Book 4: Volume 6 Chapter 2, Letters

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Mia sighed heavily, staring at the pile of letters on the table.

 

Kousuke tilted his head. “What’s with the dramatic sigh?”

 

“Just look at this and you’ll understand.” She handed him several letters.

 

After confirming with a glance that it was acceptable to read them, Kousuke examined the correspondence. A slight smile crossed his face.

 

“How passionate.”

 

Mia puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated display of annoyance. “Too passionate. All it takes is a little rumor, and they can’t show even a shred of restraint before acting.”

 

“Well, they have their own principles, I suppose. You don’t need to accommodate them.” Kousuke continued examining the other letters. From Mia’s attitude, he’d guessed they all contained similar content, and his assumption proved correct.

 

In response to movements in the North, Towa and Mia had quickly deployed their bait: spreading a rumor that the two siblings had experienced a falling out.

 

While the siblings might appear close, a small incident could easily create a rift between them. Recently, Mia had been spending most of her time with the Tower management team and rarely appeared at the castle. This pattern had existed before the rumor spread, lending credibility to the story. It was also possible that this detail had been deliberately woven into the rumor to strengthen its plausibility.

 

A few days after the rumor began circulating, Mia started receiving letters requesting meetings. Most were indirect, but some were remarkably direct, essentially stating: “We’ll support you if you pursue the throne.”

 

Similar invitations had arrived even before the rumors, but they had increased dramatically following this incident. Some came from people who had been making overtures for some time.

 

A slight rumor of discord was all it took to attract so many opportunists. No wonder Mia sighed.

 

As Kousuke continued reading, something puzzled him. “Don’t they risk punishment for sending such bold letters that blatantly defy the Royal Family?”

 

Mia’s eyes widened momentarily before she nodded in understanding. She’d forgotten that Kousuke was originally an ordinary ‘person’ in that sense.

 

“It’s difficult to prosecute them based on this letter alone.”

 

She explained the complexities of Razequa Amamiya’s current political situation. Floria was the reigning Queen. If the letters had urged Mia to seize the throne from Floria, treason charges might be possible. However, the contents addressed only succession to the throne after Floria.

 

While Towa had been recognized as Crown Prince by Floria, that designation remained somewhat informal. Moreover, Razequa Amamiya still had no Nobles designated by the Royal Family. The kingdom directly controlled only Amamiya Tower and the northern town; the remaining settlements functioned more like autonomous regions.

 

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t entirely accurate, but it was the most practical understanding of the situation.

 

Because of this structure, it remained unclear whether influential figures who had arbitrarily declared themselves nobility could be charged with crimes for inducing a Royal Family member to pursue the throne. If these rulers were Nobles appointed by the Royal Family, the crown could strip their titles. But since no such Nobles existed in Razequa Amamiya, that option was unavailable.

 

This didn’t mean the Royal Family lacked power. The self-proclaimed Nobles held positions that were virtually meaningless compared to Nobles of other countries. From an external perspective, their status resembled that of merchants who controlled significant commercial influence in their respective towns.

 

However, these considerations applied only to towns other than the northern settlement, which Razequa Amamiya had direct rule over.

 

The northern towns, under direct Royal control due to historical circumstances, were governed by magistrates appointed by the Queen. Arbitrarily replacing a magistrate would constitute treason, but even this situation differed for the others.

 

Ultimately, whether instigating Mia to pursue the throne constituted treason against the Royal Family was still ambiguous.

 

Floria could certainly use her authority as Queen to take action, but doing so would likely increase political backlash.

 

After Mia finished explaining, Kousuke sighed. “Well, that’s really complicated.”

 

Mia sighed in agreement. “It really is. Dad, why don’t you just issue an oracle?”

 

“No thanks.” Kousuke deliberately widened his eyes in mock alarm.

 

Perhaps anticipating this response, Mia chuckled. “I guess that would also be a problem.”

 

Neither Mia nor Floria would ever expect Kousuke to reveal himself publicly. If he attempted to do so, they would likely do everything possible to prevent it. While divine authority might temporarily suppress all opposition, the effect would not last.

 

Kousuke had employed similar tactics with Floria many times. This was his first time having such a conversation with Mia, and he felt secretly relieved by the outcome. He did not doubt for a second that Mia would want her relation to him as a living god to remain hidden. Still, this was their first proper discussion of the matter.

 

He had already joked about this topic with Towa several times.

 

Since Kousuke already knew Mia had no interest in becoming Queen, there was no need for him to intervene.

 

“Anyway, since you went to the trouble of spreading this rumor to lure them out, you’re going to be quite busy from now on.”

 

“Yeah. That’s what depresses me most…” Mia frowned and slumped her head onto the table.

 

“It can’t be helped since you promised to help Towa.” Kousuke said sympathetically.

 

Then a voice came from an unexpected direction. “I’d love to see how those people who usually praise Mia would react if they saw her behave like this.”

 

“Mom!?” Mia instinctively sat upright and turned toward the voice.

 

Floria stood there, though she had not been present moments before.

 

“Ah, Mom, why are you here?”

 

“Well, thanks to Towa, I had some free time, so I came to spend time with Kousuke. I’m only half-joking, of course. I also wanted to see the results of our ‘fishing expedition’.” Floria turned her gaze toward the pile of letters.

 

“Half-joking?” Mia sighed but still handed the letters to Floria.

 

Kousuke felt as though he’d been burdened with something rather troublesome, though it was probably just his imagination.

 

Floria examined each letter, checking the names, and gave a mischievous smile. “Well, well, Mia. You’ve proven to be a truly excellent bait.”

 

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

 

Mia glared at her Mother, who simply ignored her.

 

“Well, not like I’m trying to compliment you. Still, this will make things a lot easier for Towa.”

 

“Good, else there’d be no point in me suffering so much. I want to finish this quickly this and get back to managing the Tower!”

 

“Okay, okay. For Towa’s sake, please continue your excellent work.” Floria laughed.

 

Mia responded with a deep sigh.