Inside the conference hall, which was thick with astonishment and dread, only Orchid’s voice resonated as he read the letter aloud.
“...‘Now then, I don’t need to be a genius to guess the Kingdom of Sinfonia’s next moves. You were probably planning to negotiate with the nobles living near Lilia-san’s mansion, offer them enough compensation to get them to pack up, and then hand the land over to Kaito-san. Well, that’s a safe bet, isn’t it?’”
This was exactly what Ryze and Amalie had been planning, and it was a strategy that Chris and Laguna could have easily foreseen as well. There was no question that an environment near the mansion of Lilia—his fiancée, with whom he had already spent a year—would be the ideal setting for Kaito.
However, the lines that followed caused the representatives of Sinfonia to break into a cold sweat that poured like a waterfall.
“...‘But really, that won’t be necessary. I’ve already legally secured all the land and materials needed to build Kaito-san’s house. You don’t need to lift a finger in that department.’”
She had already obtained the land. Given that Alice was the one who had predicted Kaito would build a house, it wasn't entirely surprising that she had taken action. However, the logistical impossibility was the true problem.
The district where Lilia’s mansion stood was an area reserved for high-ranking nobility. Naturally, King Ryze and Crown Prince Amalie kept a constant, vigilant watch over that sector.
And yet... they had felt no sense of incongruity whatsoever over the past year. No new noble family had been established, no new mansion had been constructed, and not a single noble had moved out.
Suddenly, a memory flickered in the minds of Ryze and Amalie. About two years ago, a certain Count had purchased land near Lilia’s mansion and established a residence. Connecting that fact to the letter now, it meant Alice had begun her preparations even before Kaito had briefly returned to his original world.
“...‘Anyway, there’s no point in making this letter excessively long, so let’s get to the heart of the matter. I have two demands. I’ve included materials for each of your countries that list every person and scenario I can foresee that might try to meddle with Kaito-san. Make sure you keep them in check, okay?’”
Orchid seemed to realize something and quickly distributed the documents from the envelope to the respective monarchs.
Ryze, Chris, and Laguna took the papers and scanned them briefly—before falling into a stunned silence. Some of the scenarios listed were patterns they had already anticipated.
However, there were also many possibilities they hadn't even considered—yet once seen in writing, they appeared entirely plausible. It made the power gap between themselves and Alice feel painfully obvious.
“...‘And for the second point. This is crucial. Regarding Kaito-san’s legal standing: ensure he is not bound by the laws of any nation. Ordinarily, by building a home in the Kingdom of Sinfonia, Kaito-san would be treated as a citizen, which brings obligations like taxes... but that will not be permitted.’”
Ordinarily, this was an absurd demand. He would build a house in a country but be exempt from its laws and duties. However, as they listened, the image of a certain existence—one that was the very embodiment of "illogical"—flickered through their minds.
“...‘I mean, I don’t personally mind, but if Kaito-san were to technically belong to a nation, or if a King were to be placed in a position of authority over him—even for show—I don’t think that "Illogical" God from the otherworld would stay quiet about it. So, I’m counting on you.’”
“...The Kingdom of Sinfonia hereby approves the Phantasm King-sama’s proposal,” Ryze said instantly.
“The Arclesia Empire has no objections,” Chris added. “Or rather, if we raised one, our country would likely be wiped off the map.”
“The Hydra Kingdom also approves by my authority,” Laguna muttered. “That person is truly not someone with whom logic works.”
The "dangerous one" in question, Eden, had already threatened the three monarchs during the Six Kings Festival. Her message had been terrifyingly simple: “If you show any disrespect to my beloved child, I will erase your entire country.”
“...‘Aside from that, I’ve also compiled a list of national laws that might affect Kaito-san later on, so please prepare special exemptions. Oh, right, His Majesty Laguna of the Hydra Kingdom?’”
“H-Hm? Me?”
“...‘The Hydra Kingdom is a parliamentary system, so you’re probably thinking you can't revise laws at the King’s sole discretion. Don’t worry, you can rest easy. "If you propose it, it will pass."’”
“?!”
“...‘Oh? Are you surprised? Goodness, did you really think I couldn’t move the majority of the assembly if I wanted to?’”
At the casual implication that she could rewrite the laws of the Hydra Kingdom whenever she felt like it, Laguna’s face turned paler than anyone could have imagined, and she began to tremble violently.
“...‘Well, I’ll be counting on you. Oh, and I’ll be coming over to visit soon, so please prepare a luxurious dinner for me. Ta-ta!’”
“...I wonder why?” Amalie remarked. “She’s oddly friendly only toward His Majesty Laguna.”
“...I’ve hardly ever even spoken with the Phantasm King-sama...” Laguna whispered.
While Alice generally acted cheerfully, she was detached toward most people; however, she was surprisingly lenient toward those she had accepted into her inner circle.
While the only ones she publicly confessed to liking were Kuromueina and Fate—excluding Kaito—she also showed a hidden side that cared for her family members like Isis and Lilliwood, working behind the scenes to support them.
Laguna was a former comrade from the time Alice had gone by the name Hapty, which was why she treated her with a slightly friendlier attitude.
Of course, Laguna herself remained entirely unaware of this and could only tilt her head in confusion.
Following that, the joint conference was temporarily suspended. Ryze and the Sinfonia officials stepped out to relay instructions to their departments, and the companions of Chris and Laguna left to contact their home countries. Soon, only Laguna and Chris remained in the room.
“...Still, the Phantasm King-sama truly is terrifying. Just how far ahead is she reading?”
“...‘Fools fear the Death King, the wise fear the Faceless King’...”
“Hmm? Lady Chris, what is that?”
“It’s a maxim passed down among the royalty of the Arclesia Empire. The Death King-sama is certainly terrifying. Even I would likely be unable to hold a proper conversation with her. However, if you look back through history, there are almost no instances where she killed someone simply because she disliked them. In fact, far more of those instances involve the War King-sama, don’t they?”
“Indeed. Megiddo-sama is exactly that kind of person.”
Laguna, who knew Megiddo well, nodded deeply. The Death King and the War King... both were recognized by the public as dangerous members of the Six Kings whose tempers were lethal.
However, while Isis possessed the Magic Power of Death, her actual personality was not fierce. She used to be as stubborn as a lonely child, but even that had faded since meeting Kaito; she was now quite gentle.
In contrast, the War King had always been consistent: if someone he disliked stood before him, he would kill them. His style was to let people do as they pleased as long as they stayed out of his sight.
“Of course, as a monarch, I must remain wary of the Death King-sama... but personally, I find the Phantasm King-sama far more frightening.”
“I can understand that...”
“The true terror of the Phantasm King-sama lies neither in her world-leading number of subordinates nor in her overwhelming combat power. It is the ‘Greatest Brain in the Three Worlds’—the ability to memorize the world’s vast information and utilize it perfectly.”
“...She is a terrifying thing indeed. And I suppose even this conversation of ours is exactly what she predicted.”
“...Most likely.”
Recognizing Alice’s reach once again, the two monarchs stared off into the distance, a small shiver running through their frames.
As for Alice, who was feared from the bottom of their hearts by the leaders of the world...
“What do you want?”
“I have a bit of a favor. Would you mind hearing me out? ...Shallow Vernal-sama.”
She was currently engaged in negotiations with the pinnacle of existence itself.
Serious-senpai: “Ha! I sense a premonition of seriousness!”
Mystery Entity: “No, you don’t.”