Chapter 673 – The Truth About the Touching Girl and Her Master

000

Saint Princess.

When Cleon said that name, Selena’s big eyes, which had been secretly waiting to see what kind of story Cleon was trying to persuade her with, suddenly became blank and looked at Cleon.

Sure, it might have been a bit of an embarrassing name for a cold-looking man like Cleon to say, but the problem lies next.

‘Why are you doing that? Surely you don’t know?

If Cleon was thinking that way, he was trying to swallow his worries about her reaction.

Her large eyes grow even wider, and she leans her body towards Cleon.

＂Saint Princess!?＂

And, in that high, sonorous voice, she spoke that name once again.

＂Did you just say Saint Princess!?＂

＂Oh, oh…＂

It was a slightly different reaction than I had imagined, but she seemed to know the name.

No, not only that, but the way her eyes were shining made me feel like there was something dangerous about it, and it made me question where the vigilance from before had gone.

“Of course I know! A protective warrior who guards the moonlit nights of the royal capital! A legendary girl wearing beautiful pure white armor and fighting demons! It is said that its origins began about a thousand years ago, when the fight between demons and humans continued even before the kingdom was created. It is said that the priests of the time began to cooperate with the girl who could receive revelation or power from a special being called the ‘Holy Spirit’-“

＂Wait a minute…!＂

As her trivia about the Saint Princess pours out of her mouth at a rapid pace and overwhelms Cleon, Cleon puts his hand on her shoulder as if to calm her down as she rushes up to her face.

Then, Selena puffed out her cheeks and looked at Cleon for interrupting her while she was happily explaining.

＂What is it? I was asked if you knew about Saint Princess and this is what you answered?”

“No, what I was trying to say was, are you aware of its existence? I wasn’t trying to get an explanation… But, well, I know how much you like Saint Princess.”

＂It’s not enough to explain it in words that I like it! Saint Princess is literally the object of my admiration! Are there any toys or storybooks for girls with the Saint Princess motif? I literally feel like a being above the clouds, a princess living on the moon!”

“Yeah, yeah. I understand…”

Cleon let out a sigh of relief after hearing her story and seeing that she had a favorable view of the Saint Princess.

Somehow, the extent of her ‘liking’ seemed a bit strange.

“But why are you suddenly telling me the story of the Saint Princess? Oh, are you a fan of Saint Princess too?”

＂…＂

When she asked while tilting her head, Cleon paused for a moment and then-

In her mind, the image of Amelia shining under the moonlight on a night in the royal capital, standing resolutely and facing off against demons with a large hammer, comes to mind.

“… Ah. I’m a fan, that’s quite a bit.”

＂Heung~.＂

Diora snorted and smiled as if she felt better for some reason at Cleon’s answer.

＂Oh my oh my~! You may be a villain, but you seem to have good taste!? Even though he’s a man, he’s a fan of Saint Princess! Yes, that’s right! It’s not that strange to like Saint Princess even at this age! Are you also collecting Saint Princess souvenirs? For example, a Saint Princess mini badge!”

“Oh, no, I don’t have anything like that…”

Are you selling something like that?…!

Cleon shook her head from side to side in confusion as she thought so, and Selena sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

“Ha~ I can’t help it. I’m giving this to you as a comrade I haven’t seen in a long time, so please accept it.”

What she took out of her pocket and handed to her was a small badge with something like a sacred symbol drawn on it.

However, it has a pink tone that girls would like, and it has heart-like drawings on it, so it feels cute for an item that appears to be related to religion.

Given the circumstances, it was probably a Saint Princess mini badge, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the design that showed no connection to Amelia.

He grabs Cleon’s hand and forcibly grabs the item.

No matter how much I like it, is there some reason why I’m pushing it a little harder?

＂… Well, then, can we return to the topic of conversation now? ＂

“─Hot!? Well, something like that comes. Rather than trying to get along with you through the Saint Princess Talk, I was trying to listen to you proclaim your innocence… But you’re just trying to put distracting thoughts into my head again!? This villain~!?”

While holding her head, Cleon watched her fall away, and as if he had gotten used to it, Cleon finally put the words he had originally intended to say into her mouth.

“Princess Amelia and I were fighting against Astarote, an organization of demons, in the royal capital. A series of disappearances of men taking place in the royal capital. There were devils behind it.”

＂W-What!? Demons in the royal capital!? If that’s true, it’s a major incident!? “Go back to the royal capital right now and investigate!”

When Selena, who listens to Cleon’s words and accepts the story with an amusing naivety, stands up from her seat and starts to panic, she suddenly stops, turns to Cleon, and speaks.

“You! You fooled me again!?”

＂What else?＂

“Princess Amelia was imprisoned in the Tower of Confinement, right? But how was she able to fight you and the demons outside!? Gnunu~! It’s only for a moment, but you fooled Selena Regent… I praise you for your eloquence! Ohhohohoho~!”

He gets angry alone, laughs alone, and is a busy guy.

“I can’t help it… I’ll explain everything from the beginning, so listen carefully. The Princess Amelia you are chasing, what kind of child is she?”

＂Somehow I feel like she might cheat again, but… I like it! With the brilliant mind inherited from her father, I will destroy all your lies!”

Selena proudly declared and pointed to Cleon with her index finger.

Although she did not like her attitude, as if she were interrogating her criminals in her own court, Cleon answered her without any hesitation.

“Ah, that’s right. Because Amelia is a Saint Princess.”

＂─ Oh? ＂

001

Cleon told her everything about Amelia from the time he met her in her royal capital until she left her royal capital.

There were difficult and tangled parts in the middle, so I ended with a rough explanation, but I ended the story thinking that I had succeeded in conveying as much as possible –

His face was looking at Selena in front of him with a troubled expression.

It’s not because she doesn’t listen to herself, or because she doesn’t react well, or anything like that –

This was because, along with the sound of her sniffling, she was shedding tears like chicken shit, wringing out her handkerchief right in front of her.

＂Knock off…＂

In fact, she began to cry, her voice so deep that you wouldn’t even think there was a person who cried like that. Her rough story is that it was at the point where she met Amelia’s maternal grandmother in the Crystal Canyon.

At first, Diora burst out laughing without realizing it when she saw her like that, but as her tears slowly showed no signs of stopping, he began to worry about her crying, to the point where he had to worry about her dehydration. It was a facial expression.

＂Hey, hey… I appreciate you paying attention to the story, but there’s no need to cry that much…”

When Cleon cautiously opened his mouth to stop her, Selena somehow responded to Cleon by whining.

“But…! But I feel so sorry for Princess Amelia…! Until now, I have been fighting hard for my people…! She was betrayed by the person she was trying to protect, and was chased again…! That’s too much…! Off, off, off…!”

When she, unable to stop crying, tries to wipe her eyes again with her already soaked handkerchief, Cleon gives her the handkerchief he had.

＂If you try to wipe it with something wet like that, it won’t clean it properly… So just use this.＂

＂Thank you… Bye… ＂

Then, after receiving Cleon’s handkerchief, Cleon sighed as he watched her wipe her tears and blow her nose.

It’s not perfect, but…

When Cleon turned her head towards Diora, who was quietly looking behind her with an expression as if asking what to do, Diora nodded and spoke.

“Okay, stop crying now. By the way, is it really that easy to trust? What if Cleon lied?”

＂Oh, wow, wow…! Lie…?”

At Diora’s words, Selena raises her head and blinks her eyes.

“Okay! You said it earlier. He said he would reveal whether what Cleon said was false or not. But seeing you cry like that, I guess you thought it was all real?”

＂… Did you lie!?＂

＂No…＂

How can I be fooled so easily…

Cleon, unable to hold back her sighing, scratches her head and then looks at her and speaks.

＂You probably felt it while listening… That’s the circumstances of everything that happened in the royal capital. Amelia is her victim, caught up in her various plots to overthrow her.”

＂Kuhhh…＂

She sniffles loudly once again, and after listening to Cleon’s words, she closes her mouth for a moment, and then speaks as if she has finished sorting things out.

“Of course, assuming I believe everything you say, Princess Amelia – no, Princess Amelia was the Saint Princess, the guardian of El Querdo. And those who are targeting her are the dark forces that control her kingdom from behind…”

＂I understood correctly.＂

“Ever since I was young, I’ve been complimented on my ability to understand…”

＂Yeah, right…＂

Was that true, or was it a white lie?

No, you may have the ability to understand, but you may not understand the hidden meaning within it.

“But… Then. The reason why I came here this time is that it is impossible to capture the two people even if I send Aruru Tromeia, who is in cooperation with you…?”

＂…＂

“It’s not because the palace recognizes my skills.”

She looked a little disappointed somewhere.

Cleon comes to think that there might be a weak part of her that she doesn’t want others to see.

However, she immediately brightened up her face and spoke, placing her hand gracefully over her mouth, as if showing that face was just a momentary whim.

＂Ohhohohoho~! But I understand! Thanks to what you told me, there is no change in what I have to do~!”

Then, looking at Cleon with her curious face, she smiled meaningfully and continued speaking with the corners of her mouth raised.

“That means we must destroy those who threaten the citizens of the kingdom! The devils and the beings you are talking about, the ‘Cult’~!”

“… Then, do you believe me?”

“Instead, there are conditions.”

After saying that, she looked back at Diora, who was quietly listening to the story behind her.

“Lila Flame Watch. You were telling me a story about Master’s death earlier. There are questions about his death. … Do you know something? It is my condition to hear that answer.”

She asked that question with a serious face, but Cleon looked embarrassed at the mistake in her words from the moment she first called her name, and Diora also sighed and shook her head. 〉

However, she soon realized that she had told such a story to distract her from her idle thoughts, and Cleon was thinking the same thing and looking back at her.

“You still call me Lila… I’m Diora. We are not part of Cleon’s group, but we are temporarily accompanying him.”

＂Oh, is that what it was? Illustration. Anyway, Ms. Diora, can you answer my question?”

Selena speaks again as if confirming to her.

Diora closed her mouth and tapped her own mouth with her index finger, as if thinking about it for a bit, then raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

“I can’t say I have the answer you want, but if you offer to become Cleon’s colleague.”

“Of course, a woman from the Regent family always keeps her word.”

She talks as if she can say anything with confidence.

Then Diora nods her head and looks at Cleon.

“Ah, Cleon probably doesn’t know this, so let me explain it first. Her teacher, a man named Endim, who was originally a court wizard, died in a carriage accident a few years ago. He suddenly jumped out of the alley and a carriage ran over him, causing him to be run over by horses and run over by the carriage…”

After Diora said that, she closed her mouth for a moment and looked at Selena.

Of course, since it was a story about the death of her dear teacher, her expression couldn’t have been bright.

However, when she noticed that Diora was looking at her and examining her expression, she stuck out her lower lip and said this.

“… I’m fine, so keep talking.”

“You make that kind of expression and say things like that… Well. Okay. Endim died on the spot. His internal organs were crushed by the wheel, and there was no healer nearby to help him, so it would have been difficult for him to survive. He, who was called the kingdom’s greatest magician, met his death on the streets of the royal capital. Do you understand up to this point?”

Cleon seemed to be thinking deeply about Diora’s words and then opened her mouth.

“Isn’t it strange? It is said that a person the size of a court wizard suddenly jumped out, but was hit by a carriage and died… I heard that most wizards perceive their bodies as a weakness, so they always deploy a protective shield while they are conscious, either consciously or unconsciously. There.”

＂…＂

At Cleon’s words, Selena opened her eyes wide for a moment and was unable to say anything.

However, Diora nods her head at Cleon’s words.

“That’s right. Everyone who knew about Endim thought so. However, both the doctor who examined his body and those who examined the carriage concluded that it was an ‘accidental death.’ And after that, no one doubted the result.”

“… Selena, were you like that too?”

“That’s right. If the palace had come to that conclusion, there was no way to delve into it or challenge it any further. And right before I heard Miss Diora’s words, I had forgotten… Why did I forget something so important?”

Cleon comes to think that maybe it’s because of Adam’s power to manipulate the human mind.

In any case, his death is unclear and has many doubts.

For some reason, Diora did not erase her doubts about it like Selena did and remembered it.

Is it better to think that she also has some kind of power to resist Adam’s power?

＂And- from here on, the story of the results of the investigation by intelligence engineers, which has not yet been revealed to anyone. ＂

When thinking about that, Diora extends one of her fingers and speaks to Selena as if she wants to give special information.

＂Before the official cause of death was announced, some reporters who smelled a conspiracy searched the deceased’s home. Many letters communicating with specific organizations were found in his house. The name of the organization is ‘Babel’.”

“Babel…? This is my first time hearing this name.”

When Selena tilts her head, Cleon also waits for Diora’s next words since it was a name he had never heard before.

＂That’s right. In the kingdom, the name of this organization is treated as a taboo of taboos. These are a ‘revolutionary organization’ that are promoting the reform of the kingdom from within the kingdom. The current king is walking on the wrong path, so he must correct this and establish the right leader.”

＂!＂

At her words, Selena and Cleon simultaneously looked at her with surprised faces.

It’s a revolutionary organization, but what it’s trying to do is bring down the current king-

In other words, they are rebels.

“Master… With the rebels…?”

Selena must have had the same impression, as Cleon watched her stuttering and stumbling, as if his shock was over.

But then she shakes her head and says.

“All right! It was those ‘Babel’ guys who murdered Master! And it was disguised as an accidental death! Right!? “

“… Well. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like they were getting along that well. At least Babel sent a warning to Endim to be careful of the palace. So-＂

＂Stop…!＂

Selena raised her voice as if she didn’t want to hear anymore – no, she couldn’t stand it.

Both Cleon and Dio could only look at her quietly and wait for her trembling shoulders to calm down.

Even if you couldn’t think deeply, you could tell that her intuition was excellent.

This is a story about Cleon’s Amelia that I heard earlier, and her trust in the royal palace was already slightly cracked.

And, in such a situation, if it is said that a rebel group called ‘Babel’ is involved in Sabu’s death, the royal palace naturally becomes a suspect in his death as well.

＂If it’s difficult to hear more, I’ll end the story here. ＂

＂… I’m sorry. I asked you to tell me… However, I would like you to wait a little longer to hear the story behind this.”

As she said that, she stood up.

Then, Cleon would also follow her, stand up, and make eye contact with her.

And, Cleon talks to her.

“Our goal in the Eastern Country is to find ancient relics that can help us fight against Adam. So… It’s difficult to return to the kingdom right now. Until that is over, we cannot return to the kingdom.”

“And for that, we have to do something about the guy called ‘Enlai’ who is in secret with the kingdom in the eastern country.”

As Diora added, Selena thought for a moment and then opened her mouth, saying, ‘Ah, it’s him.’

She said, “You suddenly said you wanted to have a meal with me. He’s somewhere else right now, but he said he’d be back by this evening.”

“Today…!? Then, if it were even a little late, you would have heard the information about where we were staying from him and come barging in…”

Cleon sighs as if he was fortunate to have met Diora.

Then, he turns to Selena and talks.

“… Thank you for trusting me. Even though there is no physical evidence that can be presented directly-“

“─For me. As you said, thinking deeply is definitely difficult.”

Selena speaks like that, as if interrupting Cleon’s sentence.

I’m sure you’ve heard it countless times since you were young.

Each time, she has proven herself with her skills.

But regardless of her mere magic, she does her best work when she truly lives as her heart dictates – as her own heart leads.

It was a way for her to live in the world that her dead master had taught her.

“After hearing your story, my heart decided on the direction it should take. Let’s try to trust you and Princess Amelia. Surely, it will give Selena Regent the best and most pleasant results!”

“… Is that okay?”

＂Of course! Because the power of the mind is the strongest driving force in this world!”

Selena spoke confidently and made a V shape with one hand.

At her words, Cleon looked at her with a blank expression as if he had been hit by her, but then he smiled and nodded.

The trust she has shown in herself must be shown with appropriate actions.

‘Is it the power of the mind?’

It’s literally a story like something out of a fairy tale like the Saint Princess, but – clearly, they have overcome crises time and time again with that power.

Then, this time – I ended my first meeting with Selena thinking that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to believe in the power of other people’s hearts.

And, at this time, I didn’t know yet.

This decision – the residents of Asteris and Selena Regent herself.

And- that it will lead to saving the lives of all of Cleon and his group.

Neither Cleon nor Selena – not even Diora – had yet even dreamed of it.