Volume 4 Chapter 13 Even Though The Example Might Sound Bad
After hesitating for a moment, she began to speak hesitantly.
"These magic circles are of the same type as those installed inside the royal capital. Since I inspected the ones in the royal capital myself, there's probably no mistake."
"Well, I guess so."
These magic circles are also one of the schemes for the demon attack on the royal capital, so it's natural.
"It's strange to praise the enemy's tactics, but this summoning magic circle is very well made. Once activated, it absorbs the magic power in the surrounding air and operates semi-permanently. In addition, measures are taken to ensure that the summoned targets do not attack the summoner or the designated targets."
"I'm not an expert in summoning or magic circles, but doesn't that take a lot of effort?"
Kyunei, who uses healing magic. Even though it's not her specialty, she understands magic enough to get the gist.
"You're right, Kyunei-san. Summoning magic circles require high-level skills. Adding this much functionality would..."
"Would what?"
"...It's not something you can set up quickly. It would take some time."
Aina stood up and rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
"From a magician's perspective, it's fascinating. But as someone from the royal family, I can't help but think that there might be magicians like this among our enemies."
It's like a great craftsman turning against you. Aina must have mixed feelings about recognizing the technical skill.
"According to Aina-sama, the magic circles in the royal capital are also intricate. How did they set those up?"
"You're right. Even if they worked at night when no one was around, the military guards would still patrol. Unlike me, pure demons stand out, and they'd be caught immediately."
--By the way, Aina already knows that Kyunei is a half-demon. Even though she was almost killed by a demon before, Aina doesn't seem to mind. As expected of the woman I admire. She's got both brains and... well,big breasts.
"In the royal capital, we have already found out about the magic circles that were set up. This is insider stuff, not supposed to be out there. After all, it will embarrass my family."
Aina let out a sigh.
It's not common knowledge, but some big shots involved in the demon attack incident had connections to national politics. Everyone here, including me, who's directly involved, knows about it. They're keeping it hush-hush because if it gets out, people might start suspecting each other within the circle.
"He was a talented guy working in the royal castle, but his ambitions sometimes clashed with other nobles."
Basically, he was good at his job, so the royal family paid attention, but they didn't really interfere except to settle disputes.
"Sadly, his ambitions were way deeper than the royal family thought."
After the incident, when they searched his mansion, they found evidence linking him to demons.
"Isn't it suspicious to keep incriminating evidence around for too long?"
Mikage has a point. If someone were to investigate, they might find out about the betrayal before the plan is executed, which would be counterproductive.
"Normally, you'd be right. But these were things we couldn't just discard."
As they questioned the noble involved in the conspiracy, details about the incident started to emerge.
Originally, the demons planned to kill most of the country's important figures during the attack, including the royal family. Then, they would deliberately leave some survivors and retreat.
Of course, they weren't just letting them go.
The demons planned to choose those among the important figures who would willingly serve them. They would control them from the shadows and aim to rule the country from behind the scenes.
That noble, being one of the surviving elites, was promised the highest position in the country.
The evidence hidden in the mansion was the contract for this arrangement.
That noble intended to stand at the top rank of the country, even if as a puppet.
"But thanks to Yukina-kun butting in, the noble who was colluding with demons had their plans completely ruined."
"Thanks to Yukina-san informing us about the magic circles and the presence of demons within the royal capital, we were able to minimize the damage. For the kingdom that suffered a surprise attack, this is the best possible outcome."
On the other hand, from the demon's perspective, even with the use of an insider and a carefully prepared plan, it turned out to be a huge failure with almost no results.
"Going back to the topic. So, does that mean the magic circles set up in the royal capital were the work of the noble who was colluding?"
"Most likely. If it was him, it would have been easy for him to know the patrol routes of the night guards as well."
The demon who got information from the traitor noble found the right moment when the night guards wouldn't notice and set up summoning magic circles in the royal capital.
"..."
"Yukina-sama, is something bothering you?"
I was listening to Aina's story, arms crossed, head tilted in thought. When Mikage asked, I decided to share my thoughts.
"I was just wondering... Was that traitor noble really the only one involved?"
I didn't have any specific evidence or logical reason, just a sudden doubt.
When I voiced this, both Kyunei and Mikage seemed taken aback, and Aina hesitated, shrugging her shoulders as if she was uneasy.
"You hit the nail on the head, Yukina-san."
"Could it be... you're right?"
"It's not pleasant to suspect those close to you."
It seems Aina had also considered this possibility.
'How do you always hit the mark with these important things?'
You know, they say if you spot one 'black devil' lurking in the kitchen, there are probably a hundred more.
'That's an oddly accurate way to put it, but the analogy is a bit extreme!'
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