After the meeting with the diplomat, I visited the prison again.
It was just about supper time, so I gave Alice some bread and soup.
I had the same menu.
”…… Are you going to eat too?”
”Yes.”
I sat in front of Alice, across the cage, and brought the bread to her mouth.
”You’re the king, aren’t you?”
”Well, yes, but …… this is a battlefield, you know. The food you eat is the same as that of ordinary soldiers.”
Just because I’m the king doesn’t mean I can eat a sumptuous meal by myself.
Well, it tastes poisonous, and there is a large amount of grapes added.
But the main meal is the same as that of a common soldier.
The meal started casually.
Silence reigns in the prison.
Well, ……, what should we talk about?
”Is your power a blessing?”
”No, sir.”
Alice simply denied it.
It seems that Alice’s physical abilities and her ability to create threads are not blessings.
”What is it, then?”
”My father is a spider.”
Alice began to speak plainly.
What does it mean that her father is a spider?
Mystery after mystery.
Is it possible that there is no concept of genes in this world?
If I ejaculate in Sakura, a horse with a face like mine could be born: ……
No, that’s not possible.
It’s a quirk.
Half spider, half human: ……
Isn’t that a bit impossible?
If you’re a chimpanzee or a gorilla, you can say that you’re a hybrid of a human and a close relative.
A lion and a tiger, a zebra and a donkey.
There have been cases of different species having children together.
But a spider and a human.
It must be impossible even if you stand on your head.
I mean, do spiders even have penises?
What size spider can breed with a human? (Note: what are these questions)
I’m confused.
…… You’d be crazy not to be confused by this.
Alice giggled when she saw my confusion.
”I used to be a human spider.”
I’m sorry. I’m sorry, that confused me even more.
”You mean you were reincarnated like me?”
I think I heard something about that.
“I don’t know the details, but I heard that one day he suddenly turned into a spider. I think it was a blessing.”
”It’s a curse, isn’t it?”
”My Great Lord’s blessing is half a curse, too. ……”
I’ve heard that if you have a blessing that is greater than your human capacity, it will go out of control. It’s not that unusual, actually.
Runaway ……
After all, the beings who give us blessings have bad personalities.
”Even though he was a spider, he used to be a human. So they can interbreed with humans.
”Hmmm, ……, how did your mother breed with a spider?
Alice denied my words, shaking her head from side to side.
No, she didn’t. My mother was raped.
”……”
”I’m sorry.”
Should we stop? ……
No, I’ve come this far, let’s hear it out.
”So you inherited your ability from your father?”
”I guess so. I heard from a slave that people like me are sometimes called ‘beastmen’. It’s very rare to find them on the market.”
”A beastman. ……”
When I hear that, I can’t help but think of cat ears as dog ears. ……
Are there dog-ears and cat-ears in this world too?
But Alice is a spider person, but it doesn’t mean that she has the physical characteristics of a spider in her appearance.
It’s only her abilities that make her more like a beast.
I just remembered that Alice was a slave.
”How did you become a slave?”
”I was sold. Sold to the Cilicians. They raised me until I was about five years old, but as soon as there was a famine, they sold me. Then, when I was seven years old, I was bought by Prince Aldo’s mother. She said it was because she wanted to see a spiderman.”
”I see.”
”From then on, Prince Aldo gave me ……”
”How old are you Alice? I’m nineteen.”
”I’m twenty.”
”It would be traumatic to be exposed to violence for thirteen years.”
”It’s amazing to be king at nineteen.”
”Well, it just happened, you know?”
My ascension to the throne was the result of a combination of fates.
If I hadn’t had even one of them, I would have been just another village chief.
”Hey, Alice.”
”What is it?”
What are you going to do now?
Alice looks into my eyes.
”What do you mean ……?”
”I’d like you to become my vassal and work for me. Your assassination skills could be useful. If you don’t want to do assassinations, you don’t have to do them. I won’t force you. If you do, you’ll be doing the same thing Prince Aldo is doing.”
I broke off and looked at Alice closely.
”Aldo is dead. The peace treaty will be signed soon and he will be executed. The chains that bind you will disappear. You will be able to choose your own life. I’m told that it was you who assassinated the centurion of my army. …… I’m the only one in this country who knows about it. You were threatened, and I can see that there are extenuating circumstances. So I forgive you.”
If I kill her, Alice will never become my vassal.
So, for now, I need to keep her alive.
Of course, if she wants to escape my grasp, I’ll have to kill her.
That’s because she might become a pawn for the enemy.
Hiding my ulterior motive, I asked Alice, “What should I do first?”
”It would be great if you could be a servant in the palace for now. What do you think?”
Alice told me in a quiet voice that she wanted to think about it for a while.
”I’ll come back tomorrow and ask you again.”
I left the prison.
Four days later, a diplomat informed me that my efforts to persuade King Roselle had been successful, and a secret treaty had been formally signed.
After that, a meeting was held between the Gaulish allies.
The agenda was about concessions in the peace treaty.
I submitted the concession proposal I had presented to Marlin.
The kings of each country were fiercely opposed.
The king of Domorgal’s country was particularly opposed.
The land of King Domorgal was severely devastated by the war.
Without reparations, they would not be able to survive.
The kingdoms of King Gilbed and King Faldum also complained.
But.
”Our soldiers are exhausted from fighting so many battles. We can’t fight any more battles in a row. Our farmland has been neglected for too long. You may be happy because you have gained territory, but we have not gained any territory. We are losing. We want to disband the army as soon as possible. …… If you want to prolong the negotiations any longer, I want you to negotiate alone. My country’s army will be home in a week.”
I told them, and the kings’ faces changed.
If we leave, there is a possibility that the Roselle Kingdom will take back our territory again.
The Muzios also began to hope for my return.
The Equus people have fought this far to repay me.
It was for the sake of righteousness, not for profit.
I’ve already returned the favor.
I have no intention of engaging in any more wars.
If we can’t reach a peace agreement, we will return in three days.
I hadn’t even heard of this.
Later, I heard that the Alyce and Lupus tribes were showing some disturbing movements.
We can’t stay away from the country any longer.
That’s why.
In addition, the mercenaries that Rezad lent us and the heavy infantry of Gehenna began to hurry up the peace.
Both countries are commercial nations and naturally traded with the Kingdom of Roselle.
If the war dragged on any longer, it would affect their commerce.
The country of King Losais, Rezad, Gehenna, and the Equus tribe.
If the four countries rushed me, even the three quintessential countries would have to admit it.
Thus, my concession proposal was accepted.
Immediately after that, peace negotiations were held with the Kingdom of Roselle.
A fierce debate ensued, but …… it was a race to the finish.
I was laughing out loud, and smiling.
I’m sure the diplomats did as well.
Marlin looked unhappy the whole time.
The theater went according to the script, and the actors did what they were supposed to do.
The comedy ended without a hitch.
Thus ended the long, long siege.