The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

“Silence! Silence, I say!”

At the head of the meeting table, seated a few steps above the rest in the royal chair, the King of Belvur raised his voice. The commotion died down somewhat.

But unlike the heavy silence from earlier, this one felt precarious, as if dissent might erupt at any moment. The clinking of armor, the rustling of clothing, the sound of heavy breathing, and quiet whispers filled the room. The silence was uneasy and chaotic.

“Princess Sylvia, you are permitted to speak. If you’ve made such a suggestion, I presume you have your reasons. Please explain so that everyone present can understand your point.”

I wasn’t entirely confident I could explain it that well.

Then again, I doubted the King had high expectations either. As with most noble assemblies, there were always those who objected purely for the sake of opposition. A meeting where no one voiced dissent usually only happened when opposing the motion was tantamount to death.

“The Holy Nation—”

I deliberately paused, letting my words hang in the air. If I was going to speak, I might as well project the kind of arrogance that would make these people resent me.

“It’s highly likely His Imperial Majesty is currently in the Holy Nation. We must immediately form a reconnaissance team to determine what is happening there.”

“But isn’t that an imperial matter?”

One of the kingdom’s nobles jumped in, almost as if he had been waiting for his moment.

“While I cannot say what His Majesty is doing there, should anything happen to him, it is an issue the Empire must handle directly. We have no obligation to intervene. Princess, you should recall the events you caused here last year.”

The meaning was clear: You interfered with our alliance, so why should we help you militarily?

“My apologies, but I never sought the assistance of the kingdom’s military. The reconnaissance team will be composed of the same personnel who executed last night’s operation in Lutetia, with a few additions.”

“And among those involved last night was Charlotte.”

Charlotte wasn’t here. The fact that Alice was present while Charlotte was absent meant she had likely been excluded deliberately.

This was merely my speculation, but I was certain Charlotte would participate in the reconnaissance team without hesitation.

She might wear the same conflicted expression as last night or display her discomfort openly, but Charlotte’s upright nature would lead her to conclude that it was the right thing to do. After all, she trusted me.

And in that sense, the person I owed the greatest apology to right now was Charlotte.

Still, no matter what Charlotte thought, from the King’s perspective as her father, it was an unacceptable risk.

He had entrusted his daughter to me last night, only for a gryphon to emerge from the cathedral's underground lair. Though the King hadn’t witnessed it personally, Charlotte had even been injured by the gryphon’s claws. The wounds were fully healed now, with no trace left behind, but her torn clothing from the night before still bore testimony to the battle.

“If there are individuals who absolutely must withdraw from the operation, I have no objections,” I said, glancing at the Swordmaster as he stepped forward.

His eagerness to participate was written all over his face.

The Swordmaster had come down from the mountains after learning there was something he could fight.

Naturally, the prospect of a battlefield where he might have to risk his life excited him. And with the Holy Nation’s knights already renowned for their combat prowess, he must have been eager to test himself against them.

Aside from the Swordmaster, there were others ready to replace the students who couldn’t participate. Jennifer and Carolyn, for example, were both incredibly skilled. While they were often guest characters in the game, they could be recruited for the final battle.

“However, I would request permission to approach the border shared with the Holy Nation.”

“You’re asking us to open the kingdom’s border to the Empire?”

This time, it was another noble who spoke.

How tiresome.

“The kingdom and the Holy Nation have historically maintained strong relations. If the Empire intervenes against the Holy Nation, who knows how they’ll react?”

Instead of responding to him, I turned my gaze to the one-armed Cardinal seated nearby.

His face had turned deathly pale.

“I would suggest asking the Cardinal for details,” I said, turning back to the noble, “but given the magical constraints on him, doing so would result in his death. Therefore, I will explain on his behalf.”

I met the noble’s gaze directly.

“The Holy Nation was plotting a conspiracy beneath Lutetia, right under the kingdom’s nose. If the kingdom doesn’t hold them accountable for this, who will? No matter how strong the ties between the kingdom and the Holy Nation are, there are boundaries that should never be crossed. I don’t know your name, nor do I care to, but this will likely be the last time I speak with you.”

When the noble opened his mouth to respond, I raised my hand to stop him.

“In any case, are you suggesting you’d tolerate a friendly neighbor digging a pit under your house and filling it with live snakes?”

“Well, that is—”

“That’s why we’re offering to handle it. Without involving the kingdom’s military, a reconnaissance team devoid of kingdom personnel will investigate, resolve the issue if possible, and report back. If you reject this plan, how exactly do you propose to resolve the situation?”

“...”

The noble was left speechless, not because my argument was flawless but because my reaction had been far more intense than expected.

Even Alice was looking at me with concern.

“And one more thing.”

I straightened my posture, standing tall.

“His Majesty the Emperor, despite his fearsome reputation, has pursued relatively conciliatory policies toward neighboring nations. While he has strengthened his military, that enhanced power hasn’t been stationed along the kingdom’s border.”

“But didn’t he bombard the autonomous state’s borders?”

Another noble interjected.

“That was at the autonomous state’s request,” Jennifer Winterfield replied.

“The autonomous state had been struggling for years with rampant illegal warlords. While it’s true they were wary of excessive imperial involvement, the Empire’s solution was artillery support. By striking the enemy from afar without deploying troops, they managed to address the issue without violating the autonomous state’s sovereignty.”

It was an audaciously bold move, but effective nonetheless.

“And after the bombardment, the fleet withdrew. Currently, it’s stationed near the imperial capital, so there’s no reason to fear artillery fire reaching Lutetia tomorrow.”

“...”

While I was just a princess, Jennifer Winterfield was a soldier—a member of a military family renowned across nations.

Her statement carried a weight that couldn’t be easily dismissed.

“Surely the kingdom has spies in the Empire,” I said bluntly.

“In that case, has any information surfaced indicating that the Empire is preparing for war?”

The Emperor had told me directly.

He planned to dominate the world through means other than war.

...Not that I fully trusted him, but knowing his meticulous nature, he’d have ensured that his intentions appeared completely genuine to outsiders.

And indeed, I had found no evidence of impending war.

If even I, with access to the Empire’s most classified information, couldn’t uncover such evidence, it was unlikely the kingdom’s spies could.

“His Majesty’s authority is immense. While I can’t say why he has left his post or if he’s truly in the Holy Nation, his absence will undoubtedly plunge the Empire into chaos.”

I remained, Alice was here, and as a last resort, Claire—who bore the Emperor’s blood—was available.

But politically, the three of us lacked the stature to fully substitute for the Emperor’s presence. Until we demonstrated tangible power, the Empire’s regional lords wouldn’t take us seriously.

And if that’s the case—

“If part of the imperial military fragments into warlords amidst the chaos, could the kingdom fend them off?”

“...”

Exactly.

This was why the situation was so urgent.

If even a portion of the imperial forces turned rogue or were absorbed by local lords with ulterior motives, they wouldn’t just be a band of ragtag terrorists.

They’d be warlords armed with the Empire’s advanced weaponry.

In modern terms, it would be akin to a terrorist group possessing ballistic missiles and specialists trained to operate them.

The Empire wouldn’t collapse instantly. It had established systems, and its parliament could keep the nation running in the Emperor’s absence.

But was the possibility of collapse truly zero?

Neither I nor anyone else here could provide a definitive answer.

...Of course, the Emperor wouldn’t have gone to the Holy Nation without considering this.

Still, I had to dangle this much bait to reel these people in.