Chapter 42 (1/2)
Volume 1
V2 Chapter 19
「Collaborative Scheming 」Part 2
In Rhoden Kingdom’s capital city Olav, inside the royal palace, a man with visible blue veins on his hands was throwing a silver cup on the floor of a private room that was illuminated by magic crystal lamps .
There was a dull metallic ping when the cup hit the floor before it slowly rolled into the corner . The mellow fragrance of the wine that had filled the cup spread throughout the room .
The eyes of two of the men in the room followed the cup as it rolled on the ground, before they glanced at each other and turned back to the man that throw it .
“Fuck! Why now! Why was Earl Hoban killed now of all times?!”
The man that had thrown the cup was sitting on a leather sofa and clenching his hands as hard as he could . His normally handsome features were twisted beyond belief and a cold anger filled his blue eyes . This person was none other than Douglass Shishle Carunon Rhoden Vetoran, the second prince of Rhoden .
“We’re having difficulty contacting anyone in Hoban due to all the confusion the rebellion is causing . ”
One of the men looking at prince Douglass spoke to him in a serious tone .
The man’s hair was a blend of gray and brown and he sported a respectable beard, but only a feeling of masculinity could be sensed from the man’s muscular body
He was Marudoira De Olsterio, one of Rhoden’s seven dukes and the Major General of the unified national army . He was the one that had read the report from his liaison in Hoban .
“If those Haunting Wolves hadn’t appeared on the highway we could’ve stopped Sect’s schemes!”
“Your highness, we could have prevented the rebellion had the monsters not forced us to delay our plans . ”
When Douglass began to berate the monsters, the man beside Marudoira stepped up to calm him down .
The man that spoke up wore a military uniform over his stout body, as he was Setorion De Olsterio, one of Rhoden’s three generals .
Despite Setorion’s efforts Prince Douglass continued his anger induced rant .
“That’s too convenient! Now Sect will be able to take advantage of the situation and quell the rebellion . ”
The two generals blew out a sigh without looking at the enraged Prince Douglass .
Originally they were supposed to meet with Earl Hoban and conspire to assassinate Prince Sect . However, the highway that led to Hoban was threatened by monsters and Earl Hoban had been slain in the revolt .
“I can only say that all of this happened in an untimely matter . We need to focus on the next opportunity……”
Marudoira began speaking in a booming voice .
Members of the king’s personal army have already been sent out to deal with the monsters along the highway .
It would be difficult to leave the capital until things calmed down, making all their plans to visit Hoban for naught, and visiting somewhere else is impossible without preparation .
“Juliana also seems to have slipped off to Rinburuto undetected!”
As Douglass muttered that curse, someone started to heavily pound on the room’s door .
“Marudoira-sama! There is an urgent matter that requires your attention!”
General Setorion quickly responded by opening the door a little to receive the messenger’s report .
The soldier saluted General Setorion before whispering the content of the message in his ear .
Setorion nodded at the message and dismissed the soldier before whispering what he had heard into his father’s ear .
“What?”
Prince Douglass, who so far had been quiet throughout the exchange, asked Marudoira what was happening .
Marudoira reviewed what he had heard before he started speaking to Prince Douglass .
“Your highness, the main building of the Etsuato company is under attack . The assailants seem to be quite skilled and the company representative is requesting aid from the army…… How should we respond?”
Wrinkles formed on Prince Douglass’s forehead as he listened to the report .
“Why are problems like this popping up one after another?!”
Not only was Etsuato a major trading company, they were the ones used to evaluate the price of the elven slaves, so he couldn’t simply refuse their request for assistance .
As the room filled with prince Douglass’s curses, Setorion sighed before turning to the grim-faced Marudoira .
“Father and I shall deal with this . We’ll take some of your personal soldiers to help stomp out the criminals . The other side will be ever so grateful of the Major General for directly helping in this situation . ”
“As you will . ”
Seeing Douglass’s twisted grin at the proposal, Setorion give a subtle smile of his own .
After Major General Marudoira received prince Douglass’s command he quietly left the room .
When Setorion was about to leave he suddenly turned back to prince Douglass and started speaking .
“Your Highness . Concerning what happened in Hoban there was an unconfirmed report that elves were involved . ”
“What!?”
With that single sentence, Prince Douglass returned from thinking about his future plans to the present .
“The attack on the Etsuato trading company may be their doing . ”
“……What do you mean?”
The prince’s voice was fraught with tension and worry as he questioned Setorion .
“To be honest, I received a report that the elves Diento had secretly been keeping disappeared after the assassination . Lord Hoban previously purchased an elf of his own . Although nothing has been confirmed, the same thing might have happened in Hoban……”
Setorion remained perfectly claim as he voiced his suspicions .
“Are you saying that the elves are pulling the strings behind the scenes? That’s a terrible thought…… but I doubt they can get into the palace in the first place . ”
“However, things would be troubling if they have someone guiding them inside…… Diento was a fort in it’s own right, but you’ve already seen the results . If we assume that the uproar in the town is a feint, then there is the possibility that someone people are being lead here to take your life . ”
“……What should we do?”
“It’d be best if you hide in an unknown location . We should head to your secret mansion in the first district . Your Highness . ”
Douglass hesitated for a moment before offering a small nod, Setorion proceeded to give an order to the messenger waiting outside the room .