The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs - Volume 11 - Chapter 11.2

Part 2

A few weeks later.

In the royal palace of the Kingdom of Horfalt, nobles gathered.

It was to hear the details of the battle that took place in the Holy Kingdom of Raschel.

In the audience chamber, Duke Vince Redgrave is also present.

At this point, it was known to the nobles that Leon had raided the capital of Raschel and captured the Holy King.

However, the details have not been made known.

Roland sits on his throne and watches the nobles.

Some are relieved, others anxious.

Those who look anxious are surely those who have communicated with the enemy.

They never imagined that Leon could bring down Raschel just as they were preparing to switch sides.

(That dung brat, I didn’t think he would bring out the Emperor. Only this time, I was saved by him, so I will praise him honestly.)

He never expected that he would bring out Emperor Karl and eliminate the seeds of the Empire’s entry into the war that Raschel was hoping for.

Roland was unusually honest in his assessment of Leon.

During the audience, a bureaucrat who had been investigating the details in Raschel entered the room.

As he kneels in front of Roland, his voice is loud with excitement at the idea of delivering the happy news.

“Rejoice, Your Majesty! Duke Bartfalt has defeated the Holy Kingdom of Raschel, and has broken the military alliance against the Kingdom of Horfalt. Milene-sama has also informed me that there is no possibility for the Empire to enter the war.”

Hearing that, the nobles voice their admiration.

“Ooh, as expected of Duke Bartfalt.”

“And this one’s a big achievement, too.”

“Since there is no more promotion, so I guess he’ll be rewarded for it.”

The nobles murmur lines of their own accord, but Vince looks somewhat uninterested.

It must be a complicated feeling to see someone that he has cut ties with play an active role.

Roland stands up and claps.

“To Duke Bartfalt, who has done a wonderful job, let me say a word of gratitude, shall we? That said, his accomplishments have been unparalleled in the kingdom. I think we have no choice but to bestow upon him the rank of Grand Duke, don’t you?”

The rank of Grand Duke was once given to the Duke Fannos —— a time when they called themselves the Grand Duke Fannos until they separated from the Kingdom of Horfalt.

The Grand Duke did not arise for a long time after that, but to reward Leon’s achievements, Roland offered to grant him the rank of Grand Duke.

(I’ll honestly appreciate you this time. But that’s that, and this is this —— let’s give you a well-deserved promotion for your efforts.)

Chuckling inwardly, Roland was happy to imagine the look on Leon’s face when he heard this story.

Surely Leon would hate it with all his heart.

Roland is, in a certain sense, the one who understands Leon best.

Then the bureaucrat who had finished his report looked at Roland unnerved.

Roland sees through it.

“What’s wrong? You still have something to report?”

“N-No, this is not the kind of information that His Majesty would hear.”

Based on the bureaucrat’s reaction, ‘Perhaps it has to do with somebody else’s scandal?’ Roland speculates.

Possibly, it would be Leon and Milene.

(That little brat, don’t tell me, did he lay his hands on Milene? Oi oi, this is information worth teasing, isn’t it? I knew that guy was going to do it someday, but this is perfect timing.)

The Queen and the Duke having a secret affair is the stuff of executions.

But Roland had an idea.

(I would be in trouble if the little brat was executed, so I would show them how mature I am by quieting down the nobles who are fussing about executing him here. My reputation will be damaged a little, but it won’t hurt me if I can get a hold of the little brat’s weakness.)

A man who had his wife cheated on him would be laughed at in upper-class, noble society.

If this was a baron or a viscount, it was commonplace not long ago.

But Roland is a King.

If Roland’s name is tarnished, the prestige of the country will be damaged.

Surely the nobles will advise him to execute Leon for having a secret affair with the Queen.

Roland imagines it in his head.

(Fufu, now that brat won’t be able to raise his head against me for the rest of his life. I wonder if he is in a scene of carnage with his fiancée now? I’m so excited to see them back)

And if rumors spread that he had made a move on Milene, surely Ange and the others would not keep quiet about it.

Imagining a scene where Leon’s affair with a woman had developed into a scene of carnage, Roland’s mind was very happy.

(Ah~, I just want to call him up right now and laugh at his misery)

Roland tells the bureaucrat.

“I’m curious. Report it without concealment.”

The bureaucrat wanders his gaze and says that he can’t go against the king’s order.

“T-This information is not verified. It is only a rumor spreading in the surrounding area. We hope you will take this into consideration.”

He didn’t want to say too much, so the introduction was long.

“Just say it.”

(It was probably just a rumor about an affair between the little brat and Milene, anyway, right? It doesn’t matter at this point whether they did or didn’t. What’s important is that the rumor spreads on the spot.)

He wants to hear the story of their affair from the mouth of the bureaucrat now.

The bureaucrat says something unexpected to Roland.

“Well then, I apologize for the rudeness! In the Holy Kingdom of Raschel, rumors are spreading that Duke Bartfalt is His Majesty’s illegitimate son!”

Roland assumed it was about cheating anyway, and nodded his head while crossing his arms.

“Yes, my illegitimate child —— Eh?”

When he raises his head, the nobles are momentarily stunned and the audience chamber falls silent.

The bureaucrat gave Roland an anxious look.

“I-It is a rumor with no proof, but it is spreading in Raschel as if it were true. In fact, it is said that Duke Bartfalt became furious when the Holy King mentioned it during negotiations in the area, and beat him up.”

The bureaucrat’s gesture was, “Perhaps he was offended because it was right on the mark?”.

In Raschel, it was assumed that Leon was Roland’s illegitimate son.

Roland breaks out in a cold sweat and then starts shaking.

“A, A-A-A, Are you kidding me? That man is my illegitimate child? That’s not even funny! Who said that? The Holy King? Bring him before me immediately. I will cut off the Holy King’s head and display it in the capital of Raschel!”

Roland had been the subject of many rumors, but this was the first time in his life that he had ever been so agitated.

Because he exposed himself in such a manner in front of the nobles, there was whispering around him——.

“I didn’t think he’d be that upset.”

“Duke Bartfalt is the same age as His Highness Julius.”

“Is that a reason to hide it?”

——At that time, the first child of Milene, who was the legal wife, was recognized as the Crown Prince.

At such a time, the appearance of an illegitimate child would have caused no small amount of upheaval in the royal court.

There must have been people who wanted to support Leon.

In other words, there existed a reason for Roland to hide him —— or so it was thought.

Roland shakes his head helplessly.

“T-That’s wrong. You guys think about it? Do you think he and I look alike?”

Roland denied it, but sadly, his faint voice reached no one.

Vince and Minister Bernard are talking in a whisper.

Their faces are serious.

“Minister Bernard, is it true about the illegitimate child? Surely you didn’t know about it?”

“N-No way.”

“No, you were working to get Duke Bartfalt promoted when he was a Baron.”

“That was because I thought that if he rose a little higher in the court, he would be a suitable partner for my daughter. I have no other intention than that. In the first place, isn’t the Duke the same?”

“U-Umu. Sure, we were pushing back then.”

What they are talking about is the time when Leon exterminated sky pirates in the second semester of his first year.

Minister Barnard appreciated Leon for giving his daughter Claris the opportunity to recover from a broken heart.

For that reason, he somewhat forced his promotion, which apparently made it seem to Vince as if he knew that he was Roland’s illegitimate son.

Vince puts his hand on his chin.

“If you didn’t know, then it must be an illegitimate child?”

‘Is it wrong?’ Minister Bernard, being asked such a question, replies while wiping his gushing sweat with a white handkerchief.

“I can’t say for sure that it’s wrong.”

“What?”

“Since that time, His Majesty has repeatedly played with women, and it is impossible to say for sure that he never did. Besides, he had been to the frontier on several occasions when he escaped from the palace.”

Vince gives Roland an indescribable look.

His face was as if to say, “Which one is it?”.

The people around him were beginning to make a fuss about it, saying, “It’s possible!”.

Roland shouted to the sky.

“That brat, you spread unnecessary rumoooors!!”

Roland’s screams echoed through the audience chamber.