Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 13 Prologue (section)

===Part 2===
Seven days ago from Lisha’s awakening.

The New Kingdom Atismata, the royal capital Lordgalia.

Inside the royal castle──the audience hall.

The case of Soffice’s betrayal was settled. The inside of the castle was enveloped with an atmosphere that was slightly relaxed. At that time, an emergency messenger tore apart such atmosphere.

「Pardon me! Your majesty! Strange figures of people are starting puzzling speeches in various places within the country! The result from Drake’s detection ascertained that they are the Abyss called Shadows disguising themselves as human! Those Abyss are only spreading words, so there is no damage at all to the people and Drag-Knights but──」

The content of the information that the Drag-Knight soldier reported caused everyone there, Queen Raffi and the chief vassals of the New Kingdom, to frown.

「The incident that happened until the other day and the war council for capturing Avalon after this caused her majesty to be very busy. You all should be the ones to deal with the trifling matters within the country.」

The prime minister who was still young with an intellectual look, Nulph said that, but the messenger soldier didn’t lift his face.

He continued to talk with trembling voice while keeping his kneeling posture.

「A, as you say but……the number of Abyss making a speech isn’t normal. And, the contents of their speech is also a problem.」

「Problem you say? Just what are they saying? If the citizens are told delusional words from the Abyss, there won’t be any problem no matter what they say.」

「N, no, those Abyss, they are speaking of a terrible matter──」

When the soldier lifted up his pale face, the door was slowly opened and someone entered.

「Who are you!? You are in the presence of the queen──!?」

Prime Minister Nulph raised his voice towards the sudden intruder, but he stopped midway.

The face of the intruder caused him to turn speechless spontaneously.

「You, if I’m not mistaken──!?」

「-……you are!?」

After Nulph, Queen Raffi also held her breath.

The one who appeared in the audience hall was a girl wearing a pure white dress.

No, what was white wasn’t just the dress.

Her skin that was like fresh snow without even a single dot of cloudiness, and radiant silver hair that looked as though powdered snow was scattered on it.

Her mismatched eyes had the color of gray at the left, and faintly blazing scarlet at the right.

That transcendental presence which was out of the human realm affected not just the chief vassals, even Nulph and Raffi were also unable to make any voice.

「How do you do, my name is Listelka Rei Arshalia. The Lords──an imperial family member of the ancient era, a descendant of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the one managing all the Ruins in this world.」

「Wha……!?」

「That is, her highness Listelka……? Why is she here!?」

The chief vassals who heard that looked at each other’s face in shock.

The top of the Lords, Listelka Rei Arshalia. Her existence wasn’t known by the people, but the chief vassals of each country were told of her.

Why did she suddenly appear here and introduced herself?

What was going on? What was she saying?

While such confusion was spreading to everyone there, Prime Minister Nulph returned to his senses.

「Wha, what is the guards doing!? There is an intruder there!」

「I, it’s that! The Abyss that mimicked humans and appeared everywhere to make a speech!」

「What……!?」

The messenger soldier raised his voice at the same time with Nulph’s instruction.

The guards summoned their Drag-Rides and stood in front of the queen.

But, the Abyss didn’t look bothered at all and simply continued its words.

「Originally I planned to give my greeting a little bit quicker, but I also have my own situation. Well, the consuls of the New Kingdom and Queen Raffi seemed to be hiding it, but the Queen cannot be blamed about it. After all it is surely inconvenient for her──the existence of this me, the legitimate ruler of this world.」

「Wha, what is it saying!?」

「Don’t speak as you please, you insolent fellow!」

「It’s pointless. Stop it.」

The chief vassals were making angry voices, but they were stopped by Nulph.

This wasn’t Listelka herself who was currently speaking. The Abyss called Shadow that was mimicking her appearance was only one-sidedly transmitting the speech.

「We are the imperial family of the ancient era who once ruled this world. Whether it is the Old Empire or the New Kingdom, or every other country, they hid our existence and deceived all of you to stand at the top.」

The girl──no, the Abyss mimicking Listelka fluently continued its speech.

A beautiful and striking voice was gently resounding in the audience hall.

「But, we are standing on the front stage once more to act as the ruler of all of you as before. There is no need to fear. It is only the royalties and nobles who we, the Lord are choosing as the target of punishment. We won’t lay our hands on the people who possess no military strength. Thus──」

Inside Listelka’s graceful smile, a shadow was mixed like a drop of poison.

「Those who wish to proclaim themselves as innocent people, please come forward and announce yourself at once. Throw away your Drag-Rides and take distance from the royalties and nobles, shut out and isolate them. We will massacre those who are holding weapons, the people who are continuing to rule with the absolute armed might called Drag-Rides.」

「Wha──!?」

The chief vassals opened their eyes wide altogether and raised a shocked voice.

That was a clear provocation that was just too blatant.

A political declaration to steal power from royalties and nobles and isolated them.

Furthermore Listelka continued to say that at the dawn when the ruling class was purged, she would stop the activities of the Abyss, abolish all taxes and conscription, and granted the people freedom.

「──Ridiculous! This is disgusting!」

「There is no citizen in our country who will swallow this kind of nonsense.」

「Your majesty! Please give your command to exterminate these Abyss within our country!」

The chief vassals who were raging furiously spoke one after another, but Queen Raffi silently shook her head.

「That’s──not possible.」

Queen Raffi spoke with a sorrowful expression.

「At present, we are gathering our forces in the Marcafal Kingdom in order to capture Avalon. In this situation, even if we borrow the strength of the Four Great Nobles, we won’t be able to even maintain the public order of the capital.」

In other words, they couldn’t split their forces to exterminate the Abyss called Shadow that were only making speeches.

They could only endure it at this time, but even then a part of the retainers appealed doggedly.

「While presumptuous allow me to speak! Although it’s just nonsense, if this kind of false rumor is repeated everywhere, everyday, before long it will become an embellished rumor. There is no way we cannot let the foundation of the New Kingdom get taken away! The extermination of the Abyss have to be done as fast as──」

「Didn’t you hear her majesty’s words? She is saying that we cannot do that!」

The prime minister Nulph rebuked loudly. That place fell silent.

Nulph gave instructions to the guards wearing Drag-Rides in regard to Listelka who was starting to repeat the same speech.

After a Drag-Knight pierced the Core with his Blade, the Abyss collapsed without resistance, turned into ash, and crumbled.

「It’s a cheap provocation. Besides, her majesty has the support of the people. There is no need to worry that they will be manipulated by Abyss nonsense.」

「Perhaps, so.」

Raffi nodded at Nulph’s advice and swallowed the sigh that she was about to leak out.

Either way they had no way to interfere with this at present, so she could only think that.

Perhaps a part of the chief vassals had guilty feelings of pointlessly spending tax, because they were eager to regain their honor, but there was no time for such thing.

But, thought Raffi.

If there was still another trap lurking behind that speech which was using the Abyss called Shadow.

If Listelka Rei Arshalia was seriously trying to change the current ruling structure, it might not end with just this.

「……As I thought, perhaps this is too heavy of a burden. Being a replacement for my elder brother the great man, for me it’s──」

Queen Raffi’s monologue wasn’t heard by anyone other than Prime Minister Nulph who was standing at her side. That voice was swallowed into the tumult of the audience hall that was starting to be noisy and vanished.

–

And then, half a day later, an even more terrifying notice came from the Lords.

The capture of the Seven Dragon Paladins by the Lords.

There was a demand for negotiation with them as hostages.

In case the representatives didn’t show up at the Marcafal Kingdom within the next twelve days, the Seven Dragon Paladins would be executed.