Lust-Eating Grimoire - The Witch Queen's Heir is a Man!

Chapter 88: The New Additions

The coronation was set to happen.

"The Emperor is dead...?"

Adam nodded at our shocked words. We hadn’t gone out of the Forbidden Fairy Forest since the day the attack was made. While they were outside, Adam and Arlene had sent us a small letter telling Serenia and the Grim Palace about the situation in the Empire.

The sick Emperor, and the dead youngest prince. It quickly devolved into another problem altogether, today.

"What the hell..." Weiss murmured. "Is it a big deal? He must have been killed, right?"

"Everyone in the world suspects so," Arlene Reinvelt said. "But no one will say it out loud."

A silence fell over the room. Things were not looking good for the world right now if the crown prince had genuinely gone stabby stabby with his papa. And the youngest prince as well? For real? That was his own brother.

"Word that we and the Reinvelt Knights are alive has gone out, and we’ve managed to ensure that everyone only things the city couldn’t escape. No chance of your presence being out."

"It can, of course," Arlene said, sighing. "Turn into a narrative where the Grim Palace is blamed again, but I don’t think the Crown Prince would do that."

"A common enemy can be a great way to consolidate power," I said.

"Immense power too, though. He is planning to rule through fear."

Quite exciting, this situation.

"Either way," Adam said. "We thought it best to utilize the situation for our benefit and hide our weapons."

I tilted my head.

Adam finally pointed at Nea and Keith and said. "They are dead."

"No, you fool. They are right here standing and moving."

"No, no. They are DEAD. You get me?"

I did. I truly did. I just didn’t want to accept it.

"It’s the best, isn’t it?" said Adam, laughing. "Our Vice Captain is a force of nature in herself, and Keith is an amazing strategist as well."

Weiss nodded as she glanced at Nea. The knight noticed it and blushed slightly. The Witch Queen stamp of approval! Like a father starving their children of praise, Weiss sure was a master at maintaining her airs.

Arlene continued after that.

"Nea and Keith are capable of contacting us, moving freely from here to the Duchy so if you ever need anything you can just tell them. And, I think Miss Weiss also sensed how powerful they are."

"Strong," Weiss said.

"They can protect the city, and since things are as tumultuous as they are with the Crown Prince right now..."

I objected to this!

There were reasons. On one hand, Keith and Nea were less of a ’ghost plant’ and more people who remained to maintain a constant relationship with us.

Surveillance? Not at all. Arlene and Adam were not stupid enough to think they could keep ’tabs’ on us. Even though the kind of action was the same, the goal, intent, and thought behind it was completely different.

Their point of a ghost was also not wrong. In a way, Serenia entirely was a ghost city right now. Weiss and I planned to keep it the same. Train them, train the entire city, make it capable of immense growth, and if anything comes our way.

Crush it.

We would of course utilize the Duchy’s help for that.

Still! Couldn’t they give us someone like Dumas?

"A few other members of the Reinvelt Knight are in similar positions. We found a chance to make very well trained people move to little suspicion." Arlene chuckled. "Oh, before I forget."

She gestured at Rachel and the knight handed her a big satchel.

"This here are some gifts."

"The Duke and us will have to attend the coronation. From there on..." Adam narrowed his eyes. "A real change will begin. They dared use our people as a sacrifice, to rule with a hammer over our heads. The Reinvelts and the North will not stand for it."

"We block the Ice Wall out of duty and love, not out of fear and lack of options," Arlene said. "That is the first thing every Reinvelt is taught."

"The Crown Prince has underestimated us, and has made enemies with the wrong people."

"You were about to die, you know?"

"Those minor details aside," Adam laughed, but his eyes were not laughing at all. Hit where it stung, huh? At least he was self-aware enough to know there was a long way to go. "We will do better," he continued.

I nodded. It was agreeable.

They would do better eventually. We would all have to.

"Keep us updated on things happening in the world, can you?"

"Of course. We need a direct way to reach you should there be any problems near the Grim Palace. Also, we have hired a lookout in the outskirts of the city. A small village called Kroma survived, that’s where the CEF went first too."

I hummed and leaned back in my couch.

"That’s an important thing to investigate as well. How did the demon ever come in?"

"Right. The lookout will be investigating that, and ensure no strange movements happen near the Forbidden Fairy Forest."

By all means, we were now completely in an equal relationship with the Reinvelt Duchy.

That was a great thing.

The Grim Palace and Serenia city were now much more secure.

"Well, that’s that. We will take your leave for now. Is it okay if we keep the obscurer?" asked Adam.

"You would need it to go in and out," said Weiss. "Keep it."

And so keep it they did.

They were in quite a rush, and left like a whirlwind, but that was good too.

***

Later, after seeing the Reinvelt siblings off and taking a communication crystal from them, I and Weiss were returning to the Grim Palace when the two new knights came and bowed to us.

"Um..." Keith was the one speaking up. Nea kept quieter. "Is it okay if we stay here for the time being? The city doesn’t have the space or capability to let us have a roof for now..."

Weiss nodded.

"Sure," said she.

Wow. Talk about easy going.

This girl sure was loving being the big guy everyone looked upto, huh? Why screw me over in the process?

Nea and my eyes met.