One day, I returned to my dormitory room to find a single letter had been slid under the door.
It was cheap paper, lacking even a wax seal.
Sensing nothing but trouble, I opened it. My intuition was spot on.
"In respect of your noble soul, we offer an invitation to our gathering. We shall await you at Saint Gregory Church in the Royal Capital after sunset today—From Those Who Worry About the Kingdom's Future."
Politely enough, they had even enclosed a map.
Judging by the signature "Those Who Worry About the Kingdom's Future," this was almost certainly the Iron-Blood Alliance—the group aiming to overthrow the kingdom. They likely wanted to discuss the plot to kidnap Princess Eliana.
So, this was how they made contact. The original game didn't focus much on Albert's perspective during this arc, so even I was in the dark about the specifics.
If my goal was simply to refuse, the smartest move would be to ignore it. Total avoidance was the safest choice, and they would surely surmise my answer through my silence.
However, since my current plan was to "crush them," I decided a meeting was in order.
When the time came, I slipped out of the Academy and headed toward the designated location.
Saint Gregory was an abandoned ruin. Ivy choked the stone walls, and the window panes were shattered. A place that must have once hosted a sea of believers was now nothing more than a hollow shell.
I pushed open the heavy door to find the interior dimly lit by candlelight. Several figures were waiting for me at the far end of the chapel.
In the center stood a familiar face.
It was Werner von Krosso, a classmate from Arcana Academy and the son of a Viscount. He was an inconspicuous noble who usually looked bored during lectures.
Today, however, he was different.
He looked down his nose at me with an air of supreme confidence. Behind him stood five brawny knights, each with a sword strapped to his hip.
"I am glad you have come, Lord Albert," Werner said, a smile plastered across his face.
As I stepped forward, I heard the heavy thud of the door closing behind me. I glanced back to see three more knights blocking the exit.
...Well, I'd noticed them tailing me on the way here.
An arrogant brat from a Viscount House and eight knights for backup. Quite an intimidating welcome.
"Werner, what’s this about in the middle of the night? I don’t recall us being close enough for late-night strolls."
"We are about to become very close. Now, will you listen to what I have to say?"
"Suit yourself."
"Lord Albert, what do you think of the current Royal Family?"
"What do I think? I don't think much of them at all."
"That is a lie."
Easy there, don't go putting words in my mouth.
"Don't you feel the Royal Family has been neglecting 'noble blood' far too much in recent years? Under the convenient guise of 'meritocracy,' they are promoting low-born sycophants who do nothing but flatter the throne! I see this as a direct challenge and a provocation against our kingdom's traditions!"
...Ah, so it was that kind of rhetoric.
Having lived in a democratic world born from the ashes of monarchies, a dozen "rebuttals" immediately sprang to mind. For now, I decided to let him dig his own grave.
"Noble blood is the distilled essence of generations of refinement! It is unacceptable for it to be denied by something as vague as 'ability'! It is obvious that the current administration will destroy the kingdom’s history and prestige!"
He was just getting started.
"Earlier, you claimed to have no interest in the Royal Family. I must refute that! You must be gnashing your teeth in frustration! After all, the House of Kronstadt is the primary example of a family being pushed away from the center of power by this meritocracy!"
...It was true that my family's influence was waning among the Ducal Houses. Werner's brand of "meritocracy" was likely the catalyst for that decline. It was also the reason my father was pinning so much of Kronstadt's future on me.
"The blood of a Ducal House is a treasure of the nobility! I am sick to death of the royalty’s shortsightedness in neglecting it! We must correct this corrupt administration, seize the sovereign power, and build a nation of the nobility, by the nobility, and for the nobility!"
Moved by Werner’s fervor, the knights chimed in with "Exactly!" and "He’s right!"
"With the House of Kronstadt as our figurehead, our justice would be beyond reproach. The backing of a Ducal House is immense. Please, Lord Albert von Kronstadt—won't you lend us your strength?"
I see. So this was the point where the original, dim-witted Albert would have said, "Alright, let's do it!"
"I refuse."
I cut through his long-winded speech with the shortest possible answer.
"Wh-What did you say?! How can you say no to such an advantageous deal for your house?!"
So much for the polite honorifics.
"It’s a terrible deal. If we fail, my house is ruined."
"There is no way we can fail! Justice is on our side!"
...This guy was living in a fantasy world.
Of course, my actual reason for refusing was "because I know the future where you fail," but I couldn't exactly say that.
"I don't put much stock in noble blood. This meritocracy sounds perfectly fine to me."
"Wh-What...?"
"The talented rise to the top, right? Sounds fair."
"The definition of 'talent' changes based on the ruler's whims! The royalty is simply surrounding themselves with yes-men! The only constant is a noble bloodline! They should be listening to us!"
"You just mean you're upset that people you don't like are being favored over you, right?"
"It is not such a shallow matter!" Werner barked, clearly offended.
"Whatever you say. I can't wrap my head around your 'lofty' ideals. Are we done? I'm going home."
"Wait! Do you really think I'll let you just walk away after hearing our plans?!"
The five knights in front of me drew their swords.
"I tried to be humble, but you're just as arrogant as they say! You truly are a naughty brat!"
Werner glared at me with pure hostility.
"I’ve been told to bring you in even if I have to break your bones. Your consent is irrelevant! As long as we have you, our justice is validated!"
"You sound exactly like a villain."
Even a career villainous noble would be impressed by that lack of self-awareness.
"Shut up! Don't forget that you're surrounded by eight knights!"
"E-Eight? Three of them are already napping, though."
I pointed toward the door. The three knights who had been guarding the exit were already lying facedown on the floor.
"Wh-What?! What happened?! Albert, what did you do?!"
"Me? I haven't done a thing."
In fact, the person responsible was standing right in his line of sight.
A petite girl with pink hair strolled casually toward Werner. To Werner and his five remaining knights, however, she was invisible. No one could detect Assassin Milia when she used her Perfect Presence Concealment, even if she stood right in front of them.
Thwack!
Milia’s fist connected, and a knight collapsed to the floor with a strangled groan.
Even now, they couldn't see her. To them, it looked like the knight had simply dropped for no reason.
"U-Uwaaaaaaaa!"
While Werner was busy screaming, Milia moved like a whirlwind, mowing down the remaining four knights in rapid succession.
She then pinned the wailing Werner to the floor. Finally, he seemed to notice her.
"Wh-Where did you come from?! How long have you been there?!"
"Eh? I've been here the whole time~"
She wasn't lying. Milia had been trailing me since I left the Academy. She had simply remained hidden.
"I'm impressed you can be so haughty with such pathetic security," I said, looking down at him. "How do you plan to topple a kingdom if you can't even handle me? Know your place."
I spat the words out with pure disdain.
"Listen well. Relay this to the incompetent nobles backing you: stop these pathetic schemes. Let the useless remain useless and stay quiet in the corners of the kingdom. If you can manage that much, the Royal Family might just write you off as a necessary expense."
It was a deliberate provocation. I wanted them to be so incensed by the "naughty boy" Albert’s insults that they’d rush their plans.
Werner fainted, a string of drool hanging from his mouth.
...Good grief. I hoped he’d remember the message.
"Lord Albert, are we really letting him go? Why not just kill him?"
"Killing him now wouldn't stop the people behind him. It's better to wait until they all rise up and then crush them in one fell swoop."
Taking them out piecemeal was a hassle, and if any escaped, it would be a headache later. While this path deviated from the original game, there was a risk they might try to revolt during the chaos of the Demon King's resurrection. I needed to annihilate them completely here and now.
Milia and I stepped out of the church, leaving the unconscious rebels behind.
"Hey, hey, Lord Albert. When they finally do rise up, can I kill them then?"
"Yeah, go ahead. If they're stupid enough to charge in after being warned, they get what they deserve. Don't hold back."
"Ehehe, this is Milia-chan-sama’s specialty! You can count on me~"
One flag down. Many more to go.