Marriage Conference

I examined the dark elves who’d come as the Queen of Assassins’s escorts.

I hadn’t heard that Albert — who’d said he’d try persuading the Queen of Assassins — had been killed.

Even with Heinkel and Orca’s information networks blocked, if someone as high-ranking as a division chief was executed, I’d know.

In other words, Albert’s counsel had been accepted.

The Queen of Assassins must have revised her policy……

“You could have just sent subordinates?”

If she genuinely intended to support this investigation headquarters, there was no reason for the Queen of Assassins to come in person.

At my question, the Queen of Assassins smiled coldly.

“Ah, I have no intention of coveting command authority, so no need to be wary. I’ll be satisfied providing information and assisting Special Officer Rigen. I absolutely didn’t join to compete for credit.”

“We’re grateful for your help.”

Even if she had ulterior motives, we needed the dark elves’ intelligence capabilities.

And I’d intended to meet the Queen of Assassins and settle things anyway.

But I couldn’t approach her because I had no idea where she was.

If she came to me herself, that was just fine.

When I accepted, the dark elf who’d come as escort brought a chair.

Iselen sat beside me, at the head, and explained.

“Praising everyone gathered here suits someone else better, so I’ll skip it and get straight to the point. The terrorists calling themselves the Empire Liberation Army have been operating for a very long time.”

“Specifically how long?”

I asked.

Had these people been plotting in secret even during my reign?

There was a possibility Iselen knew but hid it from me as emperor.

Iselen spoke coldly.

“These individuals whose traces appeared this time, the apostles, have been spotted from about eighty years ago. And the Empire Liberation Army began serious movements about thirty years ago. Their method is approaching humans in childhood to indoctrinate them and recruit them.”

“Eighty years……”

“Thirty years?”

Among the investigators, the humans were incredulous.

It was too long a timespan.

Iselen looked around the room and explained.

“It goes without saying, but what I’m about to tell you is highly classified. Do not report it to your organizations when you return. Of course, even saying this, some will ignore it……”

Iselen trailed off vaguely while glancing around the room.

Everyone flinched.

She might be an alluring beauty, but she was called the Queen of Assassins.

Anyone she decided to eliminate would meet a mysterious death or disappear at some point.

Having etched in her warning, Iselen spoke.

“The terrorists are causing all sorts of chaos, but the core, the ringleaders, are the apostles. By our estimates so far, there are at least three.”

“You mean we just need to apprehend those apostles?”

Apostles.

Dierk, who’d freely controlled Byorn’s body.

Fear showed on the faces of the Central Police who’d seen it directly.

Iselen sneered and looked at me.

“You’ve already seen one, haven’t you?”

“……”

Wow, she really dislikes me that much?

I was incredulous and almost amused.

Because Iselen wasn’t a woman who displayed emotion like this in front of others.

Iselen herself frowned, as if thinking I was ignoring her.

“Didn’t you see at the end of the Imperial Railway terrorism incident?”

“……That orc was an apostle?”

The one who’d attacked trying to kill Orca.

But he hadn’t been that strong?

Iselen nodded slightly.

“Originally, that scene was a trap to catch and eliminate the apostle. An idiot interfered without knowing his place and ruined it.”

“Are you proud of using your own son as bait?”

Silence.

Everyone was shocked and looked between Iselen and me.

Ah, I realized I’d slipped up a bit, but I didn’t regret it.

I couldn’t tolerate her sending my son, Orca, into that situation.

Iselen glared at me briefly, then withdrew her gaze.

“That was somewhat off-topic. I withdraw it.”

“I was also rude.”

Military and police alike — the way they looked at me changed completely.

Like someone whose guts had spilled out of his belly.

Wondering if I was confident I’d survive after attacking the Queen of Assassins like that.

I asked.

“Then what’s the terrorists’ — the apostles’ — objective? I understand they want to topple the empire, but their execution method.”

“They’re targeting the princes and princesses. If they succeed, it’ll throw the empire into great chaos. But that’s not the end. What they’re ultimately aiming for……”

The Queen of Assassins paused, then spoke.

“Destroying the situation where the twelve houses gather in one place to elect the second emperor — in other words, the Round Table.”

“……”

Everyone stirred.

The Queen of Assassins spoke coldly.

“As you all know, the Round Table has been held without fail for a hundred years. And the empire’s citizens have watched expectantly, wondering if this time a second emperor might emerge. Though it’s repeatedly failed, there was still anticipation that this year might be different. Expectations were especially high in imperial years 48, 72, and 111.”

“……”

“Even though House Kedrik is under investigation for this incident, this year’s Round Table won’t be canceled. No, it cannot be canceled. Because that’s……”

The Queen of Assassins’s voice changed.

“The foundation that has sustained the empire since the emperor disappeared.”

Military, police, high and low rank alike — everyone nodded.

The empresses might govern the empire in division, but it carried the label of temporary.

If a second emperor was elected at the Round Table, a new system would be established.

A new era would open.

The empire’s citizens watched the Round Table every year holding that expectation.

“Of course, after a hundred years without results, the citizens are also disappointed and weary. Especially the rationale of humans cooperating with the terrorists. That we other races, the empresses, have no intention of electing a second emperor and are just dragging things out.”

“……”

“You may not believe it, but at least I have no such intention. If someone was truly an excellent emperor, how could we not support him? But the twelve houses have never once reached a conclusion. Even I would question whether he’s truly qualified to succeed the founding emperor.”

The conversation is veering off track?

When the talk shifted from investigation information to the second emperor, I looked at her questioningly.

The Queen of Assassins glanced sideways at me and smiled.

Her beautiful lips curled alluringly.

“But even so, the situation is too urgent. I believe a second emperor must emerge from this Round Table. We’ve waited ninety-nine years. The current circumstances are so dire.”

“Wait.”

“I believe if the one who resolves this terrorism incident becomes the second emperor, that would be acceptable.”

Bombshell declaration.

The investigation headquarters executives looked at me in shock.

The imperial military especially had stiff expressions.

……They were misunderstanding me as an ambitious figure seeking to become the second emperor.

“Hahaha.”

I laughed for now.

Actually, I’d been hit, but I laughed long while quickly thinking of a countermeasure.

The Queen of Assassins hadn’t voluntarily offered investigation cooperation with good intentions.

She intended to isolate and destroy me with cunning agitation.

The investigation headquarters I’d painstakingly assembled, where members of different organizations were just about to unite — and she suddenly brings up the second emperor?

My true intention of catching terrorists to protect my children and the empire gets distorted.

On top of that, the imperial military representatives here were members of the twelve-house Sagittari.

When an empress talks like this openly, they can’t help but be conscious of me and wary.

Would joint investigation work like this?

Ah, fine. If you’re playing it this way, I’ll counter!

“Then why doesn’t the Queen of Assassins herself have any thoughts of becoming Empress of Assassins?”

“……What?”

Iselen’s cold beauty twisted.

Queen of Assassins was a commonly used title, but people didn’t say it to her face.

I propped my chin delinquently and turned to shoot back.

“Haven’t you at least thought about wanting to permanently hold the power you’re temporarily grasping?”

“……Young human, are you finished talking?”

“Not at all. This is just the beginning? Please keep listening, aged dark elf?”

……Well, fortunately she doesn’t know I’m Sirik.

Iselen was truly hurt when I mentioned her age.

It was one of the winning cards in ruining a marital fight.

“……”

The Queen of Assassins glared at me with a face dripping icy chill.

You appeared to wreck this situation?

Then I’ll use you to solidify this as my domain.

Having resolved, I pressed the attack.

“Looking at what you’re saying, it means the dark elves detected the Empire Liberation Army for at least decades but took no action whatsoever? Moreover, it means you didn’t inform the Railway Military Police, Central Police, or imperial military.”

“We tried to stop them.”

“Ooh, you just confessed to being incompetent for decades? Next incompetent person?”

“……”

The Queen of Assassins’s jaw trembled.

Enduring the words about to burst out in rage.

Actually, even I found this reaction somewhat strange.

Originally, the Queen of Assassins never showed emotion in front of others.

She only revealed it when alone with me, Sirik.

Yet strangely enough, she was extremely hostile toward the current me, Rigen Librata, and acting emotional.

I spoke in summary.

“So in the end, because the dark elves couldn’t stop them, the serial terrorism incidents erupted and we all gathered to resolve it, right? Actually, you’re in no position to act high and mighty right now, are you? Shouldn’t you apologize a hundred times and fully cooperate? Isn’t that the bare minimum?”

“Ahem, ahem……”

Someone cleared their throat.

Trying to restrain me from pressing too hard before breaking the situation.

Ah, but my feelings toward Iselen aren’t good either.

Setting aside the matter of our separation and Orca’s situation.

We barely gathered to try stopping terrorism, yet she’s trying to ruin it with personal feelings?

She was never this kind of woman.

I looked around the room anew.

“Well, having shown you this much, you all should understand. If I desired to become the second emperor, would I attack someone called the Empress of Assassins this hard? Now I have to worry about when I might die, today or tomorrow.”

“Mm.”

Imperial military Dargal Sagittari nodded.

I turned to the Queen of Assassins and gave a light wink.

“Ah, thank you for raising the topic in advance in case I might face such misunderstandings. Thanks to you, it’s proven I’m not doing this to become emperor! Thank you so much!”

“……”

The Queen of Assassins looked at me expressionlessly.

Suppressing the passion about to spill out.

“……Yes, that’s right. I confirmed you’re undertaking this work with no ulterior motives whatsoever.”

The Queen of Assassins pretended not to notice and accepted what I’d thrown sarcastically.

Immediately acknowledging that her attempt to shake the investigation headquarters and attack me with the second emperor bombshell had failed.

I nodded and spoke.

“Well then, shall we talk business?”

The terrorist organization’s scale, leads, and work division.

The additional investigators we’d need going forward.

The Queen of Assassins explained in detail, then concluded.

“Finally, estimating Apostle Dierk’s location. The apostles are presumed to be hiding while receiving steady support within the capital. In Dierk’s case……”

The Queen of Assassins paused.

“He’s presumed to be hiding in an illegal casino run by Theodora.”

“Isn’t Theodora a criminal organization where low-quality scum gather?”

Central Police Luon questioned.

Another police officer nodded.

“Yes. Then should we make up charges and drag them all in? They’re such dirty bastards. The prosecutors will cooperate too.”

“If we openly bring police forces in, they’ll run. Our objective isn’t Theodora but the one apostle hiding there.”

At my words, everyone nodded.

“……Then we have no choice but to intimidate Theodora’s boss to extract information?”

“We can’t call him out. If we call him out, Dierk will notice. We go in with a small force, extract information, then raid.”

The Queen of Assassins said that and looked at me.

“I’d like the overall commander, Special Officer, to handle the infiltration?”

“……”

She’s talking nonsense.

What investigation headquarters commander catches criminals on the front lines?

Of course, I often did that as emperor, but people usually tried to stop me.

But the Queen of Assassins smiled alluringly.

“Persuading Theodora’s boss is no ordinary task, and if Apostle Dierk pops out, handling him is also a huge problem. Isn’t it time to display the skill that blew away Chief Byorn’s head?”

“……”

I smiled bitterly.

I’d mostly made the Central Police my people, and now she’s trying to scatter ash on that again.

It’s not logically wrong.

But accepting this information from the Queen of Assassins as is would make me a fool.

It’s not fake information, but it’ll be extremely dangerous.

“If you’re curious about my skills, why not come along?”

“……”

“Going into a casino alone as a man is pointless, right? Wouldn’t it be free passage if I had a striking beauty on my arm?”

Everyone swallowed and looked at the two of us.

Since only top figures from each organization had come, they all knew Iselen and I had been clashing from the start.

That we were playing chess.

The Queen of Assassins made a fierce expression visible only to me.

“If seeing blood is your wish, I’ll go with you.”

“My, I’ll get to hold Your Majesty’s waist after all this time?”

“……”

The Queen of Assassins’s gaze blazed like fire.

But I’m not letting you off either, woman.

Your husband came back wanting to work, and you’re raising objections?

Let’s do this.