MTLNOVEL Chapter 190
190. The Scheming Usually Happens Far Away, Isn’t It?
The room was shrouded in darkness.
Despite being enclosed by thick stone walls, there wasn’t a single window, leaving the air stagnant throughout.
It could easily be mistaken for a prison, but the opulent mahogany table and chair sitting in the center proclaimed it to be a room for someone of high status.
A beautiful woman, befitting the intricately carved furniture, was seated there.
Her name was Bella Veil Road. Or rather, she was no longer of the Veil Road family and was now simply Bella.
Bella had been the wife of Kyle’s father, Orthros Gandar von Veil Road, but she committed an unforgivable crime by cursing her stepson Kyle, stepdaughter Myrna, and her own son Zaid.
Although she was a wanted criminal, she successfully fled the country and had now returned to her family home, the Baltark ducal residence.
At the age of 48, Bella appeared to be in her late twenties.
It was rumored she habitually used rejuvenation potions, much like Orthros’s eldest son, Flatten.
Her appearance exuded a witch-like allure that was almost otherworldly.
The room was empty except for Bella. She slowly raised a fan to her lips.
“…Kyle. Such an annoying boy.”
She opened the fan and snapped it shut with a sharp click.
“If all had gone to plan, Zaid would’ve inherited the Veil Road name, and we would’ve advanced our campaign smoothly.”
Snap, snap—the fan clicked repeatedly.
“The order has changed, but let’s eliminate that troublesome cluster of minor nations first, starting with their leading country, the Mizuho Divine Kingdom.”
With a loud snap, Bella closed the fan with more force than before.
A man’s voice echoed through the room, which should have been empty.
“That’s the only way to go.”
Yet Bella continued the conversation without any sign of surprise, as if it were perfectly natural.
“Is everything ready?”
“No problems. What about your side?”
“The brainwashing of my father is complete. I’ll also secure the emperor by the end of the day and have an imperial decree issued immediately.”
“Is that really gonna work?”
Bella raised an eyebrow, glaring at the wall.
There, against the wall where no one had been moments before, leaned a figure.
Not a person.
The figure resembled a monstrous bee—a humanoid creature with bee-like features.
The bee-man crossed his arms and raised them to shoulder height in a gesture of exasperation.
“No issues. The military is already under control.”
“Hmm. It better be, but don’t repeat the disaster from the kingdom incident.”
“!”
Snap, snap! The fan snapped open and closed as if to display her displeasure, but the bee-man remained unfazed.
“You’d better not mess this up. Succeed, and I’ll give you this as promised.”
The bee-man held a small vial and swayed it teasingly in front of Bella.
“Ah, that’s the final…!”
As Bella reached for it, the bee-man quickly withdrew the vial.
“Only after you bring down the kingdom, remember?”
“!”
Bella glared at him.
“Well, whatever. Seems like you’ve nearly secured the empire. I’ll give you the usual stuff as a special treat.”
The bee-man tossed a different vial to Bella. She hastily caught it and, with bloodshot eyes, downed its contents.
Steam-like smoke rose faintly from her entire body, and her skin took on a slightly more youthful glow.
This wasn’t the rejuvenation potion known as Amrita.
It was a dangerous, forbidden substance.
“Heh… hehehe… Everything’s fine now.”
Gone was her earlier anger, replaced by a beaming smile as she murmured.
No one responded to her words; she was once again alone in the room.
After basking in the lingering effects of the substance for a while, she opened the thick, soundproof door and instructed a soldier outside to relay a message.
An elderly man soon arrived.
“Hehe. Father, shall we begin?”
“…Yes.”
Her father, Duke Dorgandis Dora Baltark, replied in a lifeless voice before issuing orders to the soldiers.
To capture His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor…
◆
The sound of bells echoed across the Mizuho Divine Kingdom.
Warriors known as samurai dashed through the streets, urging residents to evacuate.
“All residents must proceed to designated shelters immediately! Merchants, evacuate the territory or relocate to the places we instruct!”
The samurai’s shouts prompted residents to grab their belongings and rush out of their homes, moving en masse toward the safety within the city walls.
Mizuho’s small size worked to its advantage.
Its design featured multiple concentric city walls and an intricate layout of residences, becoming more fortified the closer one got to the central castle.
“I see, the city’s layout itself serves as a kind of defensive wall.”
Raidoc nodded at my observation.
“It’s structured like a mountain fortress. Especially the third wall from the center—it’s built for robust defense.”
“So that’s why there are so many samurai stationed in the city.”
Watching the Mizuho soldiers darting around, I noticed they were positioned not just at the outermost city wall but also along the walls dividing various districts.
“In emergencies, even the outer residences serve as barriers against invasion. It’s a common design, but this country has perfected it.”
I nodded in agreement.
The layers of fortifications encircling the sacred shrine of Muten, along with the densely packed residences in each district, carried significant strategic meaning.
The three great families’ castles surrounded the shrine, and the residents were evacuating into these castles.
A method of evacuation feasible only for a small country.
Incidentally, the castle of Golden Dawn was also designed to accommodate all its residents in times of crisis. Its castle and enclosing walls were indeed impenetrable.
As Raidoc and I conversed, someone naturally joined in.
“That’s why this country is the safest, huh?”
“It’s often called the leader among the minor nations.”
“Yeah. If you’re gonna take refuge, this is the place to be!”
“They even accept non-citizens… Wait! Hey! Why are you butting into our conversation, Lucas?”
It took me a moment to realize that the man seamlessly joining our discussion was Lucas Lindblum, an adventurer from the empire we’d met during our travels.
Lucas, a bearer of the Ranger’s Crest, was apparently journeying solo through the perilous lands surrounding the minor nations.
“Why am I chatting with some burly dudes?”
“Don’t ask me! You’re the one who butted in!”
“Yeah, but it sounded interesting. So, what’s the best way to bring down a city like this?”
Still as carefree as ever, both in appearance and demeanor.
“Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
Talking about invading a city currently under attack by monsters was hardly suitable.
“Maybe, but aren’t you curious?”
Now that he mentioned it, I couldn’t deny some curiosity—though I had no intention of leading a siege myself.
Raidoc tilted his head slightly.
“I’m no mercenary, but strongholds like this are usually taken by overwhelming numbers or through sieges.”
Lucas crossed his arms behind his head.
“Huh. Sieges, that’s when you hole up in a castle, right? Isn’t it easier for the defenders?”
“That’s assuming the besiegers can’t break through. If reinforcements don’t arrive, though, the defenders will eventually starve. Without supplies, it’s just a test of endurance.”
“Gotcha. So they just wait until the food runs out? That’s brutal.”
“It’s the reality of war between humans. Against a monster stampede like this, though, a siege can be effective.”
“Interesting stuff. All right! I’m gonna go impress some girl with this knowledge!”
Lucas ran off toward Eva, only to be chased away moments later by her wind magic.
“What is that guy even doing?”
“Leave him be. At least he lightened the mood a bit.”
“Too much, if you ask me…”
Raidoc and I shrugged at the same time, shaking our heads in exasperation.