Leort was on his way, and he randomly named my father, Hawk, not me, as the author of Zeno's biography. His destination was right in front of him, but he suddenly turned the steering wheel and felt as if he had arrived at the wrong place.
"…?"
I slowly opened my tightly closed eyes and looked ahead. Leort was looking at our brothers and sisters with a confident smile.
Sitting next to him, Lina is elegantly drinking tea with a relaxed face.
I couldn't open my mouth because I was extremely nervous until recently, but a question crept through the tension in my mind. Instead, his chest was pounding, and sweat was still dripping from his clenched fists.
Why would Leort leave me alone and conclude that my father, Hawk, is the author of Zeno's biography? Due to the circumstances, his head didn't work well, but it seems that it wasn't Nicole.
After hearing Leort's confident words, Nicole remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth. His voice was so low that it pierced the floor.
"…if I said no, would you believe me?"
"If you say no, you may harm your family. Paying taxes means that there is profit, and it is the duty of the nobles to report to the superiors where they got the profit and where it will be used. This is how it is designated. Only my Abamama can make laws."
The Abamamaraham mentioned by Leort must have been referring to the emperor, the highest authority in the empire. Seeing the emperor put it in his mouth, it seemed that he had a plan.
Nicole was also thinking the same as I thought, but her face, which had been hardened, became even harder. The fist placed on her thigh seemed to have tightened as well.
"You don't have to make a face like that. Anyway, I'm pretty sure your father is the author of Zeno's biography."
"…Why did you have such confidence?"
"… …"
As I listened to Nicole's question, I could sense that the flow of the story had taken a strange turn. Seeing that the topic continued even though I, the real writer, was right next to me, it seemed that Leotre had judged the mistaken moment as an opportunity.
But the more I did it, the more uncomfortable my heart became. Isn't it as if you put your father in front of you as a shield?
My father was a person who dedicated himself to me, but it was hard for me to tolerate it as a shield. So, it was the moment when I couldn't see and opened my mouth.
Awkward-
Just before I opened my mouth to speak, Nicole silently grabbed my hand. And he gave me strength, as if not to say anything.
I was embarrassed by the unspoken pressure for an unknown reason, but as soon as I saw Nicole's expression, I had no choice but to give up trying to speak. Nicole's expression was serious.
Although it was uncomfortable to plant because it seemed like he was selling off his father, she seemed to have other thoughts, so I have no choice but to believe.
"Everything has a reason."
In the meantime, Leort raised the corners of his mouth more than before in response to Nicole's question and leaned back on the chair. His charisma flowed out and led him to concentrate.
"As I said before, tax payment is a very complicated thing. In particular, our Minerva Empire is more complicated because it is very strict about taxes. However, the more complicated it is, the clearer it is. It originates here."
"… …"
"However, even that is not perfect. There will be people who commit tax evasion even at this very moment. In particular, the method Sir Michelle used had enough room to be abused as tax evasion. It could have been. Fortunately, it didn't happen thanks to the strong wick that has been passed down since the days of knights."
Apparently, Leort was convinced that my father was the author of Zeno's biography. He had a hard time figuring out whether he should like this or not.
Meanwhile, Nicole and I were looking at Leort. Lina, who was drinking tea next to her, put down her teacup and she spoke out with her characteristic soft tone.
"At first it was hard to believe that Sir Michelle was the author of Zeno's biography. But given his achievements and experience, there are just too many things that fit perfectly."
"…an achievement?"
Finally, my mouth was open. I didn't know it until I entered the academy, but my father was a knight who once held a high status.
He was also the leader of the Navy Knights, which were full of human monsters, and he made achievements that I could not even imagine.
As for how terrifying this achievement is, it is normal that he should have been given the title of count, not baron. It is surprising that a commoner even received the status of a nobleman, but since he was a count, we could only guess how great his father's achievements were.
"Ugh…"
Lina heard my question, let out a subtle snort, and then stared at me. After that, she smiled and spoke to me in a tone that could only be felt with kindness.
"Isak, do you know what achievements Zeno has made in Zeno's biography?"
"Of course… I know."
May not know the main character of Zeno's biography, Zenon, has indeed built up a feat that will leave your mouth wide open.
The biggest example was subjugating a vicious dragon with the help of a colleague, saving the country from the threat of the devil, reclaiming the relics of the church that were thought to have been lost, and so on.
Each achievement had such a big impact on the world that the name Xenon spread widely around the world.
Then Lina heard my answer and nodded and started to tell me about the achievements her father had made one by one.
"Sir Michelle did more than that, and never less. Thirty years ago? There was a time when a dragon, who had lost its cubs and became ferocious, attacked the capital."
"Ah, maybe that…"
I've seen it in a recently published historical book. The correct name is 'as canal Incident', and the name of the dragon that attacked the imperial capital was as canal, so it was named that way.
As much as this world is a fantasy, there are dragons, but they are just simple monsters. It is absolutely not a 'race', such as playing polymorphs, proficient in magic, or piling up gold and silver treasures on rare occasions.
It's just a giant lizard flying in the sky.
Anyway, the cause of the as canal incident is none other than human greed. Humans who were smuggling illegally found the hatchling and brutally killed it, then dismantled it as it is, and was caught by its mother.
Naturally, the mother was enraged and attacked the closest human country, the Minerva Empire. However, the problem here is that the humans who were smuggling illegally were not from the Minerva Empire but from other countries.
From the perspective of the Minerva Empire, it was not a thunderbolt in the dry sky, and a mad dragon attacked it, so it would not have been such a riot.
"I know. At that time, the army rushed to subdue…"
"It says so in the records. But the army was desperate to evacuate the people, and it was your father, Sir Michelle, who actually subjugated them. Coincidentally, he was in the capital for a while on vacation."
"…Dragon subjugated?"
"Yes."
I was taken aback as I listened to Lina's unbelievable story. In this world, there is an honorable title of 'Dragon Slayer', but of course, it is a title given to those who subdue dragons.
In order to subdue a dragon enough to have such a title, it needs power equivalent to a 'corps'. However, even with that power, no one can predict how much damage it will cause.
However, it is said that his father had the help of the army, but he subjugated them alone. It was remarkably identical to the feat of Zeno I wrote about in Zeno's biography.
"…that's the first I've ever heard of it. Lina-Sama."
It was a story that Nicole had never even heard of. Lina answered her question with a slightly sad expression on her face.
"It has to be so. At the time of the as canal incident, I had a close friend who was helping Sir Michelle, but the dragon's breath stopped…"
"… …"
When Lina was truly sorry, Nicole's expression softened a little. She seemed to have noticed something as she was an older sister who knew her father better than me.
I can understand my father's reluctance to do the as canal case. No matter how strong my father is, he is a human after all, so whenever he thinks about his achievements, he will think of his friend who has been oxidized by his breath.
Silence subsided between us as the tragedy became known. Fortunately, the silence disappeared as Lina hurriedly spoke her mouth.
"I think it's because he remembered that Zeno subjugated the dragon with the help of his colleagues in Zeno's biography. Although he was tragic, at least Zenon prayed that he would not lose any companions."
"…and anything else?"
"Yes. Not only did I defeat demonized demons, but I also drove out the beasts and elves who invaded the border several times. And it was when Sir Michelle joined the Navy Knights that the nickname 'Red Lion' started."
It's like hearing the story of a great man's hero. The fact that it was my father was a little strange, but it was difficult to accept easily.
Probably because my father was nothing more than an ordinary head of household who devoted himself to his family and loved his family more than anyone else. It was hard to believe that he had a high reputation while slaying a dragon, saying he was a red lion.
While I was feeling a little confused, Lina stopped talking and looked at Leort next to her. At that glance, Leort took over the baton.
"Until Sir Michelle came to work, the border area was a place where many people lost their lives in battles with the prisoners who were living in tribes' day by day. Moreover, it was difficult to even stop the prisoners unless they were Navy Knights-level forces. But Michelle After the wonder came, the story changed."
"The word that has changed is…"
"Sir Michelle has killed most of the prisoners living in the border area. The prisoners who felt the crisis joined forces and launched an all-out offensive, but it turned out to be a handshake. There was. That's why the beasts were incredibly strong."
It was such an achievement that it was not a waste to be called a 'hero'. I was truly amazed.
The reason why prisoners cross the border from time to time is probably because of the environment beyond the border. It's not suitable for farming, and it's more convenient for a prisoner to steal it.
Even more so, the nature of a beast man who was passionate about fighting by birth would have played a part.
"Thanks to this, our empire was able to save a lot of human and material resources. It was because the armaments invested at the border were beyond imagination. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Sir Michelle greatly increased the economic power of the empire. I am Sir Michelle Xenon. This is the reason why I was convinced that he was the author of the biography. As a criminal, he went through a series of prenatal events that he could not even imagine, so he must have been able to incorporate it into Xenon's biography."
"…I see. I can understand that you said that you need the Navy Knights to stop it. But…"
Nicole was speechless and stared at Leort, then slowly turned her head to look at Lina. Leort and Lina are both smiling inside her with an unknown smile.
Is it even possible to receive an education to learn how to face poker in the Imperial Family? I had no idea what he was thinking at all.
Nicole also opened her mouth in a low voice, as if she had given up on reading her thoughts.
"What are you going to do with my father?"
"Now you don't deny it."
"If you deny everything that has already been found out, the story will not flow."
Did you like Nicole's cool answer? Leort nodded his head with a satisfied smile.
Then, he slowly pushed his upper body forward, interlocking his arms, and supporting his chin. And we came up with an unexpected answer.
"There is one thing you are mistaken about. Our imperial family has no intention of touching you along with Sir Michelle. Having this position is just confirmation."
"Are you telling us to believe it?'
In the end, Nicole, unable to bear it, raised her voice and cheered. I also did not say anything, but looked at Leort with a joking expression.
Do you have no intention of touching someone after driving them this far? A person who believes that word literally can be called an asshole. If he hadn't really wanted to touch him, he wouldn't have called me here at all.
Leort saw our fierce reaction and waved his hand. Nicole also calmed down her expression because it meant to calm down.
"You're likely to react sensitively. But this is the truth. What if Sir Michelle stops the series because of pressure from us? Is this, okay?"
"… …"
"Of course, it's going to get serious in many ways. Because the impact of the current Xenon biography on the world is terrifying. No matter how greedy you are, you don't do stupid things to cut the goose that lays golden eggs. You're one of them. As I said earlier, the reason I'm here with you is just to confirm."
Should I believe that or not? If it were any other person, I would have understood, but it is the royal family that has a deep connection with politics.
I don't even know how many serpents there are inside, so I can't take it all at once.
When I and Nicole couldn't accept it easily, Lina, who was watching, took action. She looked right at me, not her Nicole, and laid her hand on her chest and opened her mouth.
"Isaac. I swear by the name of the princess. Sir Michelle and your family and your family will never be harmed. Rather, you can prevent her identity from being revealed."
"…Then what advantages do you two have?"
"The next book of Zeno's biography will come out sooner. That's all."
Is that really all it is? I looked at Lina questioningly as she replied with a smile.
I know that smile is fake because I've seen it many times. So that made me even more suspicious.
That was when I hesitated and hesitated.
"All right."
"…sister?"
"Please, I hope you keep that promise."
Nicole welcomed them with a solemn yet firm voice. It was completely unexpected for me.
When I looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face, Leort, who heard Nicole's answer, nodded her head with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you. Again, let us know that we have no intention of touching Sir Michelle. Before he was the author of Xenon's biography, Sir Michelle is not something our imperial family deserves to deal with."
"It's overrated."
"Absolutely no exaggeration. Sir Michelle deserves it."
What a great achievement it would have been to make such words come out of the mouth of Crown Prince Leort. Anyway, luckily it seems like an hour has passed.
Using my father as a shield was uncomfortable in many ways, but I thought it would be good to reassure him that he would understand. Of course, I plan to write a letter as soon as I get home.
'What should I write? first…'
I sighed inwardly as I was contemplating what to write in the letter.
Unlike Leort and Nicole, who were already talking about their father, I could feel their gaze from the front.
When I lifted my head, Lina was looking at me with a strange expression while supporting her chin with one hand.
I almost lost my mind for a moment at her beauty, which seemed to have been painstakingly crafted by a craftsman, but luckily I managed to catch up.
"… …"
She glanced at me in the face, then gently lowered her gaze. I don't know what the hell she was looking at, but I could tell her gaze was on my right hand.
Lina then raised her gaze back down and met my face. I was about to start questioning her abnormal behavior.
As soon as Lina exchanged glances with me, the corners of her lips drew an arc…
[Thank you.]
He sent a meaningful greeting without a sound.