Chapter 680 – Evidence of Drunkenness and Treason

000

It’s already been a few hours since the sound of the banquet’s fireworks echoed from afar.

As the night deepened, and the moon rose instead of the sunken sun, shining brightly in the sky, twinkling stars were shining in their places as if they had been poured out on clear dark blue drawing paper without a single cloud.

The people who had gathered near the brothel had already gone their separate ways and dispersed, and what was left on the dark streets were people wandering around with the festival atmosphere not yet gone –

Or, they are drunkards who get drunk from both the atmosphere and the alcohol and stay spread out, unable to find a place to return to.

However, it is not just in the middle of the street that drunkards exist.

＂Ahaha~! Get another drink~!”

＂Ah, ah… That’s right…”

The large, tightly closed room, unable to see the constellations outside, was a place that seemed to have been created by Enlai’s anxiety about not knowing when and where his life might be threatened.

Most of the time, it is used to welcome guests and hold a drinking party, but today, a special guest visited here and has been drinking for several hours and pouring liquid down his throat.

After confirming that several bottles of alcohol have been emptied, the blond customer freely lifts the bottle next to him, rips off the mouth of the bottle, and fills his glass.

A drink for yourself and a drink for the owner of the house.

Smiling loudly as always, clinking glasses together and gulping them down in one go.

He gulped down the alcohol contained in it – which can’t be said to be very weak – as if he were drinking water or juice, and gave an exclamation of ‘Keuu~!’.

From her drinking posture and her attitude, it can be said that she is almost her best, but as she looks at her like that, her astonishment slowly mixes with her gaze towards her. There was

‘Uh, what happened…?’

He must be like that too, the two of us have already emptied close to 10 bottles of alcohol.

She and she were drinking at almost the same pace, so they each emptied about five bottles.

That’s because Enlai chose only the drinks that he had carefully saved up, which were expensive and quick to get drunk.

Although she said she was not drunk easily, as if she had become immune to alcohol due to her long drinking habits, En Lai could not control her trembling fingertips.

If she drank this much, Selena should have sat down a long time ago.

In that case, I thought I would be able to cook her the way I wanted, and I started my masterpiece.

For some reason, she was just smiling, and her fresh red face was giving off the scent of her alcohol-

As she continued to drink her drink without showing any signs of fainting, it seemed like Enlai was slowly reaching her limit.

＇Does it makes sense that you drink so well? A girl who is 30 years younger than me?

Thinking like that, in order to soothe her dizzy head, I poured some water into her glass and tried to erase even a little of the alcohol…

＂No~! Why are you filling your glass with water? Now, drink this first! If you’re thirsty, come here~!”

Grrrr…

＂Oh, that… Haha… Sorry, sorry.＂

The glass is filled with alcohol semi-forcibly, and there is no time to pour water and drink it.

Of course, he emptied his glass again, so he couldn’t say anything about letting only himself drink.

‘I’m going crazy…! How much does this woman plan on drinking!?

Even as Enlai screams inside, she wants to somehow end the drinking that has become so painful.

When she reached her age, if she drank too much, her life would be in danger.

It may be a bit of a shame that she can’t do it, but if she doesn’t finish this position somehow-

No, maybe, if I let her stop drinking, she might just fall asleep from exhaustion. Without giving up her last hope, Enlai opened her mouth.

＂Now, now… Miss Selena. It looks like you’ve already drunk a lot today… How about you stop drinking and get some rest? If you have trouble moving, you can stay overnight at our mansion…”

＂Yes~? But Lord Enlai said so! Let’s have fun all night long today~!”

Selena interrupts En Lai’s speech and makes a dissatisfied voice as if asking what she is saying.

And even though Enlai felt her blood pressure rise, she answered while trying not to erase her polite demeanor.

“Boo, I definitely said that. That is only within the bounds of common sense, and Selena’s parents would not want her to drink to the point where it would harm her health.”

“Ahaha~ It’s okay~! Because I’m young~!”

‘Damn bitch…!’

As she said that, when she tried to open a new bottle of liquor, Enlai unconsciously grabbed her arm and stopped her, breaking into a cold sweat.

However, at that moment, she thought she heard a ‘grunt’ sound and when she looked up, Drake, who had been watching silently behind her, moved slightly and took a step forward, as if warning her about his actions.

＂…＂

She wonders if she should call her escort now, but when Drake, who understands that her En Lai’s purpose is to stop Selena’s drinking, returns to her original position, En Lai sighs without realizing it.

＂Che~! Lord Enlai of the world, you are no match for me in masterpieces~!”

When those words come out of Selena’s mouth, a vein pops up on En Lai’s forehead as if her veins are about to burst, but it’s the unfiltered words of her drunken drunk.

If the opponent wasn’t a kingdom noble – and the daughter of a duke – I would have slapped him right in the face.

“Ha, haha… That’s right. “You can’t win against a young person.”

Selena let go of the bottle she was holding while looking at En Lai, who was wearing heels, with her disdainful eyes.

“Then~ I understand. Let me save Lord Enlai’s face! Instead…”

And, wiping the alcohol from the corner of her mouth with her finger, she says this in her relaxed voice.

“Would you like to take a break and talk about something else? For example… The story about the future of the kingdom and the Eastern countries that Lord Enrai told us earlier.”

When Selena said that with a smile, En Lai let go of her arm and couldn’t help but look a little surprised.

But she soon sat down in her seat and answered with her usual face, as if she didn’t want to show any weakness.

“Suddenly? I clearly thought that Miss Selena was not very interested in that story.”

＂No way~! Isn’t it like a dream that will enable endless development for both countries? I didn’t know who would be there or where to listen, so I just tried to be more cautious. And I also needed to organize my thoughts a little~”

While talking like that, Selena tried to pour her drink, as was her habit, but soon stopped and drank the water from the glass next to her.

En Lai then looks at Selena blankly, then nods her head and wipes the sweat from her oily forehead with her handkerchief.

“Well, is that what you meant? I also…”

＂What is it again?＂

When Selena says that, En Lai takes in her breath again.

‘I thought she was frightened by her own words-‘ and what she was unconsciously trying to say was blocked by her.

And what she was trying to say was that she was confident – that is, she was not in a state of normal judgment right now.

So, En Lai realized on her own that she was drunk.

However, the flow of the story that has begun cannot be unnaturally stopped.

This story is what ‘he’ started from the beginning.

“There’s no need to be so nervous~! I’m just a little curious. How could Gong Miyeom, who was highly trusted by the people and had legitimate blood, be ‘dethroned’ – in other words, ‘driven out’? Are we going to establish a new regime?”

Upon hearing Selena’s explicit words, En Lai, the person in charge of making the plan, spoke while scratching her head in an awkward manner.

“‘Putting them out’… Is a bit of an inappropriate expression. Haha… I’m just doing my best as Lord Miyeom’s vassal. To him – no, the mission he has been ordered to protect by the royal family of the Eastern countries – to protect the Eastern countries from foreign forces.”

To Enlai, who shamelessly said such a thing, Selena could only respond with a ‘hmm’.

“But you’re telling me to dethrone you? Is that an expression of your loyalty?”

“Of course. This is because I do not describe supporting the royal family, which has no hope if left alone, as loyalty.”

Even as En Lai said that, he seemed a little intoxicated – or perhaps intoxicated with himself – with his fists clenched, and his arms spread out as if making a speech.

“Those who know that the king is wrong but do not correct it are truly treacherous, in other words, incompetent men with no loyalty. As the current Miyeomgong, there are ultimately limits to how he can protect this eastern country. To prevent that, I must change this country. That is my true mission.”

If you say that out of excitement without realizing it, you will get a dizzying feeling as if the alcohol is flowing a little faster, and at the same time, you will feel good about being able to say what you normally say without being noticed, and it will make him a little more drunk.

Selena heard it all, and she responded by clapping her hands.

“That’s a great idea~! But if you say that, you must have a great plan, right? A plan to persuade the nobles of other eastern countries who support Duke Miyeom, subdue him and his family, and allow him to step down from the throne. As far as I know- To deprive the Eastern country of its throne-“

As she speaks like that, she slowly pours out information that even people from the East may not be aware of.

It is a system that will suppress the tyrants of the Eastern countries.

It is the right to restrain the royal family that the nobles have to prevent the royal family, who carry on the blood of giants, from wielding their authority and running wild.

Inside the royal palace, there is always a huge jar placed in front of the throne, where the king and his retainers gather for meetings, and inside the jar is a spell to seal the power of the royal family.

And what activates the spell is the unity of the nobles who agree to dethrone the king to prevent the collapse of the country.

In other words – ‘If more than ten of the heads of the fifteen noble families agree to the king’s abdication, the king and his family will lose all power and be deprived of the throne.’ It is.

＂You say you can satisfy that condition?＂

At Selena’s words, which seemed to be testing her, En Lai raised the corners of her mouth while her eyes lit up. And she proudly places her hand on her chest as she speaks.

“Of course. Miss Selena doesn’t know how long I’ve been contacting numerous nobles for this plan. By taking advantage of their weaknesses, and sometimes by using their strength.”

30 years ago, after the end of the Great War with the Empire, the nobles of the Eastern countries were in a kind of financial crisis.

They had donated their personal wealth to support the war effort based on the belief that they would protect the peace of the continent, but by the end of the war, the empire had suffered a series of fierce battles, with people dying and the land becoming devastated, leaving no trace of it. There was almost nothing left.

Naturally, the empire that lost the war collapsed when the emperor died, and there were no people who could pay the war indemnity. What was left for the nobles who diligently supported the war was a large amount of wasted assets and a plaque of appreciation sent by the kingdom. And medals.

And, although Duke Miyeom promised to restore as much as he could, the palace also did not have a lot of funds, and first, taxes had to be used to restore the area near the border that had been invaded by the empire.

After the war was over, the nobles of the Eastern countries realized that there was almost nothing left for them.

However, in the midst of all this, there was someone who had amassed much more wealth than before the war began: Enlai and his family.

When the Dark Dragon Merchants Association, which originally had a trade route with the kingdom, was showing limitations in transporting the necessary materials, Enrai also took advantage of his connections with the kingdom’s nobles to carry out a business to transport materials from the eastern countries to the kingdom. Took place.

Most of the guests were the nobles mentioned above who used their personal wealth to provide supplies.

The nobles, who were unaware of the situation outside the Eastern countries, entrusted work to Enlai without knowing the market price, and they probably did not know how much of the goods they sent were embezzled by Enlai.

This is the miserable reality of those who had noble intentions but were not very capable.

Extortion, embezzlement, and beating.

After Enlai became very wealthy by hiding in the shadows of the nobles of the eastern countries who helped the kingdom, he lent money again to the nobles of the eastern countries who were losing their wealth and declining.

And that too, under the conditions of ‘interest-free’ and ‘indefinite’, which are difficult for him to imagine.

Of course, there was a ‘condition’.

That is, making an oath with the heads of noble families.

＂Oh, is this an oath? However, the oath was clearly a forced contract spell used in the kingdom. Lord Enlai, were you able to use such magic?”

“Ah. Of course, I’m not a wizard. But I have deep friends in the kingdom, and I asked them to make it. A magic tool called the ‘Devil’s Ledger’

The devil’s ledger.

To those words, Selena responded with a grumpy ‘Hmph’.

Enlai was a little disappointed by her reaction, but the object was, so to speak, a bundle of contracts that allowed the owner to make a pact with another person just by writing their name, even if they could not use magic.

In fact, having such vicious magic tools is prohibited in the kingdom.

“I asked them to put my name on it in exchange for lending me money. And the contents of the oath are simple… One day, when I expressed my opinion in the royal palace. Just once. You are giving unconditional ‘consent’.”

＂Aha… Indeed.＂

And he had already written down the names of the nine families excluding himself in the ledger.

With this, it is already possible to seal the power of the royal family, Miyeom-gong.

However, even so, it is impossible to restrict their actions after the mandatory declaration by covenant is completed.

Naturally, even if Miyeom-gong loses his power due to a single support, the nobles will rebel against Enlai.

So, to prevent such a situation, the intervention of external forces – that is, the power of the kingdom – is needed.

That is why it is difficult to proceed unless the kingdom accepts Miyeom-gong’s plan and agrees to annex the Eastern Kingdom.

After hearing all the explanations from En Lai, Selena nods her head as if she understands.

“It seems like a fairly detailed plan. At this level… I think it would be okay for me to tell my father.”

“Haha… Thank you. This is an undeserved compliment.”

En Lai didn’t expect such words to come out of Selena’s mouth, but she raised the corners of her mouth as if she would be happy if her plan went according to plan.

A big event will definitely occur in the Five Elements Festival, and if it causes the people to lose trust in Miyeomgong, their era will be-

“But, it’s the devil’s ledger. Could you please show it to me?”

Selena’s words addressed to En Lai, who was boosting her dreams.

Enlai looks at Selena with an expression of ‘What did you say?’

“Of course, I want to believe Lord Enlai, but if it’s a ‘bluff’, should I relay the story to my father and tell him ‘it was actually a lie?'”

She was saying this.

I understand what you are saying, and I understand your plan. In other words, show clear ‘evidence’.

That is the final step to trusting you.

En Lai then looked at Selena, thinking about something about her for a moment.

In any case, the kingdom’s help is absolutely necessary for this plan, but even if she and her father reject her offer, Enlai ultimately believes that the kingdom will be intervened because Adam, the father of all things, is controlling the kingdom behind the scenes. Was able to attract it somehow.

However, if you do not receive ‘direct help’ from Adam and instead bring and offer the Eastern Kingdom to him, Adam will recognize you more greatly.

So to speak, it is a kind of challenge.

Because he has such vanity, he also wants to boast about his achievements.

─Perhaps, because he was “Too drunk” Right now, he was doing something he shouldn’t have done.

“All right. In particular, I will show it to Miss Selena.”

As he said that, he stood up and took out a golden key from his pocket.

It is an artifact called an ‘Inventory Key’ that can store specific items in a small subspace.

It is a very rare item that even returnees find difficult to find, so much so that it is doubtful that as many as 10 exist on the continent.

Indeed, if it was stored there, no one would find it.

Until he used his key to open the space and take it out.

He holds in his hand an eerie book with a skull shaped like a goat’s skull decorated on the cover, and hands it over to Selena.

The heaviness of magical power felt in the book clearly tells us that it is authentic.

＂Hmm…＂

Then, Selena opened it and slowly turned the pages with the names of the kingdom’s nobles.

Soon, fold it until you hear a clicking sound.

“Yes, I think this will do.”

The moment she said.

She threw the book into the air, and the book flew as if it had wings and flew into the hands of Drake, who was standing behind her.

＂─Ha?＂

As En Lai looked at the scene, she must have made a stupid noise without realizing it.

“Good job, Kuzunoha.”

＂Wow, it was difficult.＂

Selena – no, she looks like Selena stands up, turns around and walks over to where Drake is.

As she walks step by step, when she thinks her body has become blurred, it soon changes from the dress of a kingdom noble to the gorgeous clothes of a courtesan from an eastern country.

On top of her head were ears that looked like those of a fox.

＂You, what on earth are you!＂

“You still don’t understand? A stupid man.”

And then, when she turns her head and sticks out her tongue towards her en-lai.

Selena is not there, but a woman with silver hair and golden eyes.

She shows off her abundant fur and has a tail growing near her hips.

Even though she was a young demon, she was a girl who boasted powerful genjutsu.

＂Yo, yoho…? Uh, since when? Could it be from the beginning?”

“Well, since when did it start? Right? “

＂Ah.＂

And, when Drake’s armor disappears, as if melting into the landscape, the figure hidden behind her helmet also appears.

A young man with black hair and black eyes.

That face was one that Enlai knew well.

＂You, you!＂

“I know very well that this is evidence of your treason. Let us take this.”

He raised the corner of his mouth and waved the ledger in his hand, making a hand sign symbolizing a ‘fox face’ with his other hand, declaring victory.