Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 112: The Night Before
One corner of the royal castle.
The reception room reserved for Lady Adelaide, the western leader, was packed with people.
At the far end of the room were a chair and a couch.
Seated in the chair was Lady Adelaide. Lying on the couch was Dion, a candidate for the King of the West.
Before them were the nobles of the Adelaide faction, the main faction of the west.
Five individuals stepped forward and prostrated themselves before Lady Adelaide.
“How is my brother, Viscount Girard?”
The man at the forefront of the five wiped sweat from his brow as he answered. He was the head of the Assassination Guild.
Officially unrecognized, the dark guild was a corner of the underworld, but his presence lacked the aura of authority.
“Yes. He was severely disoriented last night, but now all reactions have ceased. The consensus of our guild is that his condition has stabilized.”
In truth, it wasn’t stability but a complete mental breakdown that had erased his reactions. No one knew that his shattered psyche was grotesquely reconstructing itself.
“And what about breaking the curse?”
The head of the Assassination Guild glanced at the four individuals prostrating behind him. The guild’s experts in curse-breaking all had grim expressions.
“Well, um… we are expediting our investigations… examining from every possible angle…”
The head of the Assassination Guild stumbled over his words, while Lady Adelaide’s eyes grew as sharp as a serpent’s.
“I am not asking for a progress report. I am demanding results. Do you understand the difference?”
“Yes!”
The five prostrated themselves even lower. They were all shadows, hidden figures.
Displeasing the absolute power in the capital could mean ending up a corpse in an alley by the next day. They had seen it happen many times.
“Then answer. Simply.”
The head of the Assassination Guild took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words.
“…We believe that breaking the curse is impossible. It is an extremely advanced curse, and even in our guild’s secret archives, we have no record of such a complex curse.”
One must fight fire with fire. The Orleans family was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable about magic techniques in this country. However, in the specific realm of curses, the Assassination Guild surpassed them.
But even the Assassination Guild could not break the curse that Sol had cast.
Lady Adelaide herself understood that this judgment was accurate. She had reached her current position thanks to the services of the Assassination Guild.
“…I see. You may leave.”
Lady Adelaide, expressionless, covered her twisted mouth with a fan.
The five retreated, relieved, back into the crowd.
“So, who thinks Lucius is the culprit?”
Immediately, the nobles of the Adelaide faction erupted.
“If he was cursed on the day of the conflict, there’s no doubt.”
“But Lucius hasn’t contracted with a gun monster yet. Orleans confirmed it.”
“Orleans has effectively become Lucius’s vassal.”
“Could he have hired another Assassination Guild?”
“The members of the Assassination Guild are right here!”
“Could it have been the Northern Assassination Guild?”
“Is there an assassin in the North better than those in the capital? Ridiculous.”
Lady Adelaide silenced them with a gesture.
“…It is clear Lucius is involved somehow, but identifying the curse’s caster is difficult.”
As the argument continued, a young man stepped forward. He was not yet twenty, with a gentle and intelligent demeanor.
His name was Cyril.
“There are reports that Lucius-sama created a puppet. Could that be a possibility?”
Laughter filled the room, almost derisive.
“Foolish. No puppet could possess such power.”
Ad
“Indeed, ignorance is terrifying.”
“Don’t get arrogant just because you have royal blood.”
Despite trying to speak calmly, no one was willing to listen.
Cyril was one of the current king’s grandchildren. Despite his royal lineage, he was merely a peripheral member, not even a candidate for the leader of the prestigious Weshite-Windsor family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
“Even if it’s just a puppet, we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility from the start. Regardless of whether Lucius-sama is the culprit, if someone has been cursed, we must investigate thoroughly.”
From a young age, Cyril had been quick-witted and possessed a strong sense of justice. Upon reaching adulthood, he had a minor conflict with Lady Adelaide.
However, that incident marked the end of his good fortune.
As a result, all his authorities and positions were stripped away, relegating him to a sinecure. Only by remaining at the fringe of the Adelaide faction could he maintain some involvement in Western politics.
“Cyril. To think you were summoned to my meeting.”
Lady Adelaide smirked.
“The tension among the nobles recently is palpable. I thought it might be a precursor to something significant, so I followed a few connections.”
Lady Adelaide scanned the room, as if searching for the traitor who brought Cyril to this gathering. Everyone quickly averted their gazes, not wanting to attract her attention.
“I dismissed the talk of Lucius using a puppet as nonsense, but…”
She folded her fan and shifted her gaze from Cyril to another spot.
“What do you all think?”
Ad
The crowd parted to avoid Lady Adelaide’s piercing gaze.
The people who made way wore derisive expressions. This was the main event of the meeting, and many had come specifically for this moment.
Three middle-aged individuals—two men and one woman—were revealed. They were Count Sisik, Viscount Laszlo, and Baron Lecouvreur, key members of the Arcanorum Society.
The three had been hiding at the back.
“I-I think… it’s not a puppet.”
“Impossible. A mere puppet couldn’t…”
“Exactly! Even our gun monsters wouldn’t…”
“I see. So that’s what you think.”
Lady Adelaide wore a sadistic smile.
“On the day Viscount Girard was attacked, where were you, and what were you doing?”
The three simultaneously lowered their faces. The nobles of the Adelaide faction silently watched the exchange.
“According to the plan, you were supposed to be with my brother when Lucius resorted to force. Did you flee in fear of Lucius?”
Unable to withstand Lady Adelaide’s sharp gaze, Count Sisik spoke up.
“We… had an urgent matter that couldn’t be postponed…”
The other two quickly echoed his words.
Ad
“Yes, we intended to go there.”
“We had Viscount Girard’s approval!”
“I see.”
The three sighed in relief.
“If you have matters more important than my orders, feel free to prioritize them. However, you will not be allowed on the ship.”
Their faces turned pale, as if they had been sentenced to death.
“P-please! Anything but that!”
“We deeply regret our actions. We are truly sorry.”
“Please, give us another chance!”
The three of them crawled forward, pressing their foreheads to the carpet in supplication.
“I did not ask for your opinion. I gave you an order.”
Lady Adelaide’s private soldiers restrained the three as they continued to plead and resist, tearing their clothes in the process, and forcibly dragged them out. Only screams and pleas echoed from the corridor, but no one paid them any attention.
Because everyone had been eagerly anticipating this moment.
“I will fill the vacant seats with others. Submit your recommendations, and I will consider them. That is all.”
“Yes, my loady.”
The members of the Adelaide faction began to leave all at once.
There were few seats to enjoy the sweet benefits.
The downfall of a colleague was not a concern but an opportunity. Despite being a faction, there was no real camaraderie.
They were a group constantly eyeing someone’s downfall to seize their position. Being close meant getting a seat quicker.
Yet, there was always one leader of the pack: Lady Adelaide. She had intentionally organized it this way.
As the nobles departed, one approached.
“Lady Adelaide, what is this ‘ship’? Why is everyone so eager to board it? There must be a deeper meaning.”
It was Cyril, the current king’s grandson, who pressed the question.
Lady Adelaide’s eyes widened slightly. Few in the capital would speak so directly. It was clearly a taboo topic.
“You don’t need to know.”
“But!”
Cyril, coldly dismissed, still couldn’t give up.
“Persistent.”
Lady Adelaide couldn’t quite fathom what drove him, but his audacious sincerity reminded her of the current king.
As she recalled the face of that old man who constantly thwarted her carefully laid plans, she thought if the king had been more dull-witted, she could have seized control of the western territories ten years earlier.
“If it’s something crucial to the nation, we should seek the judgment of my grandfather—no, His Majesty.”
But the young man before her was still inexperienced, lacking the king’s tact and cunning. There was no need for strategy against him.
“It’s not your decision to make. It’s mine.”
Their eyes locked.
However, there was an insurmountable gap in their statuses. Cyril had to take a step back.
“…I overstepped.”
“Leave.”
Cyril, looking dissatisfied, left the room.
Once he was gone, only Lady Adelaide and her private soldiers remained. The silence was a stark contrast to the crowded room from moments earlier.
She turned her gaze to Dion, who was lying on the nearby sofa. He was breathing slightly heavily.
“How are you faring?”
She extended a concerned hand.
“No issues, Mother.”
Dion grasped his mother’s hand, guiding it to his right neck.
“This is the most critical time. We must not let Forneus’ charm spell lapse.”
Ad
Lady Adelaide began to press firmly on Dion’s neck.
“I understand…”
“That’s what makes you fit to be king, Dion.”
“Yes…”
She continued pressing on his throat as if she were strangling him.
“…Mother… it’s hard… to breathe…”
When Dion’s breathing became shallow, Lady Adelaide released his neck.
“The time has come. Dion, you are to become king, a noble being who will never be discarded by anyone.”
“…I understand…”
Dion, catching his breath, leaned into his mother, and she gently stroked his head.
Then, she whispered in his ear:
“Tomorrow, we proceed.”