Chapter 13: The Weimar Royal Family 2

Victoria, stunned by Kenta’s sudden use of teleportation magic and disappearance, was jolted back to reality by the voice of her maid, “Your Highness.”

“I-I’ll return to the royal castle right away! Depart immediately!” 

Without waiting for anyone’s assistance, Victoria climbed into the carriage, just as she had when she arrived. Her actions clearly indicated how frantic she was.

Upon her swift return to the royal castle, Victoria headed straight to the king’s office where her father, the king, was.

“Excuse me!” 

The king, sitting at his desk with a tired expression, looked up at Victoria.

“…How did it go?”

The king succinctly inquired about the outcome of the negotiation with Kenta.

“At least… the worst-case scenario, a war with Maya-sama, has been avoided.”

Hearing Victoria’s words, the king let out a deep sigh and exhaled, steadying himself.

“So? What did Maya-sama demand? Money?”

“No… the immediate retraction of the wanted poster, and a strict punishment for those who acted on it.”

“I understand. I’ll arrange it right away.”

“I’ve already given orders to the people present at the scene, so please coordinate with them to avoid any misunderstandings.”

“Got it. So, is that all?”

The king, not hearing anything about money, asked with a hint of expectation, wondering if that was part of the demands. But Victoria, with a distressed look, began speaking again.

“No… Actually, I was told to have Wimple and the woman who instigated her punished.”

“What!? Punish a princess?!”

Wimple, although she had caused unnecessary trouble, was still the king’s beloved daughter. As a father, he found the demand utterly unacceptable.

After all, all Wimple had done was order them to kidnap the lover of a certain otherworldly person who refused to comply with their commands.

To demand the princess’s punishment over such an act was simply too much for the king to accept.

He couldn’t understand how a lowborn individual, who wasn’t even of royal blood, could be so bold.

However, the person making the demand was a figure capable of challenging the demon king they were already struggling to defeat.

If they became enemies, the kingdom might truly be in jeopardy.

After much inner turmoil, the king made a decision.

“…Fine. Then, as for the woman who instigated Wimple, we’ll charge her with treason for endangering the kingdom, and she’ll be executed.”

“…Yes.”

Upon hearing the king’s decision, Victoria couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the woman who would be executed due to her momentary desires.

“Next, as for Wimple… for believing the words of commoners and failing to do her research properly, she lacks the awareness expected of royalty. Therefore, I decree her removal from the line of succession, and she will be confined to the northern tower.”

Victoria felt her chest tighten as she listened to the king’s decision.

From Kenta’s tone, it seemed like Kenta expected Wimple herself to be executed.

But while he had said to punish, the word “execution” had not been used.

“…Do you think Maya-sama will be satisfied with this?”

“Then, we’ll announce that Wimple died in an accident. After all, she’s being confined to the northern tower. Publicly, she’ll be as good as dead, and there’ll be no way to verify otherwise. It will be painful for Wimple, but as long as she remains alive, that’s all that matters.”

Victoria, though skeptical about the idea due to teleportation magic possibly revealing the truth, could not bring herself to speak against the king’s decision.

Despite the rivalry for the throne, Wimple was still her younger sister.

She couldn’t bring herself to push for a harsh execution.

Furthermore, to strip Wimple of her royal status and have her publicly declared dead would undoubtedly be an unbearable humiliation.

Victoria thought that if they held a grand funeral and announced her death, even if Kenta came to investigate using teleportation magic, they could deceive him.

A few days later, a shocking announcement was made in the capital.

It was declared that Princess Wimple, while traveling in a carriage, had tragically lost her life in an accident.

The sudden news of the royal family’s loss caused the citizens to mourn deeply, and the funeral was held on a grand scale as a state funeral.

The grandeur of the event, however, was primarily to deceive Kenta’s gaze.

Meanwhile, the woman who had incited Wimple’s actions was quietly executed.

Regarding Kenta’s new wanted poster, it was announced that it had been a mistake, and anyone acting on the orders from that poster would face severe punishment. This information was quickly spread by officials and soldiers across the country.

Thanks to this swift response, the wanted poster was soon forgotten by the public.

To ensure that no bounty hunters were heading towards Kenta’s home, soldiers were stationed at the entrance to the forest leading to the house, preventing anyone from entering.

This also applied to Ivern and the others who had been trying to make their way to Kenta’s home. They were stopped at the entrance to the forest and couldn’t reach the house.

When the soldiers were first placed there, many bounty hunters tried to enter the forest according to the wanted poster, but they were stopped before they could go any further. Victoria was relieved that they were held off.

The withdrawal of the wanted poster was progressing smoothly, and she had successfully prevented anyone from reaching Kenta.

The woman from the brothel had been executed, and Wimple was imprisoned in the northern tower, her death disguised as an accident.

Wimple had strongly resisted at first when she was stripped of her claim to the throne and confined, but after receiving a severe scolding from the king, she had ultimately accepted her fate.

Everything was going well.

Victoria thought that once no more bounty hunters appeared, she could withdraw the soldiers and consider the matter finished.

However, her assumption was overturned soon after.

One night, while Victoria was sleeping in her room, a massive roar and a violent tremor shook the royal castle. The suddenness of the event caused an uproar, like a hornet’s nest being disturbed.

Victoria rushed to the window, and her breath caught when she saw what had happened.

A tremendous explosion and flames were rising from the area where the northern tower stood.

“Ah… ah…”

That was where Wimple had been imprisoned.

Though she was confined, the room was luxurious, and she had her own attendants. She had everything she needed—three meals a day, naps, and no duties to perform—a life of elegance. It was a lifestyle that, for some, might even seem enviable.

But now, that northern tower, where Wimple had been living, was crumbling under the massive explosion.

It was highly unlikely that anyone inside that tower had survived. The destruction was overwhelming.

Victoria felt a deep fear, not because of the likely death of her sister, but because of something else that made her body tremble uncontrollably.

“…It’s been found out… that Wimple is still alive…”

That explosion was definitely Kenta’s doing.

Since they had failed to execute Wimple, Kenta must have come to take matters into his own hands.

Victoria wasn’t the only one who was certain of this.

The king, too, was thinking the same thing.

Although the exact method was unknown, Kenta had precisely targeted the northern tower where Wimple had been.

Kenta knew everything…

That realization was enough to fill both the king and his daughter with fear.

From then on, the king and his daughter lived in constant dread of Kenta’s presence. As a small measure of atonement, they lifted the bounty on Kenta within the Weimar Kingdom.

The world was shocked to hear about the international fugitive’s bounty being lifted, but the reason why other countries continued to have the bounty on him was clear—they wanted to capture Kenta and bring him under their control.

No nation commented on Weimar’s decision to withdraw from the competition to capture Kenta.

Still, the fact that the bounty was lifted was made public to the world.

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