Seeker 310

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Chapter 310. The Rightful Queen

──Side: Musou Daichi──

"That's why I'm saying there is circumstantial evidence! The witnesses testified in front of the people! Are you saying there is evidence to overturn that!?"

"There is."

Queen Lulu replied to King Usman, taking out the Mirror of Truth.

The townspeople became restless once again after seeing the mystical mirror.

It seemed the tide was turning in Princess Lulu's favor.

However, a single bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

While we stood behind Queen Lulu, we were wary of the movements of King Usman's warriors on the other side──

"Hey, Daichi-kun. Doesn't Princess Lulu seem a bit off?"

Kazane whispered to me.

I whispered back softly, keeping an eye on the situation.

"Maybe she's worried."

"Worried? About whether that item will work properly?"

"No. Whether the 'truth' is really what Queen Lulu believes it to be."

"???"

"Well, in other words. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but──"

I explained my thoughts to Kazane.

Queen Lulu said she 'woke up covered in blood in the king's bedroom'.

Her memories before that got cut off while battling monsters in the desert with the warriors.

But what if── what if Queen Lulu had actually 'killed the king herself for some reason' and just 'doesn't remember' it?

I've heard stories of shocking events causing memory loss.

It seems to happen not only in stories but also in reality. Although, I'm not very familiar with it.

If that"Mirror of Truth really reveals the truth, then Queen Lulu's memories shouldn't matter.

In that case, the harsh truth would get revealed.

Princess Lulu might be anxious.

Even though I don't think that's the case, "Am I really innocent of killing my father?"──she might be thinking.

"Well, I think you're overthinking it."

"I think so too. But even a slight concern for oneself in such a situation is natural."

"I suppose that's true."

While Kazane and I were discussing, the situation was unfolding.

King Usman on the palanquin, after glimpsing at the mirror's divine radiance, quickly spat out displeased words.

"What is that old-fashioned mirror? How can such a thing be evidence? Trying to bluff with it won't work!"

"It's not a bluff. Hey Mustafa, didn't you use [Item Appraisal] before? Try appraising this."

It was Nasir who responded.

Although King Usman glared at Mustafa, the warriors who had already sided with Princess Lulu were unfazed.

Mustafa called upon one of the warriors guarding the king.

When that warrior looked at King Usman, the king showed signs of panic and shouted, "There's no need to appraise such a thing!"

Sensing the disadvantageous situation, perhaps he thought the mirror was dangerous, but it was a misstep.

The attention of the people shifted to the shouting King Usman.

If there's nothing to hide, denying the use of [Item Appraisal] in this situation is unnatural.

"Fine... do as you wish with [Item Appraisal] or whatever."

Pressured by the atmosphere, King Usman reluctantly gave his consent.

Mustafa, the warrior, approached Princess Lulu and began the skill's motion.

"The name of this item is the Mirror of Truth. Its effect is──"

Mustafa, like Yuzuki, publicly announced the same item effect to the townspeople.

King Usman's eyes widened, and the townspeople became agitated once again.

The warrior who used [Item Appraisal] bowed to Princess Lulu and stepped back.

He might have already sensed what would happen next at this stage.

While the current king was panting and struggling, Nasir patted Princess Lulu's shoulder.

Queen Lulu nodded firmly at Nasser-san.

Then Queen Lulu raised the hand mirror to the sky and shouted,

"'Mirror of Truth'! Grant me the power to convey my truth to everyone!"

The hand mirror emitted a strong divine radiance.

Sounds of admiration echoed among the townspeople.

"Eh, what nonsense! What are you doing!? Quickly capture that woman! Take away the mirror!"

King Usman yelled from the palanquin.

But now, no warrior was willing to execute his orders.

Some had perhaps realized who the true king was.

Others may have sensed the unfavorable military situation and chose not to act.

Frustrated, King Usman descended from the palanquin and tried to reach Queen Lulu with his own hands.

But before that, Nasser-san stood in his way.

Without the power of an awakened one, King Usman was helpless against Nasir's obstruction.

Queen Lulu lowered the mirror to eye level and reflected her own face in the hand mirror.

The tanned girl swallowed nervously, then declared,

"I, Lulu, daughter of the late King Fahad, did not kill my father."

The Mirror of Truth shone even brighter as those words were spoken.

The light spread rapidly, enveloping everyone present, including us, the palace guards, warriors, and townspeople, in a gentle glow.

The light quickly subsided.

As the light brushed over me, within my chest, without evidence but with absolute certainty, a conviction was born.

──Queen Lulu did not kill her father.

It was an unquestionably correct truth.

"Queen Lulu is innocent!"

Someone shouted from the crowd.

"That's right! Usman is not the rightful king!"

"Princess Lulu should inherit King Fahad's legacy as the rightful queen!"

"Return the throne to Princess Lulu!"

"Return it! Return it! Return it! Return it!"

The crowd surrounding Usman began chanting in unison.

Panic-stricken, Usman ordered his guards,

"W-what are you doing! Capture these rebels! They're all guilty of disrespect!"

But not a single warrior obeyed his command.

"Usurper Usman, leave!"

"That's right! Leave this city!"

"Leave this country!"

The crowd began throwing stones at Usman.

Usman let out a pitiful scream and crawled away amidst the crowd, disappearing into the distance like a cockroach.

"Long live Princess Lulu!"

"Hail Queen Lulu!"

Cheers praising Queen Lulu echoed from the crowd one after another.

It seemed cheerful, but deep down, the townspeople must have been discontented with Usman being king.

It's not worth condemning the powerless who couldn't speak out against oppression through power and violence.

Even the warriors who guarded Usman all knelt respectfully before the new queen, Queen Lulu.

Among them was Nasser-san.

There were probably some among the palace warriors who had sided with Usman before the incident.

Among the ten or so warriors kneeling now, there must have been a few.

But it's not a problem we can solve, nor is it our concern.

I think our job is done now.

The mission completion notice also appeared.

───────────────────────

Special Mission, Help Queen Lulu Regain the Throne completed!

All party members gain 80,000 experience points!

Yuzuki Hotaru's level increased to 51!

Current Experience Points

Musou Daichi... 1835904/1927788 (Next level: 91884)

Kodachi Kazane... 1711536/1743010 (Next level: 31474)

Yuzuki Hotaru... 1814651/1927788 (Next level: 113137)

───────────────────────

I made eye contact with Kazeon and Hizuki, then addressed Queen Lulu──no, True Queen Lulu.

"Well then, I guess we'll be going."

"Thank you so much. I don't know how to thank you enough. I'll never forget this favor."

"Don't worry about it. We already got our reward."

"Goodbye, Queen Lulu. Take care."

"Kupi, Kupi!"

Kazeon, Hizuki, and Gryphon also bid farewell.

Queen Lulu smiled softly.

"Yes, take care, everyone. If you ever visit this city again, please feel free to call me anytime. You'll be welcome."

"Oh. Actually, we'll be staying in this city for another half-day."

"Oh... I-I see, I'm sorry."

Blushing and looking embarrassed, Queen Lulu expressed her regrets as we declined her offer to be hosted in the palace, knowing there would still be complications for a while.

Then, the three of us shook hands with Queen Lulu.

And as a bonus, since she timidly asked, we let Griffin be held by Queen Lulu.

Seeing Queen Lulu happily cradle Gryphon and the childish joy on her face, I felt a warm feeling inside.

"Well then, kid. And you girls too. You really saved us."

Saying goodbye and shaking hands with Nasser-san, we waved goodbye and left.

It ended up being an all-night affair, so we need to get back to the inn and rest our minds and bodies.

We'll depart from this city again tonight as guards for Wolf-san.

Thinking about that, Kazeon peered into my face.

"Daichi-kun, you haven't forgotten about naming Gri-chan, have you?"

"Ah..."

"Well, we can think about it slowly when we get back to the inn. Ahh, I'm so tired again today!"

"Yeah, I agree. That sounds good."

"Kupi, Kupi♪"

We returned to the inn with the rising morning sun at our backs.

──Later, in the history of this royal family, the existence of three young heroes who saved the princess and reclaimed the throne from the usurper king would be etched.

But that's something we're not aware of right now.