Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! Chapter 380

"―― That's what happened."

Kowtowing in front of me, Marquis Westin finished the series of reports.
The place was the audience hall. Fabius, my close aide, stood on my side as I sat on the throne.
In the spot where my retainers were lined up, Marquis Westin fearfully awaited the verdict.
I raised my face from the letter I'd looked over. The letter was from Wilhelm.
The long-awaited information improved my mood just a little.
And, for the first time today, I turned my eyes to the man who had finished reporting.
Although I'd listened to his story, the contents of the letter were more important to me. I didn't care about Marquis Westin. Those were my true feelings.
Tap. My finger struck the armrest of the throne I was sitting on. With that action alone, Marquis Westin in front of me exaggeratedly shuddered.
I slowly spoke.

"I see. That is to say, Prince Friedrich turned a blind eye to you out of sympathy, is that it?"
"Ah! N-No… By no means was it like that…"

I interrupted Marquis's words as he tried to somehow appeal that he wasn't at fault.

"Silence. Because you insisted, I reluctantly entrusted you with it. I didn't expect anything from the start, but that's a terrible conclusion. I thought you would do better."

I was astounded from the bottom of my heart.
The man called Marquis Westin is extremely vainglorious. Immediately after I ascended to the throne, he hurried before anyone else to distinguish himself and told me, "Entrust the matter of Wilhelm to me."
He grandly declared that using an information broker he'd employed several times, he would grasp the corruption inside Wilhelm, discover people willing to change sides, and then obtain the latest information about Princess Lidiana and eventually present her to me.
It was impossible though. There was no way a small fry like Marquis Westin could deceive Prince Friedrich or Princess Lidiana. I knew he'd have tables turned on him, but I agreed.
It was right after their wedding. It would be a little disturbance among the commotion. I only recognized it as that. But, I didn't want Marquis Westin to do anything unnecessary. I gave him two assassins from the Assassin Guild 'Black' to keep watch of him. I ordered them to report to me as necessary and looked forward to what would happen, but the result was mostly as I expected.
The information broker ran away, and seeds of betrayal didn't sprout in Wilhelm. On the contrary, I ended up receiving a word from Prince Friedrich.
I'm not concerned about Marquis Westin because he reaped what he sowed, but I don't want it to look like I spurred him on.
It would be vexing if I appeared like that foolish man's thoughtlessness was my fault.

"Enough. I don't have time to listen to your excuses. You can reflect under house arrest."

I stood up from the throne. I left into a corridor through the entry in the back exclusive to royalty.
A glass corridor. It's a special passage, so there was nobody here but me.
Only my footsteps resounded. Suddenly, I stopped.

"―― Thoroughly dispose of that man and his surroundings. It would only bring harm to let him live. I'm not so lenient as to give a person who made a mistake a second chance."
"Roger. Aah, after all it turned out like this."

I immediately received an answer from a place where nobody should've been. A man appeared from behind a nearby pillar. The man walked up to me then complained with a sullen pout.

"Listen, do you mistake me for a handyman or something? Of course, I'm better than anyone, but it's annoying having clean-up forced on me every single time."

The man in priest clothes wearing an inverted cross pendant - Scheat said, "Do you know?" and looked at me.

"I really just came back from Wilhelm. I don't want to be a watchdog anymore. And training a newcomer? I don't want to do that ever again. I even became the guild leader because you asked me to, but honestly, I want to throw it away."

Scheat and a newcomer from 'Black' went together with Marquis Westin. No matter what happened, he could've fully cleaned it up.
He's my convenient tool. A tool complaining to its user is unthinkable.

"You just need to silently listen to my orders."
"That might be so. But, I'm sick of that newcomer. He's a nuisance who recklessly stabbed my prey."
"Now that you mention it, you didn't bring back any heads this time."

Marquis Westin first approached Count Viran of Wilhelm. There was nothing but risk in using him, so I ordered Scheat to kill him once Wilhelm suspected him, but unusually, he didn't take the head with him.

"Did you change your doctrine?"
"Wrong. I don't bring back what others have tampered with. Those aren't suitable souvenirs for Mom. I want to make souvenirs for Mom myself."
"You're particular, Apostate."
"Not so much, but well, I have various circumstances. Anyway, I will never train a newcomer again. Have someone else do it. You understand I'm not cut out for it, right?"
"You're right. In the end, that was broken before it could become usable."

The organization called 'Black' is a guild employing superior assassins, but I wanted to find somebody who could rival Scheat, even if they couldn't surpass him. That's why, under the name of 'newcomer education' I tried to have a promising assassin work with Scheat for future reference, but it didn't go well.
The man who witnessed Scheat's way of killing broke from the shock.
In the confusion he sprang at Scheat's prey and as a result incurred his displeasure. He more or less came back, but it would be better not to not count on him anymore. He also must be disposed of at a suitable time.
I looked at Scheat, and he softly narrowed his eyes.

"Then, I'll dispose of them. And then, if you have me go to Wilhelm, let me actually meet Cain. This time I had near-misses at most. I want to at least greet him."
"You have your work. I don't have you go to Wilhelm for fun."
"Of course you don't, but I want to meet Cain once in a while."

Scheat disappeared with that complaint.
As if nothing had happened, I once again began walking through the corridor.
My mind was already full of other things.
The letter from Wilhelm.
It was the notice that the time of this year's international conference had been decided. For the past few years, Father was deliberately absent, but of course, I will personally attend this year.
It will take place in Wilhelm.
Princess Lidiana, who will become my princess consort, is there.

"―― It doesn't matter how strong Prince Friedrich is. I have a trump card."

I'm sure they can't even imagine it. It's unbearably fun.
I chuckled.

"Now, Princess. It's been a long time since we met."

The international conference will be held in fall. There's still some time left, but we have to make various preparations as well. I mustn't be impatient just because I obtained a trump card. I have to calmly wait for the right time.
I imagined the Princess's face when I'll see her after a long time.
My princess consort will surely be beautiful.
She's now Prince Friedrich's wife, but in a few years, I have no doubt that she'll be standing next to me.
With renewed determination, I went back to my room in the inner part of the castle.

Chapter end