The assassin’s total! Death! Murder! Plot!
Uaaah.
“Save me!”
Pastel trembles.
I can’t believe I’m facing an assassination crisis when I did nothing wrong! This is the worst fear of my life!
But, but.
Upon careful consideration, it seems that the assassins did nothing, and that Mr. Spy Penguin has been manipulating the data.
Despite the loud declarations from the assassins, would they really dare to kill a governor who carries the Emperor’s sword at his waist?
I am the Emperor’s plenipotentiary.
I am just like Emperor Pastel.
Long live Emperor Pastel!
May he reign forever!
Huff.
Anyway, I don’t think such a backlash is something the cult would actually plan, so it means Mr. Spy Penguin is mercilessly framing innocent assassins.
Uaaah.
A professional without blood or tears.
With blood and tears, Pastel can only tremble at the thought of killing an innocent assassin.
So I just trembled.
“Uaaah! Save me!”
Tremble tremble.
Elli, sitting beside the table, examined the governor’s assassination plan with a darkened face.
“This isn’t fake, is it?”
The hand holding the documents trembled slightly.
Even if it isn’t calling itself the Emperor, it isn’t a light matter to kill a governor who was delegated full powers and visited the Demon Realm.
The Emperor’s sword is a delegation of authority, and killing a plenipotentiary challenges the imperial power. While it’s not as serious as a plan to assassinate the Emperor, it’s still a scratch to pride.
Even in peaceful times, there are many potential problems. Especially with the fake demon lord appearing and the atmosphere becoming tense.
It would openly provide a good justification for war.
The Emperor, consumed by traitors within the Empire, wouldn’t actively provoke a war with the Allied Kingdom, but subtly creating a war atmosphere is easy.
If the Allied Kingdom, currently borrowing heavily and devoted to land development, suddenly faces a war crisis, the market would freeze, cash flow would be halted, and it would only be a matter of time before companies start to collapse.
From the Emperor’s perspective, it would be a great opportunity to strike at the Allied Kingdom at its weakest moment without lifting a finger, with the most powerful justification.
Mr. Penguin’s expression darkened.
“This is a verified document. When it was handed to us by Governor Pastel, I didn’t want to believe it, but upon checking, it was true.”
Uaaah.
I had never handed it over, but somehow it feels like I did.
Pastel tried to recall the memory.
“Huff, Mr. Penguin! Mr. Waddly Waddle! This is my assassination plan! Uaaah! Save me!”
“Oh really?! Let me verify!”
“Instead of verification, how about forcibly dissolving the Parliament?!”
“Oh, that won’t do.”
Uaaah!
On second thought, I feel like I did hand over the data to Mr. Waddly Waddle, or maybe I didn’t, but it feels like I did!
Huff, if that’s almost right, isn’t that saying it’s almost true?
Pastel trembled and took out a white handkerchief. Above it, he wrote a letter with a fountain pen.
“Elysia, I finally understand your feelings when you faced the assassination crisis. Breathing was such a scary task. I don’t think I can sleep alone tonight. Should I take my pillow and visit the demon lord’s room to be okay?”
Oh?
Oh oh?
The pink eyes rolled for a moment.
The fountain pen scribbled quickly with a different tension than before.
“That seems right!”
I’m a total genius!
Elli, who had been skimming through documents multiple times, glanced at the handkerchief letter with pity.
Her expression turned tragic.
“I’m sorry.”
Uhh?
When I turned around, I saw a face that didn’t fit her with guilt. Not only is there a diplomatic issue, but it must be complicated because a friend is facing an assassination threat.
Uhh.
Pastel’s conscience flinched.
No, this is fake.
The pink eyes gazed at the accomplice.
Mr. Penguin sighed as he wiped his face in despair.
“It was a relief that the governor showed us such kindness by informing us first. I can’t even imagine how things might have turned out if this document had been handed over to the Imperial Palace.”
Uaaah.
Mr. Penguin has no conscience!
The innocent Princess Elysia disguised as a commoner and infiltrating the Academy to make friends has ended up confused between her true identity and fake identity, now prioritizing her friend’s safety over the country’s interests, and rather than fixing it, Mr. Penguin is actually encouraging it!
This totally fits Mr. Penguin’s role as a malicious spy!
Shock.
Chilling shock.
But just as Pastel had remained quiet because he didn’t tell the unskilled Elli that Mr. Penguin is the Emperor’s spy, he remained quiet as well.
Moreover, both he and Pastel, who had tied them up as student council staff under the declaration of “we are friends” to the naive one who was confused about her identity, were the same.
Huff, something feels suspiciously like the governor’s bad intentions finally surfaced late, but it must be a misunderstanding.
Yup!
“Right? If it had gone to the Imperial Palace, I can’t even begin to imagine.”
Elli covered her eyes with her arm and leaned against the chair, tilting her body toward Pastel, before gently resting her weight on his shoulder.
“Thank you. I know it must have been a significant risk for you.”
She looked up with a distant gaze.
Pastel suddenly felt a sharp pang of conscience. His expression became awkward.
“It’s nothing! This is easy for me! Haha! Ahaha!”
Elli shook her head, her black hair brushing against her shoulders.
“I know how tough that choice was. I can’t begin to imagine how important it is for you not to be caught by the Emperor who destroyed the Craft Clan.”
Elli hesitated, opening and closing her mouth before speaking slowly.
“I had my doubts since you usually act strangely towards me, perhaps enjoying my reactions. Given what you do to the Great Demon Lord, it seems you have a penchant for sadism as well. So I began to wonder if this is indeed a genuine friendship…”
Huff.
Elli faintly smiled an apologetic smile.
“I lacked trust.”
Her soft voice echoed quietly.
“I’ve failed as a friend.”
The pink eyes met hers.
Ah, is that why?
It didn’t seem like the usually composed Elli to feel excessive guilt, so she must have thought it was wrong to doubt her good friend unnecessarily.
Pastel was very happy.
“That’s impossible! Elli has always been a special friend categorized separately! It always will be!”
Elli, pondering those words, stared blankly.
“If you say that so openly, wouldn’t it raise my suspicion again? Am I being overly sensitive?”
“Yup! Of course!”
Elli, who had always built a wall in her heart, finally unlocked the door.
Now she could come and go in Elli’s heart whenever she wanted!
But unlike the good news, the assassination plot is fake, causing Pastel to feel like crying inside.
Finding out that the super ultra cool building I acquired turned out to be a 100% pure concrete building without any rebar feels just like this.
Concrete friend: I love earthquakes!
Earthquake friend: I love earthquakes too!
Uaaah!
Don’t do that, you guys!
Huff.
I’ve become a bad person deceiving my friends.
Achieving the worst milestone in the life of a popular person…
Mr. Penguin organized the chaotic documents. Melissa, who had been watching the documents with little presence, finally took her hands off the documents.
Elli suddenly gazed at Melissa.
Melissa looked puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re also my friend, right?”
Elli, perhaps feeling sentimental due to the atmosphere, posed a question she had been mulling over.
“Yes?”
Melissa tilted her head.
“Given your position, I haven’t seen you involved in any political discussions. I’ve been listening whenever I had the chance.”
Oh?
Melissa blushed slightly, rubbing her cheeks.
“Did it feel like eavesdropping? I didn’t think of that; I’m sorry.”
She touched her chin as if thinking.
“My mother always said not to interject in matters I couldn’t take responsibility for. As a mere heir, discussing such heavy topics feels a bit too much.”
Melissa smiled gently.
She pointed to each of them.
“Pastel is a governor, and Elli is a princess, but I’m just a mere heir. The weight is different.”
Yup!
“Right, right! We’re all friends together!”
Even though something feels suspicious, she would keep it in her mind and investigate first so the other party couldn’t respond. It seems that Elli is now in a somewhat emotional state.
“Oh.”
Elli seemed to realize her late judgment mistake and bit her lip slightly.
Then perhaps she also realized she was still leaning on Pastel’s shoulder, and she flinched lightly.
Hehe.
The pink eyes sparkled.
Elli, feeling somewhat embarrassed, averted her gaze and sat up straight.
“Anyway, thank you for notifying me of the assassins’ irreparable decision. It means we can respond preemptively before the Imperial Palace notices, right?”
“Yup!”
If the Emperor acts first, that will cause more trouble.
With a softening effect, Elli, who became more rational than ever, held the expected list in her hands.
It was a list of individuals suspected of having contacted the cult. Although it was mainly composed of radicals, a few moderates were mixed in for objectivity.
The moderates could be excluded from the suspects since they were likely put in there for show, so they could proceed with the investigation.
“What will you do?”
Thump thump.
Thud thud.
Elli skimmed through the list.
After checking all the individuals, she opened her mouth.
“Execute them all.”
Huh?
Execute them all?
The entire list?
Huh?
“They should have done it properly if they were going to; if they got caught, they should have escaped properly. If they lined up incorrectly, they should have lined up correctly.”
The documents were carelessly laid down.
“From ancient times, incompetence is a capital offense.”
Princess Elli was refreshing.
It feels like Antarctica.
Penguin cold.
Pastel’s mind, which had temporarily fled, slowly began to return.
The pink eyes widened.
“Uaaah! Wait a minute! Hold on!”
Is this the demon realm’s sentiment?
It would be problematic if we suddenly returned to the era of barbarism…
