Leopold’s order to secure Leonor was clearly justified, but… there was a bit of a problem. The fundamental issue, you see.
Persuading her or setting up a hideout—both of those would only be possible if we could actually meet her.
Leonor had vanished.
We spent the entire morning following Leopold around, trying to find her, but we couldn’t even catch a glimpse of her shadow.
She was never one to show up at official events much, but she used to at least wander around the Imperial Palace.
It wasn’t like she was holed up in the Third Prince’s villa either.
If that were the case, rumors would’ve spread that the princess was in seclusion.
Whether she flew up to the sky or sank into the ground, Leonor was completely gone.
Given that she had a habit of acting on her own whims, others seemed to think this was just another one of her antics… but this wasn’t something to take lightly.
Above all, her disappearing at this timing was just too suspicious.
Leopold also looked a bit flustered.
“I didn’t expect this… This is troublesome.”
“…Could Isabella have made the first move?”
Carefully, I voiced the worst-case scenario. Personally, I hoped it wasn’t the case.
If Isabella had indeed struck first… Leonor’s life as a human would’ve already come to an end by now.
Fortunately, Leopold shook his head as if to reassure me.
“Well, if that were the case, wouldn’t we have heard that she was in Isabella’s chambers, just like Ernst? That would’ve been the natural outcome. After all, last night’s incident was Ernst’s impulsive act, so it’s unclear whether Isabella even had the time to target Leonor afterward.”
“That’s a relief. But if that’s the case… Princess Leonor might have gone into hiding voluntarily. That’s troublesome.”
If she had hidden herself willingly, finding her would be no easy task.
“Exactly. While investigating her whereabouts, we also can’t let others know that we’re looking for her… It’s not going to be simple.”
“If she’s already left the palace, isn’t it practically impossible to find her?”
Searching the entire capital, Exra-shapel, would be no easy feat, and we didn’t even have the means to do so.
Both Leopold and I were too conspicuous to move around freely.
If a prince were to leave the palace and wander around, people would naturally suspect his intentions.
As his escort, I couldn’t move around independently during the day either.
Being an escort knight… Was this really worth it?
Well, I couldn’t have predicted things would turn out like this, so there’s no point complaining now.
“I don’t know. She might show up for Matthias’s funeral… but if she’s hiding from Isabella, she probably won’t reveal herself even then.”
“Should we hold off on searching for Leonor until then?”
It’s not an easy task, but if she’s watching the funeral from afar, we might be able to find her somehow.
“For now, we’ll have to see how the Empress reacts before making a decision. Things are quiet now, but in a couple of days, others will start questioning Leonor’s disappearance, and the Empress will have no choice but to address it.”
“Sigh… We’re just being dragged along by the situation, and nothing’s going according to plan.”
Fighting monsters was at least straightforward and clear-cut. You just wielded violence, crushed the enemy, and everything was neatly resolved.
But this political mess… It’s impossible to move as I please, and it’s always so frustrating.
No matter what I try to do, I have to consider justifications, circumstances, and the eyes of others.
It feels like being tangled in a spider’s web, rolling around in mud.
But if I ignore all that and try to solve things with force… I’d just end up being slandered and defeated.
No matter how big your hand is, you can’t block ten hands with just one.
Wait, come to think of it, maybe it’s just that I’m not strong enough.
Even if it’s just one hand, if that hand holds a sword, you could cut down twenty enemies without breaking a sweat.
“That’s just how politics is. No, not just politics—human plans are always like that. Once you start, something always goes wrong somewhere… In the end, the best you can do is adapt to the situation on the fly. If that doesn’t sit well with you, then you’ll just have to surpass human limits. Like Emperor Carolus did.”
In short, unless you’re as strong as Carolus, you’re bound to be tossed around like this.
I really need to get stronger, and fast.
…Even though I’ve killed quite a few monsters, I still can’t grasp the next level.
Maybe I need some kind of trigger.
—
Isabella’s response was quicker than expected.
It wasn’t like she personally stepped out of her lair, where she was busy with her human experiments, but she must’ve indirectly ordered her minions to act.
The very next day, rumors spread that Leonor was currently staying at the Rose Pavilion, focusing on training to cope with the grief of losing her younger brother.
Traces of her heading toward the Rose Pavilion were also found, and the suspicions of her disappearance were resolved almost too neatly.
No one bothered to visit Leonor’s villa to verify the truth.
“Is it true?”
“You don’t trust the princess either, do you? It’s possible she visited the villa overnight. Given Leonor’s caring nature, she would’ve wanted to warn her subordinates to be extra cautious about their safety for the time being. So the traces themselves might be genuine.”
It was a convincing answer.
Even if Isabella’s true nature was unknown, Leonor, who was well aware of her evil deeds, would’ve been worried about her subordinates being harmed in her absence.
At Isabella’s “banquets,” knightesses-turned-courtesans were particularly popular.
Is there some strange allure to the concept of a female knight that satisfies men’s fantasies?
Men, especially nobles who weren’t from military backgrounds, seemed to particularly enjoy tormenting female knights.
If Leonor were still around, maybe… but now that she’s gone…
Now that it’s gone, the Rose Cross Knight Order must be like a feast laid out for Isabella.
“However, unless Leonor’s intelligence is at the level of a monkey, it’s unlikely she’s still there. Unless she’s desperate to be caught by Isabella, she probably left after giving a warning. Maybe the members have also gone into hiding like Leonor… If so, there’s probably no one there now, or just Isabella’s minions.”
“…Should I go check it out secretly? If Isabella’s minions are still there, maybe I can find some clues.”
I’m not sure, but if I catch and interrogate Isabella’s minions, something might come out, right? At least it’s better than just sitting around waiting…
“Do you know how much force is gathered there? If it’s a trap to lure the princess, what are you going to do? Don’t be impatient, just wait. An opportunity will come someday.”
Leopold shook his head firmly.
I had no words to refute. If Isabella had set a trap as he said, she would have gathered enough force to definitely catch me.
In the end, lack of information held me back. Isabella knows my strength well, but I don’t know the limits of the forces she can mobilize now.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we actually fought. Or maybe she’s much stronger than I think. I couldn’t recklessly gamble. My future is at stake.
There’s an old saying, isn’t there? If you know the enemy and know yourself, you won’t be in danger even in a hundred battles, but if you don’t know the enemy, even if you win once, you’ll lose once.
And losing in this world means either dying or facing a fate worse than death. What if the one time I lose is this time?
As the image of me becoming a breeding ground for bugs or a plaything for nobles flashed through my mind, my motivation completely vanished. Right. There are other ways besides this, so there’s no need to gamble, right?
“…I understand. But how long do we have to wait? Giving Isabella too much time is also dangerous.”
“If the princess alone can defeat all the assassins Isabella sends, then it’s fine… but if not, we’ll have to endure at least until the Landenburg Margrave returns with his forces.”
So it’s Ludwig after all. Doesn’t Leopold have any hidden masters or something?
Ah, right. He did have some. But they were blown away in Einfeld.
—-
“Once the Electors arrive, my victory is pretty much assured. Duke Bien wouldn’t switch sides to Isabella now… and Duke Pailoon would follow if two secular Electors support me.”
…That’s not exactly reassuring.
“Isabella must know that too… If she can’t win by voting, wouldn’t she choose another method?”
Even if the Electors’ vote for the throne has never been violated in the Empire’s history, thinking it will always be that way is too naive. Would Isabella really respect that tradition? Maybe not.
“That’s why I hired the princess. If I’m assassinated before the vote, Ernst will naturally ascend the throne. It’s safer while I’m inside the Imperial Palace, but if I step outside, they’ll try to kill me immediately.”
“What if they use a method other than assassination?”
There must be ways to disrupt the election other than assassinating Leopold.
“Another method? If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up.”
“Like ambushing the Electors coming to the capital instead of targeting Your Highness…?”
Leopold let out a hollow laugh. What? Isn’t that something she would definitely do?
“Each Elector has several masters under them… Even if three warriors of the princess’s level teamed up, such a plan would be hard to pull off. Besides, unless they want to be stripped of their titles for treason, they can’t use their known forces, so they’d have to use hidden troops… If Isabella had enough secret forces to pull that off, she would have already solved all her problems by force, wouldn’t she?”
“Then, what about the possibility of outright rejecting the election results?”
“Rejecting? Are you worried she might start a civil war?”
Yeah. Honestly, that’s a bit concerning.
“In the Empire’s history, there’s only been one civil war over the throne. And that person was cut into a hundred pieces and scattered within two months. The Imperial Army remained neutral, but the Electors were very proactive in eliminating anyone who ignored their authority and brought chaos to the Empire. If Isabella chooses civil war, she’ll have to choose between being chopped to pieces or burned to death within a month.”
So starting a civil war would only hasten her death rather than give her any chance of winning. Since the succession vote is one of the Electors’ most core authorities, they wouldn’t let anyone who tries to deny it go unpunished.
Then, maybe I can rest easy on that front.
—-
They say you can’t predict what’s even an inch ahead in life. That saying was right.
Two days later, Freide came to the Imperial Palace. In her hand was a letter. It was from Leonor.
