1. Even Pretty Shoes Can Become Weapons (part 7)
“Your Majesty!”
Arthur Digory burst open the Emperor’s bedroom door and entered.
Having entered energetically and seeing the Emperor sitting on the sofa with his divine beasts sprawled beside him in animal form, he hesitated for a moment, but soon furrowed his brow and strode toward the Emperor again.
“The fact that you’re making that face means you’ve definitely come to lecture me.”
“Of course I’m going to lecture you! What exactly happened with Marcella Morris?”
The young lady who had left the ballroom with the Emperor had returned crying and barefoot.
Rumors spread quickly. For him, who was young, hardly seemed like a benevolent ruler, had an indifferent temperament, and would be fine if he at least did politics well but only made enemies, such rumors were fatal.
“What are you planning to do? Do you even know what the people below are saying right now?”
—Arthur.
Tamarin, who had been showing his belly, rolled over and bared his teeth at Arthur.
—What’s wrong with what the people below are saying? If those spreading unsavory words are the problem, bring them to me. I’ll put them all in my stomach.
When Tamarin growled and spoke, Phoenix spread her wings as if agreeing.
Arthur stepped back hesitantly.
The reason Nell, who had a bad reputation and many opposing forces, could continue to reign as emperor was truly simple.
The only person comparable to the Dragon Slayer legend. There was no one in the Western Empire who could defeat Nell Hairi, who commanded divine beasts.
“That’s not the problem.”
However, just being strong didn’t make everything go smoothly. Being above someone wasn’t such a simple matter.
—If that’s not the problem, what is? Just put all the troublemakers in my stomach and it’s easy.
—So ignorant.
Phoenix mocked Tamarin and transformed into a human woman’s form to stand beside Arthur.
“How far do you think rule by fear can go? Charisma without fear only incites rebellion for survival. You experienced that today too.”
“Experienced what?”
“Arthur, shall I tell you? What happened to Lady Marcella?”
—Hey! Phoenix!
“Stop barking when you’re not even a dog, Tamarin.”
Phoenix mocked Tamarin and whispered in Arthur’s ear.
“Tamarin bit that poor lady’s head just because he was bored. So he’s being punished and is in that state.”
Phoenix pointed at Tamarin in lion cub form and giggled. Then the lion cub Tamarin pounced on Phoenix.
“Stop, stop it, both of you!”
—Shut up! Don’t order us around, Arthur.
“That’s right. Be quiet, Arthur.”
When the two beasts began fighting entangled, a whirlwind started in the room.
“Your Majesty!”
Arthur urgently called for Nell. Nell was just propping his chin and watching them with a slight tilt of his head.
“Your Majesty, please stop them immediately.”
—Oh, now you’re treating us as ‘them’? Getting ahead of yourself, Arthur?
“Your Majesty! Have you forgotten how much casualties there were last time when the two divine beasts fought!”
“Nell will be unharmed, so it doesn’t matter.”
—Right, weakling Arthur.
“Whether I’m weak or not doesn’t matter. Your Majesty! Please!”
Arthur went before Nell and knelt down.
Nell quietly looked at Arthur, then extended his hand toward Tamarin and Phoenix.
“Stop.”
The two beasts looked at Nell with displeasure. But they couldn’t disobey that command, so Phoenix let go first, and Tamarin also hid his claws and snorted while turning his head away.
“Congratulations on your life extension, kitten.”
—Where do you get off, chicken head.
Tamarin went to the bed while Phoenix went to the window, not stopping their growling at each other.
Arthur was relieved that they at least didn’t cause the same incident as last time and looked up at the Emperor again.
“Your Majesty, is it true that Tamarin bit Lady Marcella Morris’s head?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“How would I know the reason Tamarin plays around?”
Arthur felt dizzy but held on tight. If he was going to collapse from this much, he wouldn’t have volunteered to be his aide.
He spoke calmly and clearly.
“Your Majesty, Tamarin is your divine beast.”
“Yes.”
“Your Majesty’s divine beast attacked a young lady.”
—Hey! Attack is too much. I just played a little.
Arthur turned sharply to glare fiercely at Tamarin. Then Tamarin snorted.
Arthur looked at Nell again and gritted his teeth. If he didn’t understand at once, it was his role to keep advising until he did understand.
“Your Majesty, I’ll say it again. Your Majesty’s divine beast attacked an innocent young lady.”
“I separated Tamarin because it looked like she would cry if left alone.”
“…Tamarin didn’t withdraw on his own, but Your Majesty separated him first?”
“Why are you so surprised? Wasn’t that the kind of action you wanted from me?”
Arthur looked at Tamarin with disbelief.
Arthur rolled his eyes as he organized his thoughts.
“Your Majesty.”
Having called the Emperor quietly, his mouth opened slightly as if a thought had struck him.
“Your Majesty, what business did you have with Lady Marcella? No, before that, how did you know Lady Marcella?”
“…I’d prefer if you asked questions one at a time.”
“Why did you take Lady Marcella away!”
At Arthur’s question that was close to shouting, Nell quietly lowered his eyes in thought before looking at Arthur again.
Arthur felt like the time until his answer came was painfully slow.
“Because I promised to show her the Dragon Slayer’s sword.”
“Your Majesty said that?!”
Arthur looked at his lord as if he had seen a ghost and shouted.
“When exactly did you make such a promise!”
“Was it three years ago?”
“To keep a promise from three years ago, and the Dragon Slayer King’s sword at that! Your Majesty!”
Arthur was so surprised that veins were standing out on his neck.
“Of all people, Your Majesty!”
“I don’t see why you’re so surprised.”
“That’s because Your Majesty would never…!”
Arthur quickly shut his mouth.
Arthur swallowed his words and put them in his stomach.
When exactly? Three years ago would be after he had already met Nell and volunteered to be his aide, boasting that he would make him emperor.
He was the person who had served Nell closest. Yet without even his knowledge, he had made such a sweet promise with some young lady to show her treasures?
“Such, such…!”
Arthur suddenly felt like this crisis that would only worsen Nell’s reputation was an opportunity sent by God.
“Arthur, I think I know what you’re thinking, so shall I tell you one more piece of good news?”
Phoenix approached Arthur with a smile and whispered in his ear.
Though she was a phoenix and approaching her was as hot as carelessly putting your hand in a furnace, Arthur endured somehow. Even if he got burned now, it would be fine.
“That shoe, whose shoe does it look like?”
Phoenix pointed to the green enamel shoe on the table.
Arthur’s mouth fell open in shock. Marcella Morris! It was definitely Marcella Morris’s shoe.
“The lady threw it at Tamarin and left.”
She threw a shoe at Tamarin but returned with all her limbs intact? Though she did return with disheveled hair, barefoot and crying, that bad-tempered Tamarin had been that lenient?
“Why is a shoe that the lady threw at Tamarin in Your Majesty’s bedroom…”
Arthur covered his mouth with one hand.
There was no way Tamarin would go easy on the lady. He was the Tamarin who had bitten a servant’s leg for daring to pass in front of him.
But that same Tamarin had sent back unharmed a lady who had attacked him—there was only one answer.
“Did Your Majesty bring it here personally?”
When Arthur asked with a trembling voice, Phoenix smiled broadly and nodded.
“Finally!”
Arthur clenched his fists. Finally finding the target for the plan he had been secretly devising, Arthur couldn’t stop smiling.
