Book 4: Volume 6 Chapter 4, Each Ending

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

“This is ridiculous…” The man who had been meeting with Mia muttered involuntarily as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes.

 

His companions were being pursued by Razequa Amamiya soldiers. The sudden intrusion had caused them to scatter in panicked confusion. Everything had been proceeding smoothly until this moment. They had even secured Princess Mia’s cooperation, intending to use her as a figurehead to legitimize their actions.

 

Then, just as the plan progressed and all the companions gathered to discuss matters with Princess Mia, this commotion erupted.

 

Mia stood nearby with a bored expression, addressing the stunned man. “Why are you so surprised? We already have all the evidence, so this outcome is entirely natural, isn’t it?”

 

The man snapped at her in desperation. “B-but with things reaching this point, you won’t escape consequences either!”

 

He already understood that Mia had led them into this trap. The fact that Towa stood directly beside Mia confirmed his suspicions. What the man still couldn’t comprehend, however, was Mia’s motivation. He had trusted her precisely because she had become so deeply involved that she herself faced punishment. Whether this had been her intention from the beginning, he didn’t know, but he certainly hadn’t expected Mia to sabotage their plan at the cost of her own standing.

 

Mia smiled at the bewildered man. “You’re absolutely right. I have you to thank for that.”

 

“What?” The man tilted his head at these unexpected words, unable to grasp her meaning.

 

Mia shrugged. “Well, thanks to this situation, I’ll be able to avoid troublesome political matters for quite some time. Isn’t that right?” She directed this final confirmation toward Towa.

 

Towa nodded with a bitter expression as his younger sister turned to him. “Yes. Unfortunately, that will likely be your punishment. It’s regrettable to lose my capable sister’s assistance, though.”

 

“There’s nothing to be done about it. After all, I did lend my hand to some wicked, unscrupulous individuals.” Mia spoke with an exaggeratedly sorrowful expression, and Towa returned a wry smile. Naturally, Mia knew her Brother recognized this performance for what it was–a performance. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to leave all these troublesome Noble matters behind.

 

“Whether these people are truly wicked remains to be seen, but they will undoubtedly face charges of inciting foreign aggression.” As Towa spoke, he waved a document in his right hand. It was part of the correspondence the man and Mia had been exchanging. The document clearly indicated collaboration with foreign forces and this would serve as conclusive evidence.

 

“Isn’t that so? Now then, how severe will my punishment be?” Mia asked.

 

Towa answered with a sour expression. “Quite severe, I’m afraid. Though you are my Sister, you’ll need to remain imprisoned for some time in a certain location… the Tower, most likely.”

 

“Ah! How unfortunate.” Though Mia’s face appeared dismayed, Towa did not find her disappointment convincing in the slightest. It was transparently obvious that deep down she was delighted beyond measure.

 

Hearing their exchange, the man finally grasped the full situation and was flushed with rage. “You planned this from the very beginning!?”

 

It became clear that Mia had been approaching him with this exact intention all along.

 

Mia glanced toward the exasperated man and shrugged. “Who can say? Maybe, maybe not.”

 

The man reddened further at her dismissive attitude, as though he no longer warranted her attention. “Y-You!” He reached for his sword but was immediately restrained by the soldiers positioned around them.

 

Crown Prince Towa had come personally to oversee this operation. Naturally, his guards accompanied him. “That’s enough. Take him away.”

 

At Towa’s command, the guards swiftly delivered the man to the soldiers already escorting the other conspirators. Since the man had been acting as ringleader, they had treated him as a special case to observe how events would unfold. That was no longer necessary, so they removed him unceremoniously like the others.

 

Mia watched this transpire and murmured to herself, “Unfortunately, this means I won’t be able to show my face at the castle for quite some time.”

 

Observing Mia’s expression, Towa sighed. “Seriously, I wish you would learn to align your words with your facial expression.”

 

“Oh, dear Brother. I’m sure that was just your imagination.” Mia laughed theatrically, placing her hand over her mouth, in a truly theoretical manner. “Hohoho.”

 

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Several days following the arrests in the northern city, King Evgeny of the Kingdom of Sarahni trembled as he held two envelopes in his hands.

 

The two letters had arrived from different sources but contained virtually identical content. In essence, they announced the suspension of trade with the Kingdom of Sarahni. The documents came from the Kingdom of Razequa Amamiya and Crown.

 

While Crown was responding as an organization, Razequa Amamiya was communicating diplomatically as a sovereign nation. They would be prohibiting all trade with the Kingdom of Sarahni. This would have devastating consequences for the Kingdom of Sarahni, which had reaped substantial profits from trade with Crown ever since the northern cities were absorbed into Razequa Amamiya.

 

King Evgeny wouldn’t know the precise figures until he ordered his ministers to calculate them, but even without detailed analysis, he could tell the losses would be staggering. To make matters worse, the letters also stated that trade would not merely be halted but that a Crown branch would be established in another nation on the northern continent.

 

This meant that both Razequa Amamiya and Crown would remain completely unaffected by the trade suspension. Since trade had previously been conducted by ship, eliminating the time and distance constraints through teleportation portals might actually yield even greater results than before.

 

King Evgeny found himself caught completely unprepared. He would need to act immediately to address this crisis.

 

Simultaneously, at the Blue Church headquarters, the Blue Hierarch trembled as he held a letter, mirroring King Evgeny’s distress. This letter bore the signatures of the other Hierarchs from across the Northern Continent.

 

“This is absurd!” Coincidentally, the Blue Hierarch spoke the same words as the King, though his shock may have been more profound. The letter demanded that he either relinquish his position as Blue Hierarch or separate the Blue Church entirely from the other nine churches.

 

Completely blindsided, the Blue Hierarch’s mind went blank. Even in that state, however, he could infer why this had occurred. “Razequa Amamiya… and Crown…?”

 

Whether it was due to exceptional individuals or superior organizational structure remained unclear. However, he never anticipated they would possess sufficient influence to mobilize all nine churches simultaneously against the Blue Church.

 

The Blue Hierarch attempted to identify where his calculations had failed, but no matter how extensively he reviewed his decisions, he could not pinpoint the error. All he knew with certainty was that he had been cornered into an impossible position. The fact that they had sent a joint letter meant an official announcement would inevitably follow.

 

Even if the information remained confined within church circles initially, he knew it would eventually become rumor and spread throughout the ecclesiastical hierarchy. When that occurred, the Blue Hierarch would be removed from power regardless of how desperately he clung to his position.

 

Either path led to the same outcome. The situation represented a complete dead end, and the Blue Hierarch’s shoulders slumped in despair.