The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Escaping wasn't that difficult.

With the count blown to bits, the command structure in his territory was thrown into chaos.

Moreover, since the count had been traveling with underworld figures without telling anyone, and the explosion had completely disintegrated the bodies, the initial conclusion wasn’t that the count had died, but rather that he was missing. Only a few of his closest confidants knew what had actually happened to him, but they couldn’t exactly speak up about it.

As a result, the search for the assassin who killed the count didn’t begin in earnest until three days after the explosion, when it was confirmed that the count was indeed dead. They were able to deduce his identity through some clothing fragments and a piece of his facial skin found among the wreckage.

"..."

And I was reading about this in the newspaper.

"You really chose quite the spectacular method."

As I silently flipped through the pages, Lucas, sitting beside me, commented.

Naturally, as soon as the count was killed, I had immediately changed my clothes and slipped out of his territory.

In a vast estate, there are many people living in the territory, which boosts productivity. Even though the Industrial Revolution had brought about factories and mass production, those factories still required a vast number of workers. And most of those workers were residents of the territory.

No matter how much wealth a commoner might accumulate—what we call the bourgeoisie—they still couldn’t match the starting point of the nobility. Nobles, already possessing both land and wealth, were the ones who built their own factories. Even if a commoner wanted to build a factory, most of the land it would be built on belonged to the nobility.

Thus, a noble with vast estates, like the count, would often be far wealthier than even the richest commoners.

"A chain of explosions with a carriage—not exactly subtle. It screams ‘murder’ to anyone looking."

Lucas wasn’t blaming me with his remark. He was indifferent to how a person was killed, after all.

Of course, if Lucas killed someone, he’d always prefer to use a sword.

When someone as high-ranking as a count is murdered, it usually means the culprit has backing that’s too powerful for the victim’s family to challenge or even question.

In this case, the only individuals higher than a count are dukes and the emperor.

Even a duke, though politically higher, isn’t always guaranteed more power than a count. The distinction between duke and count often comes down to whether or not they possess royal blood, but in terms of actual land and influence, a count can sometimes surpass a duke. Generally speaking, dukes do hold more power, but sometimes a baron can wield more influence than a count, depending on circumstances.

Still, even a duke wouldn’t have the social standing to easily assassinate a count. After all, dukes are still part of the nobility in this country, and with the emperor’s faction already at odds with the aristocratic faction, killing someone like the count without considering alliances would only strengthen the opposition.

Thus, the only person who could realistically kill a count under these circumstances was the emperor.

The problem is that, while it seems likely, there’s no concrete evidence linking the emperor to the murder.

The emperor’s power had been solid since the days of his predecessors. He was in a position to send a clear message: "Defy me, and death awaits you."

And without any definitive proof, it was hard to accuse the emperor, especially given how firmly his faction was established.

The only ones who might believe such an accusation were those aristocrats who already harbored an extreme hatred for the emperor.

The emperor likely already possessed evidence of the count’s crimes when he ordered me to eliminate him. So if any of the count’s confidants tried to confront the emperor, he could simply reveal that evidence, leaving them in a shameful position. The Crowfield family would have no choice but to keep silent for at least the next several years, unless they wanted to endure a fate worse than death.

Even the count’s daughter likely wouldn’t understand why her father had died.

"A boiler explosion differs from a bomb explosion. Even if a car exploded, they’d quickly figure out if a bomb was used."

Vehicles powered by steam engines all had boilers. They were loaded with either coal mixed with mana stones or pure mana stones, so there was always the risk of an explosion. And such accidents did happen occasionally.

The car Lucas and I were riding in carried the same risk. But there’s a distinct difference between a boiler or mana stone explosion and a traditional explosive. I may not have specialized knowledge, but the differences were clear enough.

Feigning indifference, I responded to Lucas, and he simply shrugged.

"Well, I wasn’t really trying to make that point... but whatever. Father wanted something that would serve as a ‘warning.’ I think I’m starting to understand why Jaden dotes on you so much... though, to be honest, some of the things he says do sound a bit creepy."

When Lucas raised his hand as if to ruffle my hair, I quickly smacked it away.

The emperor spoke those words as he looked at me.

"I didn’t specify how you should kill him, but you still executed the task as I intended. Of course, I trust that you would have carried out the mission no matter what method I had requested."

"...Thank you."

The emperor’s words were both true and false.

Considering my ability to repeatedly attempt something until I achieved success, it’s true that, theoretically, I could have accomplished the task regardless of the method. And I could have escaped without anyone knowing.

"You truly are my daughter. I am proud of you."

"..."

He had sent a twelve-year-old child to kill someone, and now he was praising the child for completing the mission.

And knowing the emperor’s character from the game, I was certain that he was sincere. He wasn’t the type to lie.

"Thank you."

So, I simply expressed my gratitude. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"You’ve done well after traveling such a long way. I’ll hear your detailed report once you’ve had time to rest."

"Understood."

I bowed deeply again, then turned and left the room, walking with the soldier-like precision I had practiced so many times.

Every movement must be graceful, with perfect posture. My words must always be respectful, and my face expressionless. This was the ‘character’ I had developed. With monsters all around me who could seemingly read emotions from one’s body language or facial expressions, this had become my method of protecting myself.

And, though the first few years had been rough, I had managed to survive by maintaining this façade.

Even though the emperor had openly killed the count, he didn’t seem to want to talk about it openly, and the audience chamber was completely devoid of guards or servants.

Not that anyone in this capital could likely challenge the emperor in a one-on-one fight.

Those of us who periodically used this ‘family-only’ audience chamber were accustomed to opening and closing the doors ourselves.

"Out of the way! I need to see Father!"

"Whoa, calm down, Princess. Sylvia is meeting with His Majesty right now—"

"But I’m Father’s daughter! I should have the right to enter no matter who’s inside!"

"His Majesty specifically ordered that no one else be let in."

"...Oh..."

As I opened the door to leave, I overheard this conversation.

"Princess."

I bowed slightly to the ‘princess’ in front of me.

The princess looked at me with a startled expression.

As a reminder, both Lucas and I were also considered ‘the emperor’s children.’ Officially, our titles were princess and prince.

But that didn’t mean we were treated like true members of the royal family. Despite being officially adopted, we had no claim to the empire.

The real heir to the empire, the one with the legitimate right to inherit, was the true ‘child of the emperor’—the girl standing in front of me, the real princess.

For people like Lucas and me, we were essentially the emperor’s personal assassins. While the emperor probably considered us his real children in some ways, our roles were different.

While my black hair and dark eyes made it obvious I wasn’t related to the emperor by blood, the real princess had long, shining golden hair, with the ends slightly curled in a noble fashion.

Not that I didn’t look noble myself, but having been a soldier in my past life, I could never compare to the true royalty who had been born into this world of privilege. Despite having been under the emperor’s care since I was five, I could only pull off a military-like demeanor, while the princess, even in her childish tantrums, exuded an air of nobility.

Her skin was so pale and flawless that it seemed like it had never been exposed to sunlight, and her eyes were a clear, deep blue, confirming her as the emperor’s true daughter.

"..."

Standing before me was Alice Fangryphon, the princess who was my age in this world, glaring at me.

Her gaze was filled with jealousy. I couldn’t really blame her.

Even though she was the princess, she was still a child.

Her father, whom she should be receiving all the love from at this age, had adopted a bunch of non-blood-related children, and spent more time with them than with her. Of course, she’d be upset.

If anything, it was abnormal for me to be returning from an assassination mission without feeling anything.

"...I can go in now, right? Since your audience is over?"

Her voice was sharp, and she directed it at me.

She was especially hostile toward me, likely because we were the same age and gender. But everything else about us was different. While I went unnoticed and unscolded for my actions, she had to bear the weight of being the emperor’s true heir. It was natural for her to feel resentful.

...In the original story, Claire and Alice had a similar dynamic.

Hmm...

"Yes, of course."

I responded politely, stepping aside to let Alice pass. I even opened the door for her.

This only seemed to make her angrier. It makes sense; when you’re furious, and the other person remains calm, it only makes you feel worse. It’s like when an easygoing villain in a story taunts the hero.

And, well, I suppose I was something of a villain now.

The original story had Alice eventually reconciling with Claire.

But that only happened because Claire died.

...

Does that mean I’m going to die, too?

"..."

Alice shot one last glare at me before lifting her chin and walking past.

As she entered, I slowly and carefully closed the door behind her. Just before it shut completely, I think I heard her shout, "Father!"

"You’re always so harsh with the other siblings, but you go easy on her."

Lucas grumbled.

...Are you seriously, at twenty-two, jealous of a twelve-year-old girl?

"She’s pitiful."

Not wanting to explain further, I gave that simple answer.

"Huh..."

Lucas made a strange noise, as if unsure what to make of my response.

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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