes closed and silent, she embodied the image of a royal attendant...
――For a moment, did I sense something odd... or was it just my imagination?
"I'm sorry. I wish I could move too..."
"No, please take care, King Zeios. We will handle the situation on our end."
"Hmph. It's reassuring to hear that. Halim, please take care of her. Keep an eye on Cress so she doesn't do anything reckless."
"Oh, father..."
As the atmosphere became cheerful, I tried to sense the presence I felt earlier.
――As I thought, this is....
I sensed it and used Executor's job ability.
"It would have been good if my son, Zieg, could have met you in person. Unfortunately, he is on official duty—ugh, cough, cough."
King Zeios coughed uncomfortably in the middle of his sentence, and Cress and Halim rushed over.
"King Zeios!"
"Father! Are you okay!?"
"Yes, I'm fine..."
"You there, quickly call the personal doctor!"
"Y-yes!"
A female servant ordered by Halim was about to leave the king's private room when...
"Wait a moment."
I grabbed the woman's shoulder.
"W-What is it...? I need to call a doctor right away—"
"The king's condition cannot be fixed by a doctor. It must have been caused by your job ability."
"...!?"
At that moment, I didn't miss the sight of the servant woman trying to protect her arm slightly.
I grabbed the sleeve of her maid outfit and tore it, causing some paper-like objects to flutter out.
"Ugh...!"
"These are... talismans?"
Cress muttered as she picked up the fluttering pieces of paper.
"Adel-sama, could it be..."
"Yes, Execution Coefficient 9904 points. It's a black one."
The strange feeling I had just felt earlier.
It was similar to the job used by Archbishop Klaus, who had tried to deceive Teti in the past.
"Based on having a large number of talismans, it seems like the job category of a [sorcerer] who puts curses through magic tools. The reason why King Zeios was bedridden wasn't due to illness, but because of your job ability. Isn't that right?"
"Ah, uh, ah..."
The maid seemed to resign herself and slumped down.
There are many questions I want to ask, but I have something I want to do while I can refer to the maid's Execution Coefficient.
"――(Magic Scythe Igurima), manifest."
I left the maid's restraint to Maia and spoke the words, and a jet-black scythe appeared in my hand.
"T-This is..."
Cress, who was witnessing the scene, exclaimed, and King Zeios and Halim widened their eyes.
"King Zeios, excuse me... (Erase, Igarima――)"
"O-Oh...!"
The released energy from Igarima enveloped King Zeios.
This is Igarima's ability to rid of harmful things like poison.
As the atmosphere clears, King Zeios stands up energetically.
"Oh, my body..."
"Father, are you okay standing up!?"
"Yes. Thanks to the wind released by Adel-sono, it seems like the illness has disappeared... Or rather, was it the curse she released?"
As King Zeios looks towards me, I nod my head.
It seems like there's no problem on King Zeios' side now.
"Now then――"
I walk towards the sorcerer who is skilled in magic and say to her,
"Alright, let's get everything out. About the people behind you."
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)