“So that’s what happened!”
After a while, Licorice came back…
And we were told something outrageous.
“People who are dissatisfied with the lord have gathered and are plotting an armed uprising…?”
“I really hope that’s just a joke… but surely no adult would make such a tasteless joke.”
Honestly, I don’t think a coup will happen today or tomorrow.
If it’s still only at the planning stage, it should require careful preparation.
Even if a decision were made today, I think there’d be at least a month of leeway.
But…
The problem is that the situation is already critical.
Planning a coup requires tremendous resolve.
And if circumstances severe enough to harden people’s resolve like that have formed…
Then what Albert is saying might actually be true.
“What do you think, Sofia?”
“Well… it could be an elaborate trap, but if we keep thinking like that, there’ll be no end to it.”
“Yeah. And besides, I think it was pure coincidence that we met Albert in the first place. There’s no way someone could prepare a trap on this scale for a chance encounter like that.”
“Then…”
“For now, I think it’s fine to judge that Albert isn’t lying.”
Of course, we can’t believe everything he says.
He might secretly harbor ambitions and be planning to use us.
But like Sofia said, if we start considering every such possibility, we’ll never get anywhere…
So for now, I want to proceed based on the most likely scenario.
“So… in the end, what are we gonna do?”
Licorice threw out the fundamental question.
“Hmm, that’s a tough one…”
Even if Albert is telling the truth, whether we should cooperate with him is a different matter altogether.
It’s not that this has nothing to do with us…
The issue lies in what Albert is trying to do.
Given the current situation, there’s a high chance the lord is ruling badly.
I understand the desire to do something about that, but…
“Is usurpation really… okay?”
Doing something wrong in order to achieve something right.
What Albert is trying to do is essentially that…
And I can’t help but hesitate over whether we should lend our strength to someone like that.
“I…”
“Yeah?”
“…I think it’s okay to cooperate.”
That answer surprised me a little.
“Why?”
“In this world, what is right isn’t everything. Sometimes, cruel measures are necessary.”
“That’s…”
“There isn’t much time left for this city. Trying to correct things through straightforward means would take too long, and the damage would grow in the meantime. And if we take too long, a coup will happen and the chaos will only worsen. Wanting to prevent that… isn’t an unreasonable way of thinking.”
“Yeah… you’re right.”
Trying to do only what’s right doesn’t always work.
That’s something I understand well, having once been a slave myself.
So I could understand what Albert was trying to do.
I understood it, but…
“……”
Somehow, it still didn’t sit right with me.
A lingering sense of unease remained.
I didn’t think I was that rigid or idealistic…
But maybe I just can’t accept such a forceful method like usurpation.
“Fate, are you still against it?”
“Um…”
“I’ll follow Fate’s decision. I’m fine with cooperating with him, prioritizing the journey to the royal capital, or even searching for a completely different third path.”
Sofia smiled gently, as if she would accept any choice.
Looking at her smile, that strange unease faded away.
“…Yeah, let’s cooperate with Albert.”
“Are you sure?”
“I have my reservations, but… it’s fine. And besides, I don’t want to pretend I didn’t know about this after learning what’s going on.”
“Hehe, that’s exactly why you’re my favorite, Fate.”
Sofia smiled happily, and then—
“See that, Aisha? That’s what you call a total idiot couple.”
“I-di…?”
“An idiot couple that’s evolved beyond a regular idiot couple. They don’t care about their surroundings. Anytime, anywhere, they create a world just for the two of them and get all lovey-dovey.”
“Ohhh.”
“Please don’t teach Aisha weird things!”
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