The Mastermind’s Elder Sister

In the Royal Capital, within the halls of the Lousouth House.

Baran was occupied with his usual stack of paperwork in his office when a report arrived concerning the raid on the frontier. The contents were so far beyond his expectations that the documents he held slipped from his fingers and scattered across the floor.

"W-what is the meaning of this? What on earth happened?"

No matter how much Lousouth blood ran through the boy's veins, there was no way he should have been able to withstand a three-pronged assault. Moreover, these weren't mere skirmishing parties; the Beast Kingdom, the Holy Principality of Ames, and even the Demon Kingdom had been mobilized.

While it was those above who had incited the conflict, they couldn't have moved the full military might of those nations. Even so, the Kingdom of Inraku would have struggled to face any one of them alone. Yet, Yuri had driven those forces back while remaining virtually unscathed.

Are you saying he already possesses the military power of an entire nation?

When he looked at it from that perspective, Baran realized his current standing was precarious. It was beyond dangerous. He was Yuri’s father, but he was also the man who had effectively exiled him. Furthermore, he had orchestrated the stampede, dispatched assassins, and finally, green-lit this latest assault.

He had undoubtedly earned the boy’s hatred. Worse, Yuri was a Lousouth; he was well aware that Baran pulled the strings from the kingdom’s shadows.

A massive force that I can’t simply erase... Is there no choice left but to try and win him over?

Seething with irritation, Baran slammed his fist onto his desk. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it!?"

"It is I, Father."

"Miranda? Enter."

"Yes, Father."

His eldest daughter, Miranda, stepped into the room. Her engagement to the Second Prince had already been settled, but she lived in fear that her father’s conspiracies might cause the arrangement to be annulled.

"Father, what is it that troubles you so?"

"Nothing. It's of no consequence."

"Is that so? To me, it looked as though you were agonizing over Yuri—the boy you discarded in the frontier."

"Kh...!"

Baran fell silent, stunned that she had seen right through him. Miranda began to giggle.

"With an attitude like that, it's perfectly obvious, Father."

"...Where did you get that information?"

"Does it really matter? What matters now is what you intend to do with him... isn't it?"

"A-ah, yes. As things stand, he might very well denounce my involvement in these affairs."

"Because of your mistake, you mean."

Baran reflexively glared at her, but he quickly averted his eyes and looked down.

"True. This time was entirely my mistake. I could have handled it more deftly..."

"Then, what is your move? Will you call Yuri back?"

"If I did that, it would be a public admission that I have something to hide."

"Yes, quite right. Therefore, the best course of action is to act as though you know nothing at all."

"But Yuri knows the truth."

"Yuri is irrelevant. His words will never reach the Royal Capital. Will they?"

Miranda had a point. Unless he was summoned by the King for some extraordinary reason, Yuri would remain in the frontier. However, he had successfully repelled foreign invasions and subjugated a Dragon. Achievements like those demanded a decoration. It was highly likely he would be called to the Royal Capital for the ceremony, at which point he could publicly denounce his father.

"That reminds me, I heard a curious tale at the Temple," Miranda said. "The Saint was speaking to the High Priest. She said, 'Yuri Lousouth wishes for independence in the frontier.'"

"...? Is it not common for the third son of a noble to seek independence and attempt to start his own house?" Baran asked.

Most of those attempts ended in failure, with the noble sons eventually living out their lives as commoners.

"No, according to the Saint, he is seeking independence in the truest sense of the word."

"...Y-you mean he intends to found his own country!?"

"Yes, exactly that."

"How... how utterly outrageous..."

"It’s an opportunity, Father. Why don't we give him a little push?"

"Are you suggesting I petition the King myself!?"

"No, I hear the offer of an independent nation has already been presented to Yuri. Knowing you, Father, you were probably so focused on the Demon Lord’s subjugation that you barely glanced at the actual rewards, right?"

It was true. Baran hadn't paid any attention to the rewards, assuming Yuri would never live to receive them. He never imagined the boy was aiming for national sovereignty.

"Isn't it perfect? Independence. It means he becomes a complete stranger from a foreign land."

"I see. That might actually work. It would serve as proof that we couldn't possibly be the ones attacking him, given that we're the ones supporting his independence."

"Shall I manage the arrangements myself, then? You’ve been moving a bit too flamboyantly of late, Father."

"I'll leave it to you."

"Oh, and one more thing. There are a few items I’ve been wanting—"

"Take whatever you like. I’ll have it withdrawn from the National Treasury."

"Thank you, Father."

Miranda left the room with a faint smile. She had a shrewd, unreadable personality, much like her mother, Martha. It was a trait that was both a blessing and a nuisance. Still, Baran figured he only had to deal with her for the short time remaining until she married the Second Prince. Once that happened, his own position would be ironclad.

The only remaining obstacle was the First Prince.

As for him, I can just poison him when the time is right. There's no shortage of people who harbor a grudge against the Royal Family...

◇　◆　◇

Putting the Genghis Khan Party on hold for the moment, we went back to work on the Cooler.

"What are you doing, baa?"

As I headed back toward the mansion, Ram stopped me.

"Just going back inside," I said.

"I want to go too, baa."

"There's no way you're fitting in there," I replied, my voice dripping with exasperation.

While my current mansion was technically longer than Ram’s body, it wasn't wide enough to accommodate him, nor were the ceilings high enough for a creature of his stature.

"You should just live in a bigger place, baa."

"...Maybe we should just have that party today after all?"

"A party!? I look forward to it, baa!"

"Yeah, a Genghis Khan Party. You're so big, I bet I could get a massive amount of meat off you."

"A-are you planning to eat me, baa!? W-well, if I do this—"

With a soft pop, the giant Ram shrank down until he was palm-sized. Emma immediately scooped him up.

"The tiny version is cute, too."

"L-let go of me, baa!"

"So small..." I muttered.

"There's barely any meat left now."

"A-are you still planning to eat me, baa!?" Ram shrieked.

"Relax. I’m not going to eat you yet."

"What do you mean 'yet'!? You’re planning to eat me eventually, baa!? How terrifying, baa!"

"Anyway, you can fit inside at that size. Are you coming or not?"

"Of course I am, baa!"

He hopped onto my head to escape Emma’s clutches. I felt a vein throb at his casual disrespect, but I forced myself to be magnanimous and simply brushed him off. Ram tumbled to the ground with a thud.

"W-what was that for, baa!"

"Be grateful I’m not grilling you."

"You can't do that, Al. He's so cute. I’ll carry you, Ram."

Emma picked the fallen fairy back up, and we finally made our way back to the room. Inside, we found Melty looking quite proud of herself after finishing the disassembly of the Mock Refrigerator, while Marina was desperately trying to piece it back together to see if it could be saved.