Chapter 30
Shackles Called Marriage
"…Ahem."
A moment of silence passed between them.
But soon, Ferrendel started laughing, even pointing his finger.
"……Kuhahaha! Are you trying to make this old man die of laughter? This is funnier than when His Majesty the Emperor wore heels and sprained his ankle trying to seduce Her Majesty Empress Robina."
"No, that was because Robina said she liked tall people……. Eeeek! D, don't laugh! Captain Lucia is a Grand Sword Master, no less!!"
The Emperor, who had tried to hide it until the end, finally blurted it out at the ridicule.
"……Grand Sword Master, you say? Do you even know what that is, Your Majesty?"
Was this immature man misunderstanding something?
"Th, that look! I know it. You're looking down on me. Even if I have more scars from falling while holding a sword, I can still tell the difference. Look, I even cut a crystal glass with this feather! Have you ever seen anything like this?"
The Emperor proudly grabbed a large quill and a glass, shaking them in front of the Prime Minister.
And Prime Minister Federin, who received the neatly halved crystal glass, finally understood the situation.
Roughly, the Emperor's words seemed to be true.
As he said, the Grand Sword Master, who was only spoken of in legends, was said to wield Sword Aura as freely as his own body, which meant that he could freely control Sword Aura in and out of his body, just like a wizard casting magic.
Therefore, it was impossible to move Sword Aura without restrictions on objects unless one reached that level.
If so, the story was completely different.
It meant that even a group of Sword Masters could not defeat her, and that Lucia was an impregnable human weapon.
"Such great results from five years of training, my eyes were right after all."
"I believe it was the Commander-in-Chief's opinion, but anyway, Your Majesty's point is that the only sure shackle to keep her is marriage?"
"Yes, you finally understand properly……, no. Isn't that too harsh? Shackles, you say. Where can you find such pretty shackles?"
The Prime Minister, who grasped the situation at once, was indeed clever, but the Emperor's infatuation was perhaps a common thought.
For example, when a hero defeats the Demon King, marrying him to the princess is not just out of gratitude, but also with the intention of keeping the talented person.
Only the genders of the princess and the hero were reversed.
And the current Sword Masters are symbols of each country.
The reason why they are praised as heroes in their own countries is largely to bind them to the honor of a knight and prevent them from easily going to other countries.
So the custom was that if a Sword Master belonging to one country went to another country, a strong sense of betrayal would be instilled.
Lucia is now called a monster, but when she starts to play a role representing the country as a Sword Master, there will be people who fear her and her royal guard, but no one will call them a criminal group.
But she is a Grand Sword Master.
That meant that the label of traitor was meaningless.
It just meant that even the smallest kingdom would have power comparable to the Empire if it possessed her.
Therefore, she was a hero that any national of any country would welcome with open arms, and no one could stop her from choosing where to live.
Moreover, she was in a worse-than-family state of severance with the Count, her only family. Then wouldn't it be strange for her to remain in the Empire as it is?
So what the Emperor thought was that, since there was no father for the child, he wanted to create a family for her with any man and keep her.
He had always liked her anyway, so if the shackles were imperial, he would dance with joy.
"But you know that she would never become a member of the imperial family with her personality."
"Ah, I know. I don't intend to push her forcibly. It's a win-win situation for a breakup. But our pretty son is sincere. There's no way sincerity won't work. You had an arranged marriage, so you wouldn't know, Prime Minister? Hahaha."
"……."
So even if the two don't work out, he will marry her to a noble in the Empire, as the Prime Minister expected.
Well, even during the national marriage, there are already more than one or two noble young ladies who are desperate, so chasing after women for a while is not a flaw.
As his rational calculations were running through his head, the Prime Minister, suddenly mentioning his marriage, said with a smile.
"You don't know anything. Pretty things get boring after looking at them for a long time. Kind and gentle men are much more popular in the world. Like my son."
The Prime Minister threw his son at the Emperor with the intention of teasing him, but he couldn't stop the laughter that burst out as if he knew it would happen.
"Pahahaha! You mean that reed-like son of yours. Have you heard? The rumor that that son of yours specially escorted a certain wife? In comparison, our son has a national marriage, but his heart is firm, isn't it? He has high standards, just like someone!"
The Emperor belittled his son in response to the teasing, and an invisible vein throbbed on the Prime Minister's forehead.
"A rumor with just an escort. Then His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a scandal. He had a publicly known engagement that he came back from, so isn't that already like he's been there once? At this point, a diamond mine for the wound that the Princess of Ferrendel will receive. It seems insufficient, so release one or two more, Your Majesty."
"Wh, what……!"
The Emperor and the Prime Minister, who received it several times over, had fire in their eyes.
Suddenly, on the ring that appeared, it was as if two men were carrying their respective sons on their backs and having an invisible fight.
It was then.
-Kwaaaaaang!!!
A huge roar was heard from the open window.
"Pr, Prime Minister, did you hear that?"
The Emperor and the Prime Minister were surprised and looked out the open window at the same time.
"Your Majesty……. That is……!"
"Isn't that where the Grand Training Grounds are located!"
That's right. It was the sight of the proud royal guard's pillars of the Grand Training Grounds collapsing like dominoes.
Could it be that Ferrendel attacked because the diamond mine was said to be small? That couldn't be……!
The Emperor became afraid that another war would start.
He had no intention of losing, but it was troublesome to be surrounded by the same tedious wails and sit still, waiting for the next situation.
At this time, a guard who rushed in shouted.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! It's a disaster! The reinstated captain of the Black Knights is destroying the Grand Training Grounds!"
"……What? Wh, why!"
"I don't know the details, but it seems there was discord with the other royal guard!"
In an instant, the Emperor grabbed the back of his neck.
During the five years that Lucia was gone, he had taken care of the Black Knights separately, but during her childcare leave, the complaints of the other royal guard had escalated and he had not been able to take care of them.
So it was somewhat expected…….
'Still! Destroy the Grand Training Grounds?!'
The Prime Minister tried to match the Emperor's fuss, but couldn't help but laugh.
"……Kuhahaha! Your Majesty. A Crown Princess who destroys the household, can you handle it?"
"If, if our cute one becomes the Crown Princess, it will be diff, different……."
"No, that won't be the case. Not a chance."
"……."
At the unexpected event that the person who would give the rice cake didn't even think about, the two looked at each other and a moment of silence passed.
Perhaps many words were exchanged in that silence.
"Then, I'll be off to see Captain Lucia, who will be summoned to a disciplinary meeting. There are things to discuss."
"Ah, about that? Leave it to our Iren. We need to give him a chance."
"Hmm, even your son said he wouldn't do it. I understand for now. Instead, would you estimate the budget for the new Grand Training Grounds?"
"Wh, what. That's for you, the Prime Minister……!"
The Prime Minister had already disappeared from sight.
Whether he was exercising outside or not, he had a tanned skin, and even though he was always said to be old, he had great stamina.
The Emperor secretly cursed at his back, then hurriedly took out several documents from his desk drawer and checked them.
And the fact that he was tightly gripping his upper abdomen seemed to mean that he was upset at the thought of using this year's reserve budget for the Grand Training Grounds.
*
As soon as she left the Grand Training Grounds, a disciplinary meeting was quickly opened.
As if they had been waiting for her to be reinstated, they gathered like bees when Lucia caused an incident, not missing the opportunity.
Lucia looked at the order given to her once again in the table surrounding her.
It was a document that seemed to have been prepared in a hurry.
Moreover, now that the Commander-in-Chief was absent, there was only an unfamiliar seal where the Commander-in-Chief's seal should have been.
When she held out the order to them and silently pointed to the strange seal,
"Ah, that's the seal of the newly appointed aide. By the time the Commander-in-Chief returns, that's the date you'll be there, right? Really, why cause an accident at a time like this. Hahaha."
The cunning ones must have threatened the clumsy aide in order to punish Lucia somehow.
The content of the order was to deal with magical Monsters that randomly appeared in the border area with the Kingdom of Ferrendel.
The problem was that it was not difficult to kill the Monsters, but they appeared randomly, so it was impossible to estimate when they could be caught.
It would be okay to leave the child for a day or two, but an indefinite business trip.
It was also because she was a special child who shouldn't be exposed as a Saintess, but what if the child with that small head forgets me while we're apart?
They say that children grow up quickly at this time, so they become unfamiliar even if you don't see them for a while…….
……Lucia was a fool for her child, worrying about unnecessary things.
"I can't accept it."
The other nobles except Count Rendore, who was smiling at her unexpected words, began to stir.
Even for Lucia, disobedience was an unforgivable act of disloyalty for a knight.
"Refusal of orders. Then you will have to receive the corresponding punishment. What will you do if we tell you to give up your captaincy?"
Count Rendore and the others began to laugh in the lead.
He seemed to have foreseen to some extent that the situation would turn out like this.
But Lucia looked straight at their stupid faces, which would be in a difficult situation in the future, and said.
"I will. I'll quit."
……So easily?
The impact of those words was enormous.
That Lucia would actually say that she would quit being the captain.
Seeing that she had taken childcare leave, she had a child, so they didn't think she would quit her job at all.
The complexion of the disciplinary committee, who soon realized what that meant, changed, and Count Rendore seemed to have noticed it, and a smile bloomed on his face.
It was because his goal was for his incompetent son to take the position of captain of the royal guard, no matter what happened to the country.
But the other nobles were in a different position from him.
They only thought of humiliating her by tying her limbs and making her do things that would tarnish her honor for a few months.
If she quit now, the angry Emperor and Prime Minister might take all the property of the nobles gathered here as military funds in the name of responsibility, or strip them of their positions, or perhaps do even worse.
The foolish nobles, who now realized the reality, began to desperately open their mouths towards Count Rendore one by one.
It was then.
-Bang!
After the sound of the door being opened urgently, the Crown Prince was there, his eyes sparkling like a pink puppy who had run over at the mention of going for a walk.
Iren, who entered the conference room, quickly assessed the atmosphere of the conference room.
He had expected this, but Lucia still had a calm face, without any reward for running over.
And unlike her carefree self, the nobles opposite her seemed to have forgotten to even greet him, as if a fire had fallen on their feet despite the Crown Prince's intrusion.
And just as she got up from her seat,
"Wh, where are you going! Sit down for a moment!"
"That's right! It's not over yet. Let's talk a little more……!"
"What about the members if you quit! Are you going to be irresponsible like this!"
The middle-aged men, who had turned pale, stood up and began to dissuade Lucia as if they had never harassed her.
But Count Rendore was different. He seemed to be filled with joy, as if it had gone according to his plan.
Lucia looked at him with a look of pity and quickly took a step.
Then, Iren blocked her way.
"Wait. Talk to me first. And you guys, I have something to do with Captain Lucia separately, so let's settle the Grand Training Grounds incident with that. How about it?"
He folded his pretty eyes in a tempting way, snatched the order from Lucia's hand, and tore it in front of their eyes.
Then, Count Rendore shouted.
"N, no! Your Highness! How can you tear up an official order like that? Even if you are Your Highness……!"
"Be quiet!! Count Rendore!"
"That's right! Can't you see that the precious Crown Prince has come in person?!"
"Captain Lucia. Hurry, hurry and take care of your busy mission!"
The shallow ones, who just wanted to humiliate Lucia, stopped Count Rendore's words and competed to see her and the Crown Prince off.
As Lucia and Iren left the conference room due to their pressure, the nobles wiped the sweat flowing from their faces with a flustered look.
"……How can you all do this! If a committee is held, a punishment, whether big or small, must be given!"
The leader of this incident stood up from his seat and shouted.
"Count Rendore! Can't you still tell the difference? What a disgrace this is!"
"I will no longer talk to the Count. There's no face to carry around!"
"Let's end today's work by keeping it a secret. Come on, everyone, get up."
As if they were possessed by something negative, they shook their bodies and rushed out of the conference room.
The persistent one was only shaking the table violently in the conference room where he was now alone.
