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Volume 5, Chapter 2 – The Flame Princess’ Sunny Stage, Part 3

The throne room. A large number of nobles stood in the shadows of the pillars that supported the ceiling, looking as if they were flooding the room. Among them were not only Rosa but also the First Prince Stobel and the Second Prince Selene. Above all, three of the five great noble families were present here.

If you included their followers and the small and medium-sized nobles who were trying to win them over, the number would be no less than two hundred.

The Krone family is the leader of the central nobility.

The Sharm family is the leader of the northern nobility.

The Kelheit family is the leader of the eastern nobility.

And then there’s the Mark family, the largest factionless noble family.

All the great nobles representing the Grantz Empire were gathered in one place. Therefore, the intimidation that filled the throne room was immeasurable. Everyone sensed that this was not going to end as usual.

In the midst of such a heavy atmosphere, the elegant and graceful melody played by the musicians was quietly flowing ― a beautiful sound that calmed the mind, but it seemed to have no effect in such a situation, and the air became heavier and heavier.

Everyone was watching with bated breath. To witness the page of history that was about to happen.

All eyes were on the three men and women walking on the red carpet in the throne room.

“This may be the end of the House of Bunadhara. Judging by the absence of the western nobleman, it seems that all the blame will be placed on her.”

“The western nobles have been forced to spend unnecessarily. They have to get rid of the people who are slowing them down. Well, it might be unfair to blame her exclusively.”

The aristocrats’ impudent gazes are focused on Aura.

Aura, however, did not look down and walked proudly on the red carpet.

“It’s not just Brigadier General Bunadhara. The sixth princess, Celia Estrella, would be in a precarious position.”

“This is what happens when you leave things to a woman, much less a child.”

They whispered, pointing at Liz, who had made the mistake of becoming a prisoner of war.

“It’s unheard of for a princess of the Grantz to be captured by the enemy.”

“Haha, what kind of disease did you get, you dirty princess?”

When a voice sneered at Liz, Hiro stopped walking.

“…..”

He simply glared at the nobleman who had insulted Liz.

That was all there was to it, but the murderous intent that was unleashed was extraordinary.

“Hyii!?”

He can’t allow someone who is not even determined to ridicule her. The mere presence of these pests in the same space makes him sour, as they have never accomplished anything and continue to undermine this country.

(How much more rotten can they get…? I’d like them to show a little bit of the spirit of the Grantz.)

Hiro gave himself a few slaps on the neck, then formed a small smile and started walking again. The nobleman who insulted Liz was so afraid that he fell on his butt and started shaking.

The atmosphere was unpleasant. No one is happy that Liz and Aura are safe. The hostile nobles are looking forward to seeing how they can make them take responsibility.

Frankly, it makes Hiro sick.

(…So it can’t be helped, right?)

Hiro was sickened from the body without hiding it. The hegemony that mixes with it begins to make space creak. The nobles who noticed this closed their mouths one after another and looked down at their feet with heavy sweat floating on their foreheads. All the prey fell silent to avoid being targeted by predators.

Therefore, a strange atmosphere prevailed in the throne room.

As they walked leisurely, they reached the throne room. Sitting there was the emperor, who was still filled with youthful energy. When Liz and Aura kneel down in the vassal’s salute, Hiro pauses for a beat, claps his right breast in the Grantz style salute, and then drops to one knee.

“Thank you for your efforts in traveling so far.”

The emperor’s words of encouragement were spoken.

“Celia Estrella. I am glad to see you are safe.”

The solemn sound of a voice echoed through the throne room. It was not a loud one, but it was still low enough to be heard by all.

“Hiro Schwartz. Your achievements are immeasurable. You may look forward to your reward.”

The emperor raised his right hand. Then Prime Minister Gils, who had been watching the proceedings from nearby, stepped forward.

“We will now begin the proceedings.”

Byzan Gils von Sharm. He has a thin face and seems to be in constant trouble, but do not be deceived by his appearance.

He is the Prime Minister of the Grantz Empire and the former head of the Sharm family, one of the five great noble families. It is said that he abandoned his position as head of the family when he chose to become Prime Minister in order to avoid unnecessary disputes, but there are rumors that he is still in control of the family.

Hiro also believes this to be true. The fact that he is using various secret agents to spy on people, there is no doubt that he is planning something.

(Speaking of which, Driks hasn’t shown up.)

Hiro was suspicious of him from the start, so he didn’t entrust him with any important work. Instead, he was given only menial tasks. However, the fact that he was no longer in front of Hiro meant that he might have been assigned some other task. It would be best to be on the lookout for him, but if it’s only Driks, there’s no problem leaving him alone.

“First, Trea Luzandi Aura von Bunadhara.”

“…Ha.”

“As of this moment, you will be relieved of your duties as Chief of Staff of the Third Imperial Army of the Grantz Empire. In addition, you will be deprived of the command of the Imperial Black Knights and placed under house arrest for three months.”

“…I respectfully accept.”

In other words, she lost all her roles and became independent. There is no point in protesting. There was no one here to take her side, so crying and screaming would only cause trouble for her birth family.

But it’s not all bad. Now she could belong to Liz’s camp without any grudge.

The punishment is better than death. She was about to be beheaded at first.

There were no complaints from the nobles either. The popularity of the War Maiden is tremendous in the Grantz Imperial Capital. Therefore, it would be more convenient for her to be unaffiliated so that they can recruit her to their own faction.

“And then, Celia Estrella Elizabeth von Grantz.”

“Ha!”

“You will be under house arrest for six months.”

“Huh?”

Liz looked up in surprise. There was a scream from the eastern nobles. Hiro’s mind was not at ease with this result.

(…They got me.)

Public opinion does not want Liz to be severely punished. To not let their emotions run rampant, they had no choice but to lighten Liz’s punishment.

(I didn’t see… this coming at all.)

If the people only heard the word “house arrest,” they would probably lower their spirits. She will not be relieved of her post as commander of the Fourth Imperial Army, nor will she be deprived of her command of the Order of the Rose. If there is no demotion in rank, there is no reason for dissatisfaction.

(However… She will be far behind in the political sense.)

In the future, the battle for the right to succeed to the throne will become more active, and a six-month house arrest is tantamount to being deprived of the right to the throne.

(Well thought out. The people are happy that the punishment is too light, and the rival factions can no longer complain.)

But there is no need to be pessimistic. The situation is on her side. For the moment, she should accept her house arrest.

(This is not the end of the story… There are still moves to be made, so don’t be hasty.)

Hiro looked at Liz with prayer, hoping that she would not be desperate and would not just refute it. Whether this was understood or not, Liz let her head hang down again.

“I humbly accept it.”

Hiro’s heart sank with relief. Then he noticed that Liz’s lips were pursed in regret.

(Liz… I will create a situation where you can let out that frustration, it’s not over yet)

Hiro exhaled quietly and looked at Prime Minister Gils with eyes filled with darkness.

“And now, Hiro Schwartz von Grantz.”

“…..Ha!”

“It’s not only a victory over the Grand Duchy of Dral, but also the suppression of a rebellion in the Felzen region. Above all, your skill in rescuing the Sixth Princess Celia Estrella is admirable. Some people say that you should be given a share of the territory as before, but this is not possible due to your pledge to the small country of Baum. Therefore, you will receive 1,000 gold Grantz and promotion from first rank military officer to lieutenant general.”

Two promotion ranks ― the new title given to Hiro, Lieutenant General, is also commonly known as Shogun. In the event of an emergency, he could be given an army of 30,000 soldiers.

As a natural result, no one was surprised. That’s because Hiro has achieved so much.

However, it was up to the emperor to decide whether he could command an army or not. As Hiro has no territory, the number of soldiers he can gather is limited, so for the time being, things will continue as before.

“I respectfully accept.”

“And now, let’s begin the proceedings――”

As Prime Minister Gils was about to end his speech, Hiro let out a sharp light from his eyes.

(I won’t let it end like this…)

Hiro slammed his fist on the floor with great force. It’s a quiet space, to begin with. This is why the loud sound reverberates through the throne room.

Everyone rolled their eyes and focused their impudent gaze on Hiro.

(Now, let’s make a counterattack!)

Hiro smirked as he looked out at the stares focused on him. One of them was Liz, and Hiro gave her a look as she rolled her eyes.

(You can tell them what’s on your mind. Let your presence burn in the minds of the noble lords.)

Then Liz, whose eyes were instantly lit with understanding, stood up on the spot with great vigor.