Chapter 314

National Defense Council (1)
“We will now begin the extraordinary session of the National Defense Council.”

While Alicetia was enjoying her vacation in the Land of Tranquility, the National Defense Council was being held in the Kingdom of Arland.

“Please wait a moment.”

One noble raised his hand.

“What is it?”

The chairperson replied.

“What exactly is the situation here?”

The noble looked toward one corner of the council chamber. On the round table were two cushions, and atop them sat two cats in loaf position, the distinctive seated posture unique to felines.

“Where is the Princess?”

At that question, everyone’s gaze turned to Gilbert.

Gilbert looked utterly worn down. He was so haggard that one might seriously worry he would die of overwork at this rate.

And yet, even in his exhaustion, he exuded a strange allure. He had transformed into a dangerously handsome man.

“…… She hasn’t come back from the Land of Tranquility.”

Gilbert was crying. He muttered, “Seriously, someone help me…”

“I am the Acting Director of the Technology Development Bureau, Cat.”

“I am the Acting Air Force Marshal, Cat.”

“““A cat talked… wait, it’s the Princess.”””

It seemed the two cats were Alicetia’s clones disguised as cats.

“Why take the form of cats?”

“The main body spends one fifth of the day as a cat anyway.

Well, we were preparing to vaccinate the Nyaruverde chonk squad, but when we tried to leave the castle, Big Brother caught us with a casting net.”

Apparently, Alicetia had sent clones that were moving on a different matter to attend as substitutes. Skipping the meeting outright would earn the councilors’ wrath, so this was a necessary measure. As long as a clone attended, the issue would be limited.

“She used to be everywhere, but lately Alice has been noticeably scarce.”

“It feels almost like a seasonal feature. Indeed, not long ago we often saw the Princess drifting through the sky… but it’s true, she’s been around less.”

“Is the Princess not returning?”

Even so, she was a princess of the realm. And more than that, Alicetia was an extremely important figure to the Kingdom of Arland. It was unacceptable for her to casually leave the country.

If Alicetia were to leak to another nation, it would be a catastrophe. However, those present understood her personality. Alicetia was much like Draconia in temperament. Binding her with chains would be pointless.

To keep Alicetia, who moved about like drifting fluff on the wind, in one place, the only option was to exploit her intellectual curiosity.

And there was no discernible pattern to what might capture her interest.

“She said it’ll take a bit longer. She said she’d bring back a mountain of liquor from the Land of Tranquility as souvenirs, so please look forward to it.”

“In that case, it cannot be helped.”

Even if it was a clone, it was still Alicetia. As long as she was participating, the councilors felt only mild dissatisfaction. At the mention of good liquor, their faces softened.

Well, one could also say they had simply given up.

“Then, if there are no other questions, let us begin the meeting…”

At the very moment the chairperson was about to declare the meeting open, a buzzing sound, brrr brrr brrr, rang out. A phone.

The National Defense Council was a highly confidential gathering. Even the identities and number of councilors were not publicly disclosed. That said, it wasn’t absolute secrecy, by observing which powerful figures came to the capital for regular assemblies, one could make educated guesses. That was the level of secrecy involved, but secrecy nonetheless.

Naturally, communication magic was jammed within the chamber, and any external contact required permission and supervision. Recently popular magic phones were handed over to knights before entering the hall.

Bringing communication devices into the chamber was strictly taboo. The fact that the main body was abroad was barely tolerable. When Alicetia acted, enormous wealth moved with her. It was tolerated because there was trust that even this foreign excursion would bring great riches back to Arland.

“Princess! This goes too far!”

“Wait. This call is top priority… it’s me… yes, me. I’m number 274!

So, the investigation results are… I see. As expected.”

After finishing the call, the cat-disguised Alicetia clone let out a deep sigh.

“I have very unfortunate news. I expected this, but it seems there’s a fly among us.”

“Fly” was a euphemism for a spy or traitor. At those words, the air in the chamber froze.

“Princess, everyone here is a proven individual recognized by the kingdom. In the history of the National Defense Council, no councilor has ever betrayed the nation.”

“I’m not saying there’s a traitor. Right, Baron Brazarl? No, who are you?”

At those words, all eyes turned to Baron Brazarl, one of the councilors.

“What are you talking about?! I would never betray the country! This must be some mistake!”

“I asked who you are. You’re not Baron Brazarl.

Let me guess, an otherworlder with a transformation-type ability?

Ah, no excuses needed. The real one is already under protection. Just because there was no one around his room doesn’t mean it was wise to loosen your tongue.

Also, you may come in now.”

At that moment, the doors to the council chamber flew open, and Alicetia’s royal guards poured in.

What shocked everyone, however, was that among the knights was Baron Brazarl himself, hastily bandaged with emergency treatment.

The instant he saw this, the Baron Brazarl in the chamber tried to step back, but the noble seated beside him struck his face with a lightning-fast backhand. He slammed into the wall behind him, groaning.

“Your Highness… my deepest apologies. I failed.”

The real Baron Brazarl dropped to one knee in apology. He was deeply ashamed of having been captured and replaced, and his body was in tatters. He must have resisted fiercely.

Meanwhile, the fake Baron Brazarl was being mercilessly beaten by the royal guards.

There was not a shred of mercy in the beating. His arms and legs were brutally shattered so he could not escape.

“Search his belongings. Transfer-type magic tools don’t work inside the castle, but he definitely has one.”

“Yes!”

“And he’s an eyesore, so take him to the dungeon. Minimal treatment. Just enough to keep him alive.

He’s an otherworlder with a transformation ability, so if he makes any suspicious move, kill him on the spot.”

“Yes! Take him away, don’t let your guard down!”

“Yes!”

The otherworlder was dragged away like trash without even reverting his transformation.

“Umm, Princess. How did you know he was replaced?”

As the room was being aired out after dealing with the fly, one councilor asked.

“I only confirmed it during that call just now.”

“I see. Then why did you suspect him in the first place? None of us noticed anything strange. Did you have some special method?”

“I passed him in the castle five days ago. He was normal then. But when I passed him three days ago, he smelled like an enemy.

His job isn’t directly related to me, and Baron Brazarl is a pure noble who doesn’t run commerce from his estate. It would be strange for him to be my enemy. If he had complaints about his work, they should be directed at Father or Big Brother.”

Baron Brazarl had no direct involvement with Alicetia. He was a court noble whose family did not engage in commerce. It made no sense for him to become her enemy.

That was why the clone found it suspicious.

So she investigated. On the night five days ago, while returning home, his carriage broke down, forcing him to walk. A lower noble did not live extravagantly enough to immediately prepare a replacement carriage.

He had no escort. And he was attacked on his way home.

“An attack?! Was such a report ever made?”

“No, I’ve heard nothing of it.”

“He was ambushed from the darkness, fought bravely, and took down half his attackers, but was quickly restrained.

The witness was a cat.”

The attack was flawless. Aside from half the attackers being taken down, it concluded quickly, and there were supposedly no witnesses. That was why the enemy had been careless.

But a witness did exist. A cat, one that aroused no suspicion, had witnessed everything and reported it to Alicetia.

“A cat…?”

“Yes, a cat. That’s why I didn’t consult anyone.”

Naturally, testimony from a cat held no evidentiary value.

But those who grasped the meaning of these words shuddered.

Alicetia’s love of cats, or rather, fluffy animals in general, was well known, as was the fact that she often spent time with the capital’s cats.

Furthermore, nobles well-versed in intelligence knew that cats had formed an organization called Nyaruverde, and that Alicetia was somehow affiliated with it.

Until now, they thought it was merely an extension of her love for cats. But the reality was different. Nyaruverde was a powerful organization with advanced organizational capability, functioning as Alicetia’s intelligence network.

Those who commit wrongdoing are cautious. They constantly check ceilings, adjacent rooms, and beyond doors for hidden people. But few would suspect a cat napping on a window ledge.

It’s just a cat. But what if that cat listened with its sharp hearing?

And what if that information went straight to Alicetia?

Within the capital, Alicetia possessed intelligence-gathering power that surpassed even the underworld. No wonder they trembled.

“All that’s left is to send some kitties into Baron Brazarl’s estate and investigate. There’s no law against cats entering a noble’s residence.”

Cats were not bound by human law. Even if they entered a noble’s estate, there was no law in Arland to punish it, and even if there were, it wouldn’t work. Cats were everywhere.

“There, they found Baron Brazarl tied up in the basement, so I mobilized my guards to rescue him.

That otherworlder probably can’t transform if he kills his target. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to keep him alive.”

Some abilities had specific conditions. Such conditional abilities were often among the most powerful.

“I see.”

“But you mentioned smell… I was sitting right beside him and sensed nothing strange…”

“Well, think about it. Alice didn’t know the faces of the noble councilors for nearly ten years.

Doesn’t that strike you as odd? Arland Castle isn’t particularly large, if anything, it’s small. They were constantly coming to the castle, demanding to see Alice.

And Alice wasn’t holed up deep inside the castle. Well, sometimes she was, but generally she wandered everywhere.

Yet they couldn’t meet her. Alice must perceive animal instinct as scent.”

At Gilbert’s words, the surrounding councilors nodded in understanding.

“So she instinctively distinguishes friend from foe, meaning no matter how perfect the disguise, she can tell.”

“In fact, his transformation ability was excellent. He perfectly mimicked even vital data, and probably copied surface memories to some extent. It’s impossible to reproduce natural behavior in just a few days.”

“Indeed, there were no suspicious actions. However, how should we respond going forward…”

The nobles crossed their arms in thought. Repeated infiltrations like this would be intolerable.

“Basically, I don’t blindly trust the security systems I create.”

“Is there a problem with them?”

“There’s no problem… for now.

But I made them. I know their structure, so I can deceive them easily. If I can, others might too. I just don’t treat them as absolute.”

Alicetia warned against absolute faith in her own systems. Security was an endless arms race. No matter how advanced a system was, it would eventually be breached.

“I see. Then going forward… we should verify identities using some form of code or authentication.”

“Yes, we must consider such countermeasures. But that was close. Whether he came to identify council members or to select a noble above Baron Brazarl to replace, we cannot allow the contents of this meeting to leak.”

The matters discussed here were wide-ranging. Confidential information nearly slipped to foreign nations.

“Shall we have that otherworlder appreciate our nation’s proud art as part of an interrogation experiment?”

At Gilbert’s mutter, the chamber froze once more.

“Y-Your Highness, by ‘art,’ do you mean that?”

At the word “that,” everyone grew uneasy. Even the guarding knights broke into sweat, but they stood still like decorations, unwilling to get involved.

“Well now, it has no other use, and no matter how much I complain, it keeps increasing irregularly and can’t be disposed of. It’s been a real problem.

So I thought of using it to interrogate agents, but it’s difficult to handle. I’ve already turned about a hundred into vegetables. Well, they were agents, so who cares.”

In this world, spies had no human rights. Killing them, enslaving them, it was the capturing nation’s prerogative. No country would rescue a captured spy. They were disposable tools.

The grin on Gilbert’s face was no longer that of a refreshing crown prince, but of an evil one.

“B-But isn’t that inhumane?”

“No problem. It doesn’t cause external injuries. They just appreciate art so exquisite that even spirits praise it with rolled-back eyes. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Princess…”

A councilor desperately appealed to the root of all evil. The Alicetia clone, legs stretched straight, turned her face toward him.

“I don’t really get it, but isn’t it more humane than torture? Whether you become a vegetable or die, torture always produces corpses. Dead or vegetative, either way you’re dead as a person.”

The Alicetia clone had already lost interest in the fly. Alicetia was cold to her enemies.

And so, the captured otherworlder’s fate, to become Gilbert’s delightful interrogation and experiment subject, was sealed.

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