The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 154

Chapter 154: The unexpectedly sensible court
ㅤWhile listening to Lewis’s story, we traveled north through the desert and arrived at Radius, the capital of the Mistradia Tree Country, in a few days.
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ㅤGuided by Lewis, we were shown the prison cell where Cretias had been held.
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ㅤ”Whoa, the bars are bent.”
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ㅤThe bars of the gloomy, cramped prison cell were bent with some tremendous force, creating a gap large enough for a person to pass through.
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ㅤ”Cretias escaped last month.
ㅤTo be honest, I wanted to contact you, Minato-san, sooner. We had information that one of the Twin Demon Kings of the Demon Kingdom was a former human adventurer named Minato, but we couldn’t confirm it was you. It was also hard to believe that Minato-san, who fought alongside the demons in the Imusoda incident, would become the king of the Demon Kingdom. We finally confirmed it recently, but by then Hamilton-san had arrived as the plenipotentiary. We decided there was no need to inform the other party of our blunder, so we couldn’t tell you about Cretias.”
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ㅤ”How did you confirm that I was the Demon King?”
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ㅤ”The Tree Country is said to be a closed-off nation due to its natural defenses. That’s true, but it doesn’t mean we don’t gather information from the outside.”
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ㅤThe Tree Country also exports lumber from the Mist Forest.
ㅤNaturally, an information network would form, and they would be intentionally gathering information as well.
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ㅤI asked.
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ㅤ”Cretias should have lost both his arms. How could he do this?”
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ㅤ”We don’t know that either. The power awakened by Imusoda should have been lost when he lost his arms. The remnants of the power sealed the wounds on his shoulders, but the magicians of the Tree Country said that not much power remained.
ㅤHowever…”
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ㅤLewis approached the cell and pointed at a bent iron bar.
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ㅤ”This wasn’t bent by hand.
ㅤLook here. See the bite marks?”
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ㅤIndeed, there were clear bite marks.
ㅤOn the iron bar.
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ㅤI shuddered.
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ㅤ”Wait a minute. Are you saying Cretias bit this iron bar and bent it like this?”
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ㅤThe iron bar was thick enough that even my small hands couldn’t touch my thumb and index finger when I gripped it.
ㅤSharp bite marks were carved into that bar.
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ㅤLewis nodded.
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ㅤ”It’s certainly not something a human could do.”
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ㅤ”Where did Cretias go after escaping from here?”
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ㅤ”Cretias killed the guards and escaped. The guards were also killed by having their necks bitten off.
ㅤBecause it was nighttime, there were almost no witnesses. But, he probably went north. The south of this country is a desert. A man with no arms would stand out if he wandered around. On the other hand, if he escaped into the Mist Forest, the chances of being seen would decrease. In the first place, Cretias was a knight of Zamzaria, so it’s highly likely he would head towards familiar territory.”
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ㅤSo, he went in the direction he was familiar with.
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ㅤ”…If he escaped, you’d think he’d come to kill me.”
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ㅤ”He was in prison, you know. Maybe he simply didn’t know that Minato-san had become the Demon King?”
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ㅤ”Ah, I see.”
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ㅤ”Anyway, we had that blunder, and we also felt guilty about hiding it.
ㅤOf course, there are also voices suspecting that both Hamilton’s and Cretias’s cases were plots by the Demon Kingdom.
ㅤBut, if it were a plot, the aim is too vague.”
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ㅤ”If the Demon Kingdom intended to invade the Tree Country, they would have had Cretias rampage more conspicuously━━they would have at least considered having him attack His Majesty the King. There’s no point in having Hamilton-san holed up in the Mist Forest either. Even if they couldn’t take the capital, they would have at least considered occupying another city.”
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ㅤ”That’s right. So, His Majesty’s intention is to at least hear the Demon King’s explanation.
ㅤOf course, please don’t forget that it’s also thanks to my sister repeatedly insisting that Minato-san is someone we can trust.”
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ㅤ”U… I’m truly indebted to you…
ㅤHow is Sherry-san?”
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ㅤ”The Patrol Knights are away on a business trip, monitoring the 『Demon Co-Prosperity Sphere』 and searching for Cretias. My sister, as the Captain, is also in the Mist Forest.”
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ㅤThen, a soldier of the Tree Country came and announced that the preparations for the audience with His Majesty the King were complete.
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ㅤ”Welcome from afar, Minato-dono, Almirash-dono.”
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ㅤThe one who greeted us from the throne, saying those words, was a dark-haired beauty who looked to be around thirty years old.
ㅤAn intelligent beauty with an “yin” rather than a “yang” impression, if I were to compare her to someone from my previous life, she would be a capable career woman.
ㅤHowever, she didn’t give off an unapproachable feeling.
ㅤShe also had a caring atmosphere, like a Senpai Onee-san.
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ㅤ（She’s a rare type of king in this world, isn’t she?）
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ㅤI feel like I’m going to be told “You’re one to talk.”
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ㅤAlmi and I bowed together.
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ㅤ”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Queen Renaria. I am Minato, one of the Twin Demon Kings of the Demon Kingdom.”
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ㅤ”Likewise, I am Almirash.”
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ㅤ”I’d heard about it, but you really do look alike.”
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ㅤThe Queen said that to us casually.
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ㅤ”I wanted to talk to you about various things, but considering the situation, I’ll ask directly.
ㅤHow does the Demon Kingdom intend to deal with this illegal occupation?”
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ㅤ”First, we will ask Hamilton-san for his true intentions. However, in any case, considering what he has done, we have no choice but to take appropriate measures.”
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ㅤAlmi said.
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ㅤRegarding the division of roles between me and Almi, Almi speaks as the political symbol of the Demon Kingdom, and I speak as the symbol of the Demon Kingdom’s power.
ㅤOf course, from an outsider’s perspective, there’s not much difference. It’s just between me and Almi.
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ㅤ”Appropriate measures, you say?”
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ㅤ”We will demand his suicide, and if he refuses, we will kill him by force.”
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ㅤ”By force…? Are you capable of that? You’re only here with just the two of you and your attendants, right?”
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ㅤ”Yes. However, as long as the Twin Demon Kings are together, we can defeat even Hamilton-san without any problems. In fact, I could handle it myself.”
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ㅤThe throne room buzzed with my confident declaration.
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ㅤMy heart was pounding inside.
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ㅤThe Queen said.
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ㅤ”Those are reassuring words.
ㅤBut then, why did General Hamilton rebel? Did he misunderstand and think he could defeat the Demon King? I didn’t think he was such a terrible person.”
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ㅤ”To be honest, I don’t understand his true intentions. However, judging from the situation, it’s clear that he has betrayed the Demon Kingdom. At this point, I could say that no matter what his true intentions are, what we have to do remains the same.”
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ㅤ”I see.
ㅤI’ve heard that the demons hold a strong grudge against this world.
ㅤGathering those demons and executing those who don’t obey. The Demon Kingdom’s proposal was a godsend for us.
ㅤThat is, if those words came from the heart.”
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ㅤ”…I understand your concern.”
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ㅤ”And even if the words came from the heart, they’re meaningless without the power to back them up. This incident will put the authenticity of the so-called Demon Kingdom to the test. This isn’t just my opinion. It’s probably the common view among all nations.”
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ㅤIn short, she’s saying that if we do anything half-hearted, we’ll be ostracized by the whole world.
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ㅤ”However, the Tree Country is indebted to you, Minato-heika, for the Imusoda incident. I’ll attach Sherry-san and the Patrol Knights to you, so please cooperate in resolving the situation. We’ll mobilize other knight orders if necessary, but it’s easier to work with people you know, right?”
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ㅤ”Thank you for your consideration.”
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ㅤ”I can’t say anything sweet in this situation. However, personally, I think cooperation with the Demon Kingdom is not out of the question.”
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ㅤThe Queen’s words were probably the most supportive she could be, considering her position.
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ㅤ（It seems like she’s really close to Sherry-san.）
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ㅤThe Queen said mischievously.
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ㅤ”Kings are all old men or elderly men in every country. I’d like to get along with a fellow young female 『King』.”
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ㅤThe Queen winked at us.
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ㅤBeside her, one of the ministers muttered.
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ㅤ”Young…? ”
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ㅤ”Oh my, did you say something, Sergei?”
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ㅤ”N-no! I didn’t say anything!”
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ㅤThe minister hurriedly covered up his words.
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ㅤ（Somehow, it seems like a surprisingly relaxed court.）
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ㅤWe were expecting to be severely scolded, so we were taken aback.
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ㅤAlmi and I bowed to the Queen and left the audience chamber.