Chapter 78

Adrian tugged at the fully buttoned collar of his conquest. His skin breathed in the air, finally feeling a little less claustrophobic.
I don’t usually pay much attention to it. Growing up, I was used to wearing uncomfortable clothes. But sometimes, when I’m conscious of the tightness, it makes it hard to breathe.
“…….”
Adrian looked up at the castle.
Towering spires visible from every corner of the capital. There are no buildings taller than the royal castle in Bastitera. It is legally forbidden to build one.
It is a symbol of authority. Commoners see the castle several times a day. They look up to it as they go to the store, go to work in the textile mills, and go about their daily lives.
The castle grounds, on the other hand, are less accessible to the public. Few commoners are allowed to walk on the carpet of the royal castle, even if you count all the hired help.
Nevertheless, the royal family spends a huge amount of money every year to decorate the interior. They bring in ladies of high social standing and order them to make their luxuries even more extravagant.
To make your dishes more shiny. Stuffy clothes become even more stuffy. After completing her duties, the noblewoman takes the money she has secretly stashed away with royal honors.
The sequence of events has become customary.
-Bastitera has been stagnant for too long.
Ainoa’s words replayed in his brain. Adrian’s eyes crinkled as he gazed at the kingdom. He recognized the need for change.
But somehow I didn’t like it.
“I can’t believe you said that.
In Adrian’s eyes, Ainoa was a stagnant specimen of Bastila. She was a woman who would not change, who would only go with the flow.
I’m sure it was.
“Your Majesty, you don’t look well. Is something bothering you?”
“It’s nothing.”
Adrian waved a dismissive hand and propped his elbow on the car door. He rested his face on his folded fingers and stared out the window, his eyes deep in thought.
“I’m a little tired, and the place is still a little cluttered.”
“I’m glad you’re okay, Ainoa, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
“Count Bedelov’s claims were not so far-fetched after all.”
“You mean the coming-of-age ceremony. Well, it looks like there’s an agenda….”
“I’m sure it is. I just don’t know what it’s for.”
What do the mountain clans have to gain by harming Ainoa now. It’s not worth it. Perhaps it’s time to launch a gift offensive to bring back the princess, who’s in a bad mood?
“……very unpleasant.”
I didn’t like the current situation. There was a great conspiracy brewing beneath the surface. He felt like he was being treated like a bridesmaid while things were shaking.
“Gillian, how are those minos investigating…….”
Adrian was about to turn his head away.
“What’s that?”
“Yes?”
On the roof of a four-story building, you see a shadow with its back to the sun. It wasn’t far away. The sunlight was distracting, but with a little concentration, I could make out the object.
A box big enough to hold a man. The front is heavily barred. The shadows made it impossible to see inside. It just looked like something was stirring.
Behind the box was a person.
A fuzzy jumper, two horns. The face is covered with a mask, like a child’s. It’s definitely not a typical outfit.
A metal crate on the edge of a rooftop and an unidentified figure. Adrian sensed something ominous. The sound of iron clashing against iron was muffled.
Boxes started falling from the roof.
“That’s crazy…!”
“Uh, uh, uh, uh!”
Yay!
The driver slammed on the brakes in a hurry. The wheels screeched to a halt, leaving marks on the cement road. The entourage and Adrian’s body shook violently.
Boom!
The box crashed to the ground. Once wasn’t enough to kill its momentum, so it bounced low a few times. Each time, it left a rough mark on the road.
The loud crashing sound sent a chill down my spine.
If you’re asking if it was close, it wasn’t. I had plenty of distance. But what would have happened if it had landed on the bumper.
It was fortunate that the road was less traveled. A commercial district close to the royal castle. This was the area where the nobility and wealthy merchants came and went.
“I, Your Majesty, are you all right?”
“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t fuss over it.”
Adrian has been training for over a decade. He considers himself a trained warrior, even if he’s never been on the battlefield. A little bump on the seat won’t hurt him.
“He’s gone.”
They checked the rooftop, but the creature was long gone, but it wasn’t a case of letting it go.
Current offense of targeting royalty. Not a misdemeanor.
“Call someone, you won’t get far.”
“I’ll call the guards, Your Majesty, and you’d better leave the room….”
“Bullshit.”
Adrian ignored the entourage’s urgings and got out of the car. His irritation was building, and his anger overtook his fear.
“Tell them to seal off the area right now.”
He craned his head to look at the rooftops, then looked away again. The crate was in a terrible state of disrepair. Even the bars had been smashed and the grate was sticking out in a mess.
Liquid spilled out of the box. Green and red. Something too murky, vibrant, and gooey to be paint.
“What the hell is that.
Adrian walked over to take a closer look.
And before I could take more than five steps, my foot stopped.
A grotesque figure emerged from the broken crate.
Eight eyeballs. A body made up of a head, thorax, and belly. Even the body hair that covered its body resembled a spider. It’s just that it’s grotesquely large.
The creature was familiar to Adrian: a beast named Speeder. Though it varies depending on the environment, the form itself doesn’t deviate much from its spider roots.
That common sense was instantly paralyzed.
– Kick, Keith Profit…….
The speeder’s body had human limbs. There were spiked forearms, legs with bones protruding through the skin from the impact of the fall, and crushed fingers.
“Huh, huh.”
Adrian stumbled backward. The sight of him crawling across the floor on his ragged joints was horrifying. The blood of two different creatures spurted out.
After a while, the monster stopped moving.
The limbs that supported its torso lay limp and motionless. It was dead. I stared at it for a few seconds before I realized.
“Oof…!”
Adrian clamped his hand over my mouth. I felt sick to my stomach. This creature was physiologically unacceptable. Instead of anger at the creature, I felt disgust.
And the question.
“What the heck is going on in this bastidera?
* * *
Evening comes early in Bastiterra. Around 4 p.m., just as the sun was beginning to set, an unwelcome visitor arrived at the Crystal Palace.
– Ainoa, Ainoa!
A gruff shout rang out from the salon’s door. Ainoa, who was lying on the couch with her legs stretched out in front of her, jerked her noncritical upper body up.
The sigh was a bonus.
“I don’t know why people are so classless.”
“You too.”
Kim was a bit dumbfounded. She wondered how someone who was being assassinated on a daily basis could be so carefree. It would have been impossible for her.
“You’re surprisingly strong. I thought you had no appetite, but you ate a good lunch.”
“My mouth is watering more than usual, why?”
Maybe it was because I was eating with someone else. Ainoa thought to herself. Somewhere along the line, Kim had stopped being so difficult.
“We’ve only just met.
It’s even comforting. I feel protected when I’m with him. I don’t like to talk about it much.
Boom!
The door swung open, ready to fall. Adrian’s harsh gaze swept the room. When he spotted Kim, his gaze intensified.
“……were there any guests.”
“Yes, excuse me.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a man and a woman in the room at this time.”
“I apologize. I’m still jet-lagged.”
Kim replied in a tone that said he was not sorry at all.
“Jet lag?”
“Let’s see, it’s… 4:42, and I’ve hardly ever been in a country where you have to watch your behavior already. It’s hard to get used to the culture.”
“I don’t know what you mean, but if you need a tutor, I’ll give you one. I happen to have a free hand. He has a reputation for teaching manners, so he might be able to help.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
He smiles weakly, saying he’ll think about it. Adrian clucked his tongue, his ‘I’ll give you the bare minimum of courtesy’ attitude deeply annoying.
The two were no strangers to each other.
I spoke as a representative of Dustborne. It was the day Ainoa insisted that they be treated as guests.
I didn’t like it from the first impression.
It’s just that it doesn’t look like Minos.
“So what is it, brother?”
Ainoa interrupted just in time. Adrian strode into the room, his irritation rising unnecessarily. He lined up the photos on the table.
“What’s all this?”
“This was taken a while ago. I was on my way back from an inspection when a cage of some sort fell in front of my car. I didn’t see the culprit because it was too late. …….”
I stare at Kim, my voice trailing off. He just glances at the photo to see if he’s interested. It’s not a particularly suspicious reaction.
“That’s where this creature popped out.”
The image of the monster replayed in Adrian’s mind. The artificially joined hands and feet of a man wriggled, resistant to being called a creature.
“There’s never been anything like this before, and the country’s been going crazy ever since you went missing and came back…!”
Adrian chewed on his lip.
“I must know. What is this, Ainoa, what are you-no, what are you thinking, what are you planning to do to this country!”
There was no concern for her sister. Ainoa knew that, but it was hard to be disappointed; she didn’t really feel any blood ties herself.
Ainoa was the one who came up with the plan in the first place. If he had any sense, he wouldn’t have chosen such a violent means.
It was effective because there was no line to cross.
“I don’t know what misconception your brother has, but I see.”
Ainoa dragged the photo with her index finger.
A frontal shot of the monster.
“I don’t know much about this.”
“That’s right…! Explain, where did this…….”
Serious conversations began to take place.
Her brother in confusion and her sister explaining with a serious face. Looking back and forth between his brother and sister, Kim smiled inwardly at his conversion.
“I’m glad I went to the trouble of bringing it.
The “sample” I had kept in the lab just in case turned out to be more useful than I thought. I was able to successfully lure Adrian in.
Now it was time to draw the knife.
“Before we do that, let’s get rid of the variable.
You don’t want your targets to be exonerated.