Chapter 44: Don’t call me Sister-in-law

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Translator: Soafp

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Time rewinds a little, and Fran Medicus found herself in a pinch.

“Tell me where Ask went.”

“I don't know.”

“Mm. Lying won't do you any good. You should tell the truth.”

“I don't know.”

The place was an interrogation room furnished with nothing but a table, chairs, and a lamp.

It was a room in a separate building used by the Disciplinary Committee.

Victoria Sil Kishirika, the second princess of the Kingdom of Kishirika, had forced the committee to lend it to her so she could press Fran.

“Mm. Then I suppose I have no choice. I'll use our secret weapon.”

What Victoria took out was a small handbell that fit in her palm.

Seeing it, Fran stiffened.

“Is that a ‘lie-detecting magic tool'?”

“I asked the shark lady from the Disciplinary Committee, and she lent it to me because it ‘sounded fun.'”

“The shark lady… Lucan, then. I might flick her on the nose next time.”

“You can't lie in front of this magic tool. Now, be a good girl and tell me where Ask went.”

“……”

Victoria pressed her again, but Fran said nothing.

“…Why aren't you saying anything?”

“It seems Her Highness Princess Victoria is unaware that there's a way to deal with that magic tool.”

“A way to deal with it?”

“Yes. If you say nothing at all, the tool won't react. Of course, another method is to avoid lying while also not telling the truth.”

Knowing she wasn't good with words, Fran chose silence without hesitation.

However, Victoria did not panic.

“Mm. That level of trickery is already accounted fo—”

DING.

A clear sound echoed through the interrogation room from the lie-detecting tool.

Victoria fell silent.

“…Mm. Honestly, I didn't think this magic tool would be neutralized so easily. As expected of my sister-in-law.”

“Please stop calling me your sister-in-law. I am not Princess Victoria's sister.”

“Can you still say that after seeing this?”

“Well, that is…”

Victoria pulled out a single document bearing a large seal.

“Hmm. A marriage registration, with Father's seal.”

“!?”

Fran stiffened again.

The seal belonged to Victoria's father—in other words, the king.

A marriage document stamped with the king's seal was no ordinary engagement.

Once signed, it was an absolute contract that could never be overturned.

“W-why…”

“Father already liked Ask. When I said I wanted to marry him, he went, ‘Hm? You want to get engaged? Oh, that boy? Sure, fine,' and approved it just like that.”

“That was fast… Still, no matter how you look at it, this is impossible. Even if His Majesty approves, there's no precedent for a baron's son marrying a princess.”

“Mm. Maidol said precedents are something you create.”

“…Even so, that child publicly pretends to be incompetent, lacking talent in healing magic. Many of the kingdom's elders will oppose this.”

“Mm, that's not a problem either. I've always enjoyed gathering information, so I casually threate— ahem. Persuaded—the elders who have shady pasts.”

“…Did you almost say ‘threatened' just now?”

“I didn't.”

DING.

“…If this document bears Ask's signature, or that of his family, the engagement will be finalized.”

“I won't sign it.”

“Mm. That's why I'll demand the signature of the head of the Medicus house—your father, my future father-in-law.”

“Please stop calling him that. My father isn't foolish. He'd shake his head if it meant putting unnecessary hardship on that child.”

“No problem. If I threaten to tell my future mother-in-law that he's been going to bars where young, cute girls drink with customers, he should sign.”

The magic tool made no sound.

Learning that her proud father had been going to such places, Fran wore an indescribable expression.

“…Even if I knew where he was, I wouldn't sell out my brother. Even if you tortured me, I wouldn't say a word.”

“I see. Then I have no choice. If you won't talk, I'll tell Christina that you're actually No-Face-sama.”

“He's probably gone to the Belhart Empire.”

It took less than a tenth of a second.

Fran sold out her brother without the slightest hesitation.

“Why the Empire?”

“That child isn't very clever. Or perhaps he only pretends not to be… but he has a habit of acting on impulse.”

“Mm. Decisiveness is attractive.”

“…At the place where he landed, there was an exchange student from the Hero Academy—Lidiel Rhydiel. So I believe there's a strong chance he headed for the Empire.”

“Mm. Understood.”

Victoria nodded, satisfied with Fran's explanation.

At that moment, someone knocked on the interrogation room door and entered.

“Princess Victoria, please excuse me.”

“Oh, shark person.”

“It's Lucan Scharl. I had some business with Fran—”

“Flick.”

Fran snapped Lucan on the nose the instant she entered.

“Ow!? Hey, what was that for!? That's a sensitive spot, so don't do that!”

“You're the one who went along with Princess Victoria's nonsense. So? What do you want?”

“Ah, right. A knight came by earlier and asked me to deliver this document to the young lady of the Medicus house.”

Fran took the document from Lucan and checked its contents.

Then she froze.

“Sister-in-law? What's wrong?”

“Stop calling me that. …Things have become a bit troublesome.”

“Troublesome?”

Tilting her head, Victoria listened as Fran explained the document.

“It says an important fortress in the northern Belhart Empire has fallen due to a monster attack. To retake it, students of the Hero Academy are to suspend their studies and depart for the Empire alongside the Kingdom's reinforcements. There's also a request for me to accompany them.”

“…The Empire is an allied nation. If it were to fall, the Kingdom would be directly exposed to the threat of monsters. So I understand sending reinforcements in an emergency. But I don't understand why a student like you would go.”

“Because I'm the finest healing mage in the Kingdom?”

“Your self-evaluation is as high as ever.”

“Be quiet, Lucan. And this is an objective fact. …Besides, if that child is in the Empire, I need to go pick him up as soon as possible. This works out perfectly.”

Fran muttered quietly.

At that moment, Victoria noticed something about the document in Fran's hand.

“This reinforcement force lists Jiluo Arnal as the supreme commander.”

“…Ah, you're right. Well, he is the heir of the Arnal ducal house. They probably appointed him to polish his reputation. The actual command will likely be handled by the accompanying knights.”

“That's not the problem. If you and Jiluo Arnal are both going, then definitely—”

The interrogation room door burst open again, this time with force.

“I'm going with the reinforcements too!!”

“…Christina would absolutely insist on coming.”

“Wow, Fran, you're pretty popular.”

“…Be quiet, Lucan.”

Fran flicked Lucan on the nose again as she teased her.

Setting that aside, Fran shifted her thoughts to her missing brother.

(If he really is in the Empire, it wouldn't be strange for him to head to a battlefield full of injured people. Before that happens, I should at least send him a letter to warn him. Maybe I'll have Luu deliver it.)

At this moment, Fran never imagined that Luu might accidentally burn the letter.

A few days later, Fran departed for the Belhart Empire alongside the reinforcements.

---

Behind a school building at the Magic Academy, hidden from prying eyes.

There, Belchika was holding a secret meeting with several people clad in white robes.

“Belchika-sama, what shall we do?”

“…She has done it, that rotten, multi-mouthed stomach.”

“!?”

Belchika, who normally maintained a gentle demeanor toward everyone, clenched her fist tightly.

The white-robed figures trembled at the anger radiating from her.

“She broke the first vow, Zenapart.”

“B-Belchika-sama?”

“…Mobilize all neutral factions of the White Church. Have them assemble in the Empire in full combat readiness. This is a perfect opportunity to wipe out the extremists.”

“Y-yes!!”

Belchika quietly looked up at the sky, suppressing the storm of emotion within her.