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CHAPTER 197: FERNANDO’S OBJECTIVE ②

CHAPTER 197: FERNANDO’S OBJECTIVE ②

~Drake’s Point of View~

What Fernando wanted to say here so far was that he was concerned about the difference in national and military power between the Kingdom of Alto and other countries. He wanted to sound the alarm about this and solve the problem fundamentally by taking the throne himself and introducing the changes that he thought were needed here.

「Hmm. As I thought, you have a rather flexible way of thinking.」

「I understand what you are trying to say here, but…… What does that have to do with this particular coup?」

「Oh my, there’s no need to jump to conclusions like that. There’s still plenty of time to spare. Let’s talk slowly for the time being. Oh, just so you know, the bomb is not one of those time-bombs, so you don’t need to worry about that.」

There’s still plenty of time? Was Fernando actually waiting for something to happen? If my brother manages to defeat Bride and arrives here, Fernando should be at a tremendous disadvantage…… There was no way he would be seriously thinking that Bride would defeat my brother in direct combat and come here to his aid.

It was entirely possible that he was lying about the bomb this whole time…… But there was still not enough evidence for me to judge that.

「Let’s get back to the main point, shall we? In a war, the participation of ordinary clans or parties like Black Bolt should not affect the outcome of the battle itself. There are two reasons for this.」

「Are you perhaps worried about Adventurers having too much influence over the country? Is that the reason why my Brother clearly stated that he has no interest in politics whatsoever?」

「Yes, I suppose so. But this time it just so happened that the Thunder Emperor was exactly like that, right? If it was anyone else, with that much power and influence in their hands, many would have thought of taking over the country by force.」

「That may be true…… So? What’s the other reason?」

「That’s exactly why I started the coup. That is the reason. After the invasion of the Ibuldia Empire, some people realized that the Alto Kingdom was inferior to other countries in many different ways. If that spark grows stronger, it is clear that the royal family’s authority will eventually diminish and will be lost. If we don’t take action now, a bigger rebellion will break out in the future and it will be impossible for us to control it.」

「So you are planning a forced succession before that happens?」

「Well, that is part of the reason, but not all of it. But now you surely understand why I planned the coup, right?」

The story so far has conveyed that Fernando had a firm resolve to launch a coup, and the way he spoke about it only proved it even more. However, if you think about it calmly, taking into account the situation so far, you could see some small holes in his story.

If this story was being told honestly, there would be no need to launch an assault on Plainne Welt in the first place. If my Brother and Ilse had not noticed and acted on it, Plainne Welt would have become a disaster by now. Besides, no matter how noble the cause, it is not enough of a reason to let a prisoner like Bride out of his confinement. Especially when you think about the future.

Fernando’s argument had a feeling of retroactiveness to it, considering his actions up until now. There was also something unfathomable and creepy about it. He probably told me this story for another reason altogether.

…… However, I did not have time to engage in any more conversations with Fernando.

「I have listened to your story so far, and I’m going along with your plan. Isn’t it about time you told me about the bomb?」

「Yes, I suppose so. As promised, I will give you a hint as to where the bombs are placed. I think you already know this, but one of them is in the arena.」

「……What about the other ones?」

「Hehe, the other bomb was planted here in the royal castle itself.」

「What!? Are you even sane!?」

「Of course I am. Just do your best to search around, and you are going to find it, eventually.」

Considering the size of the royal castle, there should still be a lot of people working here.

Furthermore, the royal castle and the arena are two locations where large-scale defensive barriers can be erected, making them key locations for the defense purposes of the royal capital. Furthermore, the royal castle itself is a symbol of the Alto Kingdom, and can be said to be the heart of the Alto Kingdom itself, where all of its politics are being conducted.

If it were to be destroyed, there would be no telling how many years it would take for the country to restore its functions back to normal.

「You are crazy!」

「Not really, no. Quite the opposite. I’m still thinking about a whole lot of different things.」

There was a difference in strength between Fernando and I, enough that I could capture him at any time if I wanted to do so. That’s why I was able to talk to him with ease. But that advantage was completely overturned in a cleverly orchestrated conversation.

This shows that not only has Fernando carefully prepared for this coup, but he was also a very intelligent person to begin with……

In the current situation, it was impossible for me to capture Fernando and search for the bomb on my own. That being said, I could not just leave Fernando alone like this to his own devices.

The explosions I heard from the outside were most likely the sounds of Bride and my Brother fighting it out. However, things were strangely quiet now. If my Brother had already defeated Bride, he should have been coming this way soon.

In any case, I needed to report to him via telepathy and ask for further instructions……

(This is Drake. I found Fernando in the throne room of the royal castle)

(Oh! That was quick! Do you think we can capture him?)

(That’s actually a rather tricky part. According to Fernando, not only are there bombs planted in two different locations around the palace, the arena and the royal castle, but Fernando’s death seems to be the trigger for their detonation.)

(Seriously now…… I can see that the guy does not pull any punches now……)

(What should I do now? Even if we capture Fernando, if he commits suicide right away, the bomb will explode and it will be a huge problem for everyone involved……)

(For now, leave Fernando alone. Drake, go find the bombs. If we can deal with the bombs first, Fernando should have no other way to get out of there.)

(Understood!! What are you going to do now, Big Brother?)

(I will also prioritize finding the bombs for now. My status has been halved due to the Skill’s Recoil, but that shouldn’t be a problem for too long.)

(Got it! Well then, I will contact you again once I find them all!)

(Okay!)

The fact that his status has been halved due to the Skill’s Recoil means that my Big Brother had to use his trump card, the “Matsuribayashi”. Bride was equipped with Cursed Armor and Weapon, and this must mean that he was quite a formidable opponent. But even so, the fact that he still made a firm decision like this in a situation like that was what made him my Big Brother.

My role became clear through telepathic communication with my Big Brother now. I have never been good at overthinking things, but once my role was made clear to me, I could go all out and do my best.

So I looked over at Fernando, who had a faint smile on his face all this time.

Okay, for now I will go along with Fernando’s schemes. But it was a big mistake on his end to think that I would just quietly dance on top of his palm. In the end, I will make sure to crush Fernando’s goals firmly and definitely!