Cornered Rat (9)
In the vote for commander-in-chief of the Allied forces held in the afternoon, Kalit was elected unanimously.
After giving a short and calm speech, Kalit began to explain his battle plan in detail.
It was a moment when his intelligence, honed through chess, shone through.
The attendees decided to devise a strategy centered around Kalit for the remaining five days.
Afterward, a banquet for the attendees was scheduled to take place after the summit.
'After that, we will each return to our respective countries and prepare for the Great Rift.'
Now there was nothing for me to do at the summit.
All that remains is to complete the second futureization of the Great Rift.
It was also the last future I saw before my powers disappeared in my past life.
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen Hugh's face.
It's been about six days since I last told him about the second Great Rift?
I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to talk to Ellie.
'I'll have to check in with him over dinner tonight to see how far along we've come.'
At 6 p.m., attendees rose from their seats and stretched.
"Yes, yes. Let's take an hour's break and then meet again."
"Let's do that."
With only five days left until the summit, there was no more rest.
The attendees, excluding the guardians, decided to spend the night at the palace starting today to devise strategies.
As we quietly left the Great Library with Rahon, Nadia and Kjer were waiting for us, standing side by side.
Rahon's expression immediately turned pale as he discovered Kjer. He tapped me on the shoulder.
"I'll be in the carriage. Nadia, let's go."
"...Me too?"
"Then do you want to join in on a sibling date without knowing?"
"Oh, that won't do. Let's go together."
Nadia followed Rahon with a big smile on her face. Her back looked as light as if she was flying through the sky.
As the two left, Kjer took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
"It's chilly."
"Yeah, it's getting cold now that the sun has set. I guess winter is just around the corner.
"Brother, you won't be able to go home for a while. You understand?"
"Yes. I'll tell Dad."
"Yes."
It was a short walk from the main library to where the carriage was parked. I didn't have to walk very long before I saw the carriage.
My steps slowed down because I was sad to leave.
Then Kjer chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. His cold expression softened.
"Go back carefully. If you get lost in the middle, you'll get in trouble."
"You should eat instead of talking like that. If you're going to stay up all night, you need to eat well."
"Don't be too friendly with Rahon."
I checked Rahon's location and gently pulled Kjer's hand.
"I was going to ask anyway, so this is good. Brother, why are you doing this to Rahon? Do you hate Rahon?"
"I don't like him."
"Why?"
Kjer flicked the tip of my nose with a blank expression.
"It's because of you."
"Are you blaming me for this?"
"When you were little, you only followed around to Rahon. Before, if I called you, you would hug me right away no matter who you were with, but when you were with Rahon, you didn't even pay attention."
"..."
"It's your fault I hate that guy."
Do you hate people for something like that? I laughed in vain and tilted my head.
"Wait a minute, has Rahon ever been to our house before, other than for our mother's funeral?"
"..."
"Brother, aren't you going to answer me?"
Kjer stared at me for a moment and then opened his mouth.
"Rahon did not attend our mother's funeral."
"What? But last time, Rahon clearly... Huh?"
Come to think of it, Rahon never said with his own mouth that he attended my mother's funeral.
But why did I believe I would meet him at the funeral?
No matter how hard I tried to remember, I couldn't remember anything. I just felt like I was wandering through a hazy fog.
Why on earth are my memories like this?
"It's not important. Don't try to remember it."
That's because it's important to me.
The answer that was on the tip of my tongue was replaced with a smile.
Don't be impatient. You'll regain all your memories soon. Just wait a little.
"Yeah. I will."
"They all came."
"Here's your jacket, brother."
"Put it on and go."
Kjer helped me get into the carriage and then went back. He didn't even make eye contact with Rahon until the very end.
Then, Nadia and Rahon got into the carriage, grumbling.
"Millenia, when you have time, be sure to ask your older brother. Why on earth does he hate me so much?"
When I was young, I liked Rahon so much that Kjer hated him.
While they were mulling over the situation, the carriage started off.
I stared out the window at the rapidly receding palace.
'Now that Oslo is taken care of, the final question is who is the Emperor?'
In my previous life, Oslo led the Great Rift to victory and returned to the capital with his remaining forces.
But it was no ordinary return.
I still remember.
It was particularly cold that day.
As I was lying in my bedroom listening to the snow falling, I heard the maids chattering.
"Did you hear? The army led by His Highness the Third Prince has surrounded the capital!"
"Really? His Majesty gave permission?"
"How could that be? Of course, it was the Third Prince's arbitrary decision."
"Why would he do something like that?"
"He wants to pressure His Majesty to get what he wants."
There is a proverb that says if you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest.
At that time, Oslo hid the private soldiers he had raised among the Allied forces fighting in the Great Rift.
This was the main reason why he wanted the position of Commander-in-Chief.
Who would have thought that the one volunteering to fight in the Great Rift would be a private in Oslo?
No one suspected anything. Even when the Great Rift ended, most of his men were still alive.
Oslo used them to surround the capital and stage a show of force.
People naturally believed that the Emperor would raise an army and subdue Oslo.
But what happened next was different from what everyone expected.
The Emperor appointed Oslo as Crown Prince with great ease.
What's even more absurd is that the throne was handed over to Oslo less than five days later.
Thus, Oslo assumed the throne less than ten days after his return.
At that time, I had to listen to the maids' conversations every day about how the Emperor seemed to be out of his mind.
After that, it is unknown what happened to the Emperor.
By that time, he had been locked up in prison and was eventually sentenced to death by being executed.
I didn't think about it in my past life, but now that I look back, there were more than a few strange things.
'Why on earth did the Emperor make such a decision?'
Was he threatened by Oslo?
'That's not it.'
While it is possible to appoint a Crown Prince by intimidation, handing over the throne is a completely different matter.
Of course, it was true that the army Oslo possessed was a threat, but the Emperor was not empty-handed.
He also had an army, including the Imperial Knights, and could respond at any time.
Above all, he was not the type of person to give up power by succumbing to threats.
'What kind of drugs were you addicted to?'
If that were the case, wouldn't it have changed his appearance? Весause addicts tend to show it somehow.
But I haven't heard anything like that.
If so, it could be a health problem.
"Rahon."
"Why."
"You saw His Majesty at the hunting competition yesterday."
"However..."
"How does he look to you?"
"Well, he pretends to be fair, but in the end, he's just a worn-out power broker who thinks he's the most important person?"
The harsh evaluation caused laughter.
"Other than that, I'd like to talk about the health aspect."
"I thought he would live to be over 100. But why?"
"..."
To my eyes, the Emperor looked healthy.
I don't know if he was healthy in my past life, but I don't think it was much different from this life...
Could it be a mental problem?
"Is there a disease that causes sudden personality changes? A disease that changes personality? One day, all of a sudden, you become a different person. You start doing and thinking things you never would have done before."
"Mental illness doesn't develop overnight. It gets worse very slowly. Symptoms inevitably appear during the process."
I don't think this makes sense either.
But other than that, I can't think of anything else...
"Rahon, please help me."
"...Help me?"
"I would like you to come up with a reasonable excuse to examine His Majesty. First, please make sure there are no health problems."
Rahon tilted his head.
"Is that something to do with Kalit?"
"It also has to do with the Third Prince."
Because, as in my last life, the Emperor might suddenly summon Oslo and hand over the throne to him.
A look of surprise spread across Rahon's face. He stared at me blankly, then burst into a bright smile.
"Wow, what brings you here?"
"Yes?"
"Have you ever asked me for help with something like that?"
"I asked you to heal Eli and the Archduke. Oh, and Father too."
"Honestly, that's not that important to you."
Father's healing is really important.
No, if Rahon had said that he couldn't heal my father, I would have given up easily.
But if it had to do with revenge or the future, I would have tried desperately to achieve it somehow.
"Besides, there are so many secrets. Even if I ask you why, you never tell me right away. You always say, 'I'll tell you later."
Now I think I understand what Rahon is talking about.
"I won't do that anymore."
"Why?"
"If something bad happens while I'm trying to solve it on my own. Rahon will be upset."
"You just realized that now? Aren't you too dull?"
"So please help me."
As I said that, I held out my hand.
Rahon, who had been glaring at me, laughed heartily and grabbed my hand.
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