Chapter 131: Favor

「Hey, Alisha. What’s this “Royal Battle” you were talking about? 」

After making sure that Alisha’s brother, Masauda, had left, I asked about the words that had caught my attention.

「The Royal Battle is a ritual that has been held among royal families for generations, allowing them to make their own claims. It only takes place if both parties agree to the Royal Battle, and the opinion of the winning royal is accepted. 」

「I see…」

So it was something like a duel.

But then, what exactly did a Royal Battle involve?

「Mostly, it’s a one-on-one match. The content varies depending on the region, from replica sword fights to cooking contests. In recent years, Arabian culinary achievements have been recognized worldwide…but that’s all thanks to the spices I developed, so I don’t think Masauda would want to fight me on that level. He’ll probably want a different method of fighting. 」

I see. But even if it was a duel, it would be fine as long as it wasn’t dangerous.

As if he’d read my thoughts, Rostam, standing next to me, made a declaration.

「Kyou, I understand your concerns. It’s true that the Royal Battle doesn’t usually involve bloodshed… but in some cases, it can become bloody. 」

「Huh? 」

Rostam answered before I could ask.

「Originally, the Royal Battle was used to quickly settle disputes between members of the royal family, but it was also used when it was deemed impossible to resolve verbally. For example, if both parties were eligible to inherit the throne and neither was willing to give in, a serious sword fight would be used to eliminate the obstacle. In a formal royal duel, even killing or injuring an opponent wouldn’t be considered a crime. Because of this, most countries rarely use this method. 」

「So, is that the reason why he requested the Royal Battle…!?」

Rostam quietly nodded in response.

Alisha seemed to know the truth, too, as she averted her eyes.

「Alisha, did you…know that and still accept it? 」

「…」

Alisha silently affirmed my question.

It was true that at the time, it may have been her only choice.

It was the choice she made to protect her younger brother above all else. It may be inappropriate for me to criticize her, but I just wanted to say this.

「You…don’t push yourself too hard. I know you care about your brother, but there are others who care about you, too. 」

That included her younger brother, Shin, and the servants who worked in the palace and adored her.

I had learned this from living in the palace. All the servants adored Alisha.

That was because, unlike ordinary royalty, she treated both her subordinates and servants equally.

Of course, I considered Alisha a valued ally.

I intended to express those feelings, but for some reason, Alisha looked blank for a moment, then her cheeks reddened, and her eyes wandered.

「…Hmm, well, yo…you mean…Yo…you, right…」

「Of course I care about you. 」

It was only natural for her to be worried, so I said those words to reassure her but for some reason, the moment I said it, Alisha’s face turned red again and she became flustered.

「…Yo…You should have told me that when we were alone…! 」

…? What? What did that mean?

Maybe since bringing Shin back, Alisha no longer needed to pretend to be a man, because recently she’d changed her first-person pronoun to female form, and she had exuded a more feminine aura that wasn’t there before.

Perhaps because of this, I occasionally saw glimpses of girlish behavior in her. Could this be part of that?

As I was thinking about this, for some reason, Rostam, Zahak, and the others around me were looking at me with strange looks on their faces.

「…Still, there’s a chance that he’ll try to use the Royal Battle to eliminate Alisha. We should wait and see until the details of the battle are decided. 」

I quietly nodded in agreement with Rostam’s opinion.

That said, there was no point in us outsiders making a fuss here.

Both siblings would be banished if Alisha refused to participate in the battle now.

In that case, the only option left was to get Alisha to win the battle.

But surely there must be something I could do besides the battle.

The current situation in this country. If only I and my friends could do something about it.

With this in mind, as I scanned the room, I saw Dorage-chan yawning and sleeping in the corner, with Dora-chan sitting on her head, and a thought crossed my mind.

「…That’s right. There must be a way that only I can help. 」

Whether this would turn out to be good or bad was unclear.

Still, I asked Alisha after hoping to be of some help to this country.

「Alisha, there’s something I want to ask. 」

Alisha’s eyes widened in shock when she heard my request, but the moment she heard my side of the story, she nodded vigorously and accepted the request.

At the time, neither Alisha, Rostam, nor I noticed that Alisha’s younger brother, Shin, had been watching our discussion timidly from his bed, with a troubled look on his face.

—

「Even so, interesting things are still happening around Kyou. 」

「…You seem to be having fun, Rostam…」

As they walked down the hallway from Alisha’s room to the room they had been given, Zahak spoke, gazing at his brother Rostam’s unusually cheerful face.

「Of course, I’m having fun. He’s wonderful man, I respect him. If he’s tackling new problems, then we’ll support him with all our might, and we’ll even help him if he asks. Above all, I believe it’s the actions he takes that accelerate the world’s evolution. 」

Zahak agreed with Rostam on this point.

If their abilities could be useful, then they wouldn’t hesitate to lend him a hand.

However, their help wasn’t that necessary in this case, as Kyou and the others had already been working on resolving the problem themselves.

In that case, all they could do was deal with unforeseen circumstances.

For that reason, they intended to stay in the country until this matter was resolved.

「…So, what will you be doing while you’re here…? 」

「First, I’ll investigate this man, Masauda. I’m curious as to why he treats Shin and Alisha as targets and tries so hard to eliminate them. 」

Zahak quietly nodded in agreement.

That was true. Even if the King was ill, it would be extremely selfish to exile the two of them while he was ill.

Plus, the risk would be too great even if Masauda had plotted to assassinate the siblings several years ago.

Masauda was already first in line to the throne. His ascension to the throne was already assured even if he didn’t do anything.

If he still ordered Alisha and the young boy to carry out the assassinations, then there must be something lurking behind the scenes.

The situation within the royal palace was rife with intrigue. As members of the same royal family, Rostam and Zahak must have sensed something.

And behind-the-scenes maneuvering was their domain.

Just as Rostam entered the room and contacted the intelligence unit back home, Zahak was also in the room prepared for him, planning his next move.

「I’ve been waiting for you, Dominant Hero Zahak. 」

A monster peered out from the open balcony.

It had the face of a human, the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion.

「…Manticore…」

It was an A-rank monster, nicknamed the Desert Demon.

Zahak assumed it was the Manticore that had raised Shin, as mentioned in Kyou and the others’ conversation earlier, but why was it in his room?

「…I’ve heard about you from “a certain person”. 」

Zahak frowned slightly at the mention of that certain person.

「I have a favor to ask. 」

However, upon hearing the Manticore’s next words, Zahak showed an uncharacteristic look of extreme shock.

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