Chapter 137: 7-19 Siege Middle

“You can not be serious.” I was sitting, once more, in my carriage. Across from me sat the (presumably) real Emmanuel, who had a proposition for me. One which had taken me completely out of the left field and left me incredulous as to both its intentions and its sanity.

“I am completely serious; I want you to kill my father. He will never give in to your demands, the demons have fully infiltrated our high society.” He paused to sip the tea Jacqueline had provided him. A pointed gesture on his part meant to convey complete trust; I had yet to sip any of my own, “My Father had been allied with the demons since before he became the chair of Zesten. He owes that position to their assistance and is the reason nothing was originally done to handle the disappearances.”

I regarded him carefully, doing my best to read his micro-expressions, his posture, even analyzing his word choice.

Sure, laying siege to the city was already a bit extreme. Ordering it to be bloodless, insane. But assasinating the head of the city…

One might think that this was a no-brainer. An easy play that would accomplish my goals in one fell swoop. Far from it. On the international stage, our trumped-up casus beli was sufficient for a bloodless siege. Hells, if a few Zesten commoners and soldiers died, it would probably still be sufficient for Drakas to pay the Alliance some reparations. But aiding in an assassination was entirely beyond that. If we were caught, well the only logical conclusion would be war. The Alliance, likely backed by the Hell Kings, against Drakas.

Hells, there’s not even any way to tell if he’s being wholly truthful…

I needed time. To that end, I stalled, “Let us say, for a moment, that I believe your sincerity. What are you offering in return for our assistance?”

Emmanuel grinned, “Interesting. So you imply that it is not an impossible task, merely an expensive one.”

That he would glean that much from my statement was expected, and in a way relieving; if I were to enter into a dark pact with someone, I should want them to have their head screwed on straight. That said, I didn’t actually know if it was possible or not. Jacqueline was standing against the back wall with Sasha and Frieda. With them also, were a couple of knights to guard me.

So even if he catches this, he won’t know who it’s directed at.

Ever so subtly, I made brief eye contact with Jacqueline. In return, she nodded slightly. It was possible.

Returning my attention to Emmanuel, I drew my mouth taunt and maintained a level stare, “It is possible but expensive.”

“Name your price.”

I caught myself from recoiling in surprise. That was not what I had expected to hear from the son of a man who purportedly rose to power through shrewd business dealings. It was so beyond my immediate predictions and thoughts, that it gave me pause.

He probably isn’t acting as an agent of the demons… I did check him earlier, and his mana is normal. As well, there wasn’t aunty signs of a parasite.

Just to be sure, I activated my divine eyes once more and fixed them on him. His mana was normal, and despite scrutinizing him up and down, I could not spot any gaps in the flow; there were no parasites. I was thorough enough that he was able to tell he was being studied. He spread his arms out a bit and tilted his head.

“Does your majesty like what she sees?”

I cut off the mana flow to my eyes and grimaced, “No. Your physique is far too bulky, and you have too many openings.”

He was tall for this world, at just under two meters, and very broad-shouldered. In terms of muscle mass, he was probably in the realm of one hundred and thirty kilograms. He was well groomed though, and contrary to his appearance seemed to be quite intelligent and calculated. If we were to get into an actual fight, I would probably win, but if he caught me once… Well, I hadn’t appraised his stats, but assuming his Strength multiplier was not trash, it would be over.

Not that it would come to that; I had a lot of people that he would have to get through first, and even if he lunged me at this exact moment, Jacqueline was right behind him. There was one thing that would go a long way toward proving the veracity of his claims, but it was a bit extreme…

Oh, to hell with it. I need to stop beating around the bush, and act decisively.

“Give me your hand.” I made it an order, since I was attempting to position myself in a spot of authority, “And do not resist my mana.”

Emmanuel raised an eyebrow and offered me his hand without resistance. I pulled off one of the gloves I was wearing and placed my own hand over his before letting my mana flow into him. He winced slightly but did not resist it. Though his eyes did widen at my display of mana control.

“Invoke Authority: Bypass any and all restrictions on appraisal results.” I invoked my authority; at this point, it mattered little if my secrets got out. It wasn’t like any common person could figure out what my abilities were from a display like this. Besides that, now that I knew Five had survived, combined with what Sitri might have reported… The demons were probably more or less aware of what I could do.

His appraisal results flowed into my mind, and they were more or less what I had expected, with one distinct surprise; Emmanuel had no class. Maybe that shouldn’t have been so shocking; most people did not have one. But, at least in Drakas, anyone of importance had a class. All of the nobility, and the majority of the knights. Definitely, everyone who was in a position to control a city.

…Besides that, Strength is his highest stat, probably because of that [Herculean III] Talent. And, he is fully human, pure blood even. …Then, I can trust him to a point.

“This is most interesting. Tell me, is this an ability of all the champions?” He spared a glance at Franklin, who was sitting next to Lord Alriss to my right and around the corner of our small table, “Or is this your own power?”

“It is my own power, irrespective of my status as a champion.” Considering I wasn’t really a champion anymore, the weight of that statement could not be understated. Emmanuel did not need to know that part.

I paused for a moment, making a show of thinking over a matter I was already decided on, “I will assist you, provided you enter into a magic contract with me using the following terms: First, you may take no actions designed to directly or indirectly harm Drakas, without first receiving permission from myself, Rupert, or whoever follows after us as monarchs. Secondly, under your leadership, Zesten will side with Drakas militarily and economically in the upcoming war against the demons; regardless of the stance the rest of the Alliance takes. And Finally, you will do everything within your power and ability to excise the demons from Zesten and her allies, short of declarations of war. All three points must also apply to any whom you would put in a position of power within your own government, and you will be responsible for the enforcement thereof.”

Emmanuel froze, considering my stated offer. While he did so, I endeavored to show no signs in my own face or manner; this was a poker game I could not afford to lose. After some moments, Emmanuel finally spoke, “If I may request one amendment, please specify that my allegiance need not be open; the other member cities would not take kindly to Zesten becoming subordinate to Drakas.”

Wait, he accepted all of that with only one minor protest…? Alright then.

“Very well. Lord Alriss, if you will?” Lord Alriss gave his affirmative and moved to prepare the materials for the contract.

Rupert had cautioned me against signing too many of these, and to keep them simple when I did so. However, a completely one-sided list of conditions shouldn’t cause any issues in that regard. Lord Alriss returned, and spread a piece of enchanted paper out over the table. Technically, it may have been more proper for Sasha to do this, but given the stakes involved, it should be fine for him to do it instead. I dipped a quill into the magically imbued ink and began to write out the terms, taking care to allow Emmanuel ample room to view my progress. Lastly, I added his addendum as a fourth point superseding the other three.

It was possible that this would open the contract to loopholes; I wasn’t the most experienced negotiator, but there were no points that applied to Drakas or me, only points binding Emmanuel. Even the fourth point was a pittance; I had no intentions of publicly proclaiming that Emmanuel and Zesten were in my pocket. Lastly, I signed my name with a flourish and offered the quill to Emmanuel.

“...I had thought your majesty would have Lord Alriss sign in your stead. I am honored.” Emmanuel spoke as he took the quill from me, then promptly signed his name.

…And now I feel like I missed something major in the wording.

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It was possible that I was merely being overly cautious, that he was expressing genuine gratitude. In fact, that was probably more likely than the idea that he was taunting me. Regardless, there was no time to consider it at the moment; I could go over the wording later. Perhaps one of the witnesses had caught something, and not spoken up for fear of appearing insubordinate in front of a foreign dignitary.

“Jacqueline,” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a tiny bit looking forward to Emmanuel’s reaction, “I have need of your unique services.”

It was possible Jacqueline was also looking forward to this because she put on a bit of theatrical display by stepping forward and kneeling in front of me. Silently. I cringed a little bit inside and was rather conscious of the fact that Claire was likely stuffed into my shadow.

“...Jacqueline, please remove Emmanuel’s father from the board.” The thought crossed my mind that, besides the handful of murders I had committed, I was now rather dryly ordering a man’s death.

Jacqueline bowed her head, “As you command.”

She then disappeared into a nearby shadow. For an assassin specializing in infiltration and deception, she had quite the flair for the dramatic. Emmanuel watched the whole performance impassively, though I did catch a small bead of sweat wind its way down his brow; after all, my named assassin had been standing right behind him this entire interview.

Once things had calmed down, it was time to prepare our next steps. I motioned Sasha, and she handed me a vial of the concentrated mana essence; it was time for me to start spiking again. Having signed the contract, Emmanuel was now a coconspirator, so I saw little reason to hide this from him; as far as secrets go, it was relatively small, and he had already been shown a demonstration of my authority. After regarding the vial with derision, I quickly downed it with a choking grimace.

“Jacqueline is excellent, but she will need time. In all likelihood, at least two days to scout, then another to actually carry out the job. That is, assuming she goes straight there, but I believe she will follow you back and slip in the same way you do; though you will never see her.”

My words were intended less as an explanation for Emmanuel and more as instructions to Jacqueline, who was likely still in the vicinity. A timetable and a signal.

“So, I will be casting that spell twice more. My men are under orders notto shed Zesten blood, and I would appreciate if you attempt to mitigate calls for retaliation on your end; cite concerns over escalating, and argue in favor of my demands without committing fully to them. In short, establish yourself as an opposition party to your father, which will allow you to better fall into place as his successor, and will lessen to the impact of sudden policy changes following your ascent. Also, you need to get the people on your side, as best you can, before everything goes down. I would start making public shows of solidarity, and calls to investigate the disappearances while condemning your father’s inactions as leading to the current events.”

Everyone, Lord Alriss included, was now looking at me in mild bewilderment.

I must have said something weird. Well, I also shouldn’t make his plans for him.

“...That said, I am not completely familiar with Zesten’s culture, so please use your own judgment.”

Emmanuel grinned and cracked his knuckles, “Well, I will take your words under advisement, seeing as they come from a place of experience when it comes to ascension through drastic measures. That being the case, I need to get back soon; your schedule leaves me with little time.”

There were any number of ways he could have found out about the general methods Rupert and I had ascended, and I could hardly fault him for it. Despite Drakas’ network of foreign spies having been crippled in the wake of Count Francois’ exile, that didn’t mean we had nothing. And Ferdinand was busy rebuilding it back home even as we spoke. More important was how much he knew, as that would indicate how deep the infiltration went. And even more importantly, was how much tangible proof he had.

Actually, none of that matters. Thinking about it, Zesten is in league with the demons at the moment. And Rupert first started the path of bloodshed under orders from Count Francois, a demon. So this knowledge could easily have been gleaned from overheard conversations or simply outright told to them.

The beauty of him letting that slip now was not to be understated either. It was a subtle warning to me; don’t betray me. In short, it was blackmail.

When all is said and done, it might be best to eliminate him as well. I’ll have to consult with Ferdinand and Rupert about it.

With that, Emmanuel stood and departed, leaving me with Lord Alriss and Franklin. The former also stood, “By your leave, your majesty, I will see him out of the camp, then organize the men for tonight.”

I gave my permission, and Lord Alriss too departed. It was an interesting thing to note, but he no longer seemed to question Franklin’s presence, leaving him alone with me and my maids. Granted, there were still the other knights on guard, but he had to know I was about to order them out as well. It wasn’t a big deal considering it was Franklin, but it did make me wonder when and where this shift in attitude had occurred.

Regardless, once the guards had departed, Franklin turned to face me, “When you claimed to have changed and been influenced by this world, I didn’t believe you. But seeing that…”

“Do not start up with the ‘how could you order someone’s death’ shit.” I cut him off.

“...No, I think you made the right decision, given the context and the resources at your disposal. Even if it might be morally black. I’m trying to keep an open mind to the stakes and way of life here, and after seeing how much you held back already… Tell me. Could you have 1945’d Zesten?”

That’s… That’s an incredibly crass way of asking me if I can use magic to drop a nuke. …And, I hadn’t ever really considered it, but I probably could.

“...Yes. I could probably have obliterated the city if I came up with the right incantation. Maybe not in such a showy way as you are imagining though.”

Franklin nodded, “But you took the harder method all the same.”

…Is, is he serious?

“Yes, I took the method that would not create an international incident leading to me being labeled a despot and a mad queen, as well as solidifying Alliance support for the demons in the face of what they rightly perceived as Drakan terrorism.”

“Not what I meant; there’s a middle ground between destroying the city, and going out of your way to ensure a bloodless siege. You went to the extreme, despite the difficulty you created for yourself. I think, more than anything, that’s what got Emmanuel to throw his hat in with you, with us.”

When he put it like that, I didn’t really have an answer. Sure, at the time, the bloodless clause had been a spur-of-the-moment addendum meant to satisfy my own ego while sending a message to Leviathan. But from the outside perspective, it certainly looked like I had been going out of my way for no other reason than to spare their lives. At a loss for words, I decided to change the subject.

“Have you spoken with Claire recently? This long absence of hers is starting to concern me, even if I know where she’s hiding now.”

Franklin frowned, but did not press the issue, instead opting to go along with my topic change, “No, I haven’t. Not since the last time we were all alone in this carriage.”

That’s what I thought. Everything is seeming to work out, but this matter is getting extremely worrying.

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