In Delfina Merchant Company in Malonei, in one of the two drawing rooms.
I am facing with Delfina.
Other than us, there is another woman inside the room. It’s Selene.
She’s next to Delfina and me.
With an appearance of a sleeping beauty, she is floating in the air while enveloped by a dark aura.
And of course, I’m the one who released that aura and making her float.
「She looks like a princess in captive by a demon king」
「I’m showing her a dream right now. A dream of the truth」
「That means, brainwashing huh. Isn’t that the conduct of a demon king after all?」
Delfina casually said with pleasure.
She leaned over while swinging her ample chest and asked me.
「What kind of truth are you showing her?」
「The truth of Paulos, the founding father of Aegina」
「That man who is said to be actually useless?」
「You knew about it?」
From what I heard from Selene, Paulos seems to be treated as a great man, but Eleanor who heard that said “the history is written by the victor” joyously.
Meaning, Paulos should be written in history as a hero class individual.
But Delfina easily said the opposite.
「I am not foolish enough to believe what Aegina have announced by itself. Of course, that is also true with the kingdom that Aegina fought at that time」
「Un?」
「Aegina claims that Paulos is a hero, and Mercouri who was their enemy at that time claims that he is an incompetent who was just lucky. But in Calamba and Siracuza which was neutral at that time, it was written in their history that Paulos was a useless man, but was popular with his surroundings」
「They’re quite different huh, all of them」
「The allies, enemies, and a neutral bystander. The closest to the truth would be……」
「The bystander that had nothing to do with them」
Delfina nodded.
「The history made with the comments of the bystander is the most objective」
「……I’ll keep that in mind」
That sounds quite familiar.
Come to think of it, Eleanor seems to look down at the heroes or overlords that she had been involved with a lot.
I should hear half of her story from now on.
『Don’t worry, I shall tell everyone in the future that you are a Three World (God・Demon・Man) Slaughterer』
「I won’t believe any history that you speak of from now on」
『Kukuku』
「It is good and well that you get along together」
Delfina shrugged her shoulders while rolling her eyes.
After chatting for a while, I added the camouflage effect on the aura enveloping Selene hiding her from Delfina, and got into the main topic after making a situation where it’s just the two of us.
「I think that it’s about time to start the counteroffensive. How is Aegina, the Three Lords Regency right now?」
「It is starting to stabilize. The Three Lords Regency is original an emergency measure when the royal family cannot administer the government. In the current situation where both the King and the Princess were kidnapped and missing, most of the people are convinced that that was all that they could do」
「I see」
「Adding to that」
Delfina eyed me, she rolled her eyes too.
「Starting with Queen Calamba, for some reason, most of the kingdoms’ leaders have declared that they will welcome the Three Lords Regency until the king returns at the same time. For some reason, at the same time」
Delfina repeated the same words twice.
It’s that thing that I asked Rica and Helene.
I asked them to strengthen the Three Lords Regency’s legitimacy, to make a situation that would be a hurdle for Selene.
What I told Rica and Helene reached Aura, Fiona, and Marie, so all of them did it at once.
「Furthermore, for some reason, there are rumors saying that the main culprit of the kidnapping is actually Princess Selene. That, from a different route used by the three lords」
「He〜」
「Because of that, even if Princess Selene denied the Three Lords Regency, the people would not follow her immediately. For the reason, they have the righteous causeーーthis is doing it too much」
「Is that so?」
「Well, I am receiving profits so I do not mind though」
「You did? Why? With information again?」
I remembered the time with Siracuza.
That time too, Delfina said that she would gain profits, and sold my information to the barbarian army.
I don’t know much about it, but Delfina looked like she’s in a good mood for a while after that, so she probably earned a lot.
I thought that it might also be the same this time.
「The bed of His Majesty the King. That bed that you brought with you. I gave them that」
「Un? Ahh, come to think of it, I warped with the king’s bed」
「A certain somebody is secretly searching for the whereabouts of His Majesty the King」
「A certain somebody, huh」
「We brought up that bed that fell into a cliff for some reason and gave them “only” that tattered bed. Together with the place where we found it. That guest seemed very happy, giving us so many things as reward」
She feigned that the king was dropped under a cliff huh.
「Although I think of this every time, your obsession with making money is amazing. To think that a single bed would earn so many profits」
「I am not that deeply obsessed. Considered that Kakeru-sama would come to buy me, the amount that I made myself would become simply double after all」
「I see」
I smiled. Delfina also smiled gracefully.
That exchange of casual words was fun.
After doing it once, I returned back to the topic.
「I understand the midst of it. Delfina, I want to ask something of you」
「Please, I’m all ears」
Delfina exaggeratingly sighed with a “yare yare”.
「Give back Malonei to Selene」
「I understood」
Delfina answered instantly.
This woman, she expected it.
While being Aegina’s territory, Malonei is a town that Delfina bought.
It is still nominally Aegina’s, but Delfina has the actual rights to govern it.
With me asking her, plus, the best place for Selene to start her movement.
I guess it can’t be helped that she could guess it.
After that, I “ordered” Delfina many things.
Soldiers, weapons, rations.
I ordered the things necessary for Selene’s counteroffensive from Delfina.
「I have all of them prepared. We only need to decide the date you are going to receive them」
「You’re quite efficient」
「It is profitable after all」
「I see」
“As expected of Delfina”, it’s when I thought of that.
*Pariiーーn!*
The glass window to my side was shattered.
That thing that broke through the glass window attacked Delfina.
I casually blocked it with Eleanor.
ーーbut.
「What’s this?」
I couldn’t knock down that thing that came flying. It sucked into Eleanor’s blade.
It sucked into her, changed its shape, and became something pulsating like veins.
The word “corrupt” appeared in my head.
That corruption done by someone continued for a moment, but immediately stopped.
It did not only stopped. It rapidly tilted like a plant and fell off Eleanor’s blade.
『You are ten thousand years early to try and take over me』
Eleanor said joyously.
I see, that kind of attack huh.
「W-What was it?」
「It looks like they caught up with your actions」
I looked out of the window. I saw a man in black clothes.
His whole body is covered in black including his face and only his eyes could be seen.
Although that man was glaring at me, his consciousness was pointing towards Delfina.
「My movements?」
『That thing right now was something to control the mind and body of the opponent. Those ones who were hit by them would be manipulated at will. Well, it’s a substitute for truth serum』
「You heard her」
「I cannot hear Eleanor’s voice……but」
Delfina frustratingly bit her lower lip.
She felt frustrated that her actions backfired.
That man who aimed towards Delfina released his killing intent.
Delfina who was “hit” by it held her breath.
「Oh〜 oh〜, that’s some good killing intent right thereーーhuh!」
I threw Eleanorーーat the opposite side where the man wearing black is.
There was another one there. I don’t know if it’s magic or because of his clothes, that man was hidden in the room’s wall like a chameleon.
Eleanor pierced through the man’s stomach and nailed him to the wall.
『I told you not to throw me』
「Ku!」
The man in front of me turned around and ran away.
They probably planned on having him take my attention with the other one attacking, but it was easily seen through so he ran away.
But, that’s too naive.
「Did you think that I’d let someone who aimed at my woman escape?」
Even if our side was the first one to pick a fight, even if it’s our failure.
I reached out my aura hand, pulled out Eleanor, and chased after the man.
Eleanor suggested something interesting along the way, so after I caught up to him, I used my aura double in return, corrupted him, and made him spit out who’s the mastermind while destroying his soul.
There wasn’t a surprise. Those men were sent by Duke Melina Ve Therios.