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Chapter 75. Conspiracy In The Wilderness

As I was brought into the interrogation room and had both my legs shackled to the floor, the one who entered was Minister Blow Sora.

"You're...?"

"Are you addressing me as 'you'?"

Blough chuckled and took a seat in front of me.

"I don't feel the need to humble myself to the extent of being treated like a criminal."

"I see, so you claim it's a false accusation."

"Obviously. Or do you expect me to be trampled without doing anything?"

"Depending on the circumstances."

I glared back at Blough coolly, with a hint of hostility.

"So, what happened to Hagg and Yaralai... the dwarf and elf who defeated the buffalo?"

"I don't feel obliged to answer."

"Just answer already."

"Do you think you're in a position to demand answers?"

"I have the right to know."

"You have no such right. Your poaching is already evident... By the way, you're familiar with the sea dragons, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

I didn't understand what he meant.

"Is poaching evidence enough?"

"The presence of the buffalo's corpse, the absence of a request from the commercial guild, and unauthorized hunting are clear."

"But I wasn't hunting! If they wanted something, they could have taken the buffalo's corpse or whatever!"

"Of course, the corpses have been confiscated as important evidence."

"Damn it!"

They're already deciding my punishment!

"In addition to insults towards the minister, you also evaded questions about the sea dragons, confirming your affiliation with them."

"What?! Insults aside, what the hell is this about sea dragons? Your question is so sudden, there's no way to answer!"

Blough let out a heavy sigh.

"Sigh. Your attempts to evade are pathetic. I thought you were more capable, but it seems you overestimated yourself. However, if you consider yourself a member of the sea dragons, everything fits. Approaching Miss Velierio, defying His Majesty the King, it all makes sense."

"Hey, don't just be satisfied by yourself! I've been lost in this conversation from the start! The way you're talking, are the sea dragons some kind of organization?"

"You've dug your own grave. I never mentioned anything about what the sea dragons are. The moment you recognize it as an organization, it's your loss."

"Huh?! No, anyone could tell it's the name of some organization from the conversation! You mentioned being a member!"

I shouted, but Blough remained indifferent.

He spread his hands at shoulder height and shook his head. It was a pose that seemed to say, "Oh well."

"That's a feeble excuse. I'm disappointed, Akira-san. That you were a member of the resistance..."

"What?! Damn it! Is that the scenario?! You're the pathetic one! Who would believe that?"

"I believe it."

"...You never intended to listen to me from the beginning..."

"What are you talking about?"

It's infuriating.

"Let me ask you one thing. When did you come up with this scenario?"

"I don't understand."

"When I was next to the buffalo's corpse? Last night? Or..."

"It's a waste of time. After consultation with the judiciary, there will be a report to His Majesty the King."

"What's the ending of your scenario? What does someone like me gain from being framed?"

"Please spend your remaining short life meaningfully. Goodbye."

Blow Sora ignored all my words and left the room.

"Who benefits from this scenario?"

I muttered softly.

Of course. There was no one to answer.

――――

Thrown into the cell for the third time, I cursed at the soldiers, and they spat on me. Damn it.

After confirming the soldiers had left, I cleaned up with the cleaning tools and wiped vigorously with a handkerchief. It was meaningless, but it was a mental issue.

I leaned against the wall and sat down, trying to gather my thoughts.

It seemed that the situation was worse than I had anticipated. I was framed. No, I was probably manipulated. There's no way that stray buffalo was planted.

But who benefits from framing me as a member of the resistance?

I'm just a simple merchant. And a wandering one at that. Do the people in this country have such twisted minds that they can't understand that someone like me couldn't possibly be part of the resistance?

No, that's not it. At least that Blow Sora guy is sharp. Then it must undoubtedly be a conspiracy.

A conspiracy theory? How childish...

But this is a real crisis unfolding. I can't afford to look away.

So if it's a conspiracy, what's the purpose?

The most likely possibility is to frame Cherina...

But even if that's the case, charging her with treason seems excessive. I don't know any of this country's laws, but in a feudal society like this, there's probably no punishment for treason other than death.

So it seems somewhat unrealistic to frame Cherina with treason. What the pig king wants is probably Cherina herself.

But even if they framed me, how does that benefit them in getting Cherina?

My relationship with Cherina is merely that of a business partners. Even if I'm an advisor, there are limits.

This is bad, I don't understand at all.

I held my head in my hands.

.....

At that time, I didn't realize. That the underlying assumptions were completely different.

The fact that Cherina's feelings, my position, and my values were all based on wrong assumptions.

――――

Late at night.

Probably the time when there were the fewest guards on patrol, I decided to act only after confirming that the corridor was empty several times.

Today was just preparation. There's no way I'm going to act suddenly today.

One fear is that I might be executed tomorrow or put in a situation where I can't move, but weighing that possibility against the lack of information, it's too little. Maybe tomorrow I'll get more information.

The possibility is close to zero, but there's also the chance that Cherina's intervention could get me released. At least there might be some action.

But judging from today's situation, that possibility is extremely slim.

Blough said, "After consultation with the judiciary, there will be a report to His Majesty the King."

So surely they won't jump to the conclusion of execution tomorrow. I want to believe that.

I should consider the worst-case scenario, but if I do that, I'll have to act right away, and there's a higher risk of failure due to lack of preparation.

...Yeah, if I'm going to take action, it should be tomorrow night or the night after.

Once I decided that, I started thinking about what I needed to do now.

Above all, the top priority is escaping from this castle. But is that even possible?

By myself?

It's impossible. No matter how you think about it.

So what should I do?

If it's impossible alone, then I should do it with others. Fortunately, it seems there are plenty of people trapped in this ant nest-like underground prison. And they all seem dissatisfied with their situation. If I can free them, they'll be reliable allies. Or decoys. But my situation won't change, there's a risk, but it's worth it.

So let's think about how to free them.

And with that, I sank into the sea of thoughts.