Chapter 124: Search for the Prime Minister

“Alriiight, gate to the Dragonia Royal Capital open!”

Receiving contact from the golems sent to the Dragonia Royal Capital that the installation of the teleportation gate marker was complete, I immediately opened the gate and came to the Royal Capital.

The gate was installed in an inconspicuous place on the outskirts of the Royal Capital as ordered, and there was no one around.

“Then, I suppose I’ll have the masterminds make their exit.”

The reason for sending golems to the Royal Capital wasn’t mainly to install the gate.

That was strictly to smooth the travel between the two towns.

In this incident, the anti-Dragon Emperor faction raised the flag of rebellion targeting the Dragon Emperor.

If it were just that, I’d leave it alone as a squabble between domestic nobles, but trying to take their own country’s people hostage for that purpose is something I can’t overlook.

If left alone, there’s a high possibility that more people will become victims.

So I came to restrain the anti-Dragon Emperor faction so they can’t do evil until the Dragon Princess Rite ends safely and Ryune reveals her true identity.

With mindless golems, even if they are caught by any chance, there’s no worry of putting anyone in danger.

Besides, since I’ve confirmed who the Dragon Emperor faction members are from Bakin, there’s no worry about the golems accidentally capturing allied nobles.

Well, since there’s a possibility of fighting knights protecting the Royal Capital, I also told the golems not to do anything other than minimal counterattacks.

This is a measure to avoid incurring the knights’ grudge when Ryune is reinstated as royalty later.

Since I gave such instructions, I thought the golems would be disabled quite a bit, but surprisingly, they don’t seem broken.

Did the knights protecting the Royal Capital sense that the golems’ actions lacked hostility?

Thinking that way, maybe the knights were actually Dragon Emperor faction members who didn’t think well of the Prime Minister’s state control.

With all that, the suppression of the castle by the golems was completed safely, and they succeeded in capturing the main anti-Dragon Emperor faction nobles.

Leaving only one person, the Prime Minister thought to be the principal offender.

“So, did you find the Prime Minister’s whereabouts?”

“…”

But the golems shake their heads saying they haven’t found him yet and bow their heads in apology.

“The castle is suppressed but the Prime Minister isn’t there. That means he’s already fled.”

Neither the family nor servants in the Prime Minister’s mansion seem to know his whereabouts, and the Prime Minister’s whereabouts are completely lost.

Hmm, I should have attached a search function to the golems.

Just gathering numbers with available materials backfired here.

“Even so, abandoning even his family to flee, what a terrible guy.”

Sensing our attack and fleeing immediately, the Prime Minister is quick to judge.

It was the same in my previous life, but villains who are quick to run away like this do troublesome things later.

I want to catch him quickly if possible.

“He must have prepared a hidden passage or teleportation device in the mansion.”

While having the golems search for escape routes, I decide to investigate surrounding reactions with search magic.

If there’s a reaction leaving the Royal Capital at this timing when it was attacked, there’s a high probability it’s the anti-Dragon Emperor faction.

If it’s a speeding carriage, it’s almost certain.

“Huh? No reaction.”

But unfortunately, I couldn’t detect any reaction fleeing the Royal Capital.

“Hmm, unfortunate.”

Did he flee with a teleportation device?

If so, I have to find the hiding place of the teleportation device to track him.

“Abandoning the Royal Capital and companions so easily to flee means there’s a possibility he has a large base somewhere.”

I thought he was just a villainous noble, but he might be a more troublesome opponent than expected.

In my previous life, there were many power holders who were executives of evil cults or magic researchers who found ancient treasures and plotted world domination, so maybe the Prime Minister is that kind of person.

Come to think of it, since reincarnating in this era, I feel I haven’t seen villains possessed by such desire for domination.

Maybe over a long time, the world is getting better little by little.

Yeah, thinking that way, maybe fighting desperately in my previous and the one before that lives wasn’t in vain!

It was at that moment.

Search magic indicated someone was heading towards my location.

“Hmm? This reaction…”

I immediately don Tyran‘s equipment to hide my identity and concentrate on detecting the reaction.

But strangely, that reaction isn’t approaching from the road…

Passing through houses?

Yes, the reaction was pushing straight through the residential area.

If they proceed according to the reaction, they should hit houses on the way.

Could this be…

Taking the golems along to search for what lies ahead of the reaction’s path, I discover a suspicious house.

It’s strangely large for being on the outskirts of the Royal Capital, yet halfway old.

Yeah, a typical escape house.

I’ve seen them in my previous and the one before that lives too.

Such houses have exits to hidden escape passages created by power holders in their own mansions.

And descendants of the power holder’s henchmen from that time live there as caretakers pretending to be ordinary people.

And when the power holder comes through the hidden passage in an emergency, they help with the escape.

Confirming the search magic reaction while entering the mansion grounds, I ignore the house with resident reactions and head for the barn on the side.

Here it is.

The search magic reaction is heading for this barn, not the house.

And investigating inside the barn, sure enough, there were stairs descending underground in a corner of the floor.

At the bottom of the stairs was a small warehouse that seemed unused.

“Around here?”

Examining the basement wall, there was indeed a hidden door.

And opening the door, a passage extended there, and I sensed someone coming from the back.

Could it be the Prime Minister?

There are multiple approaching reactions, so the possibility that the opponent is the Prime Minister seems high.

I hide myself and wait for the approaching opponents.

“Haa haa, somehow managed to escape. Now if I have a carriage prepared and get the Garrison knights to escort me, I can escape the Royal Capital.”

Appearing were a dignified old man dressed in luxurious clothes and several men who seemed to be guards.

From his appearance clearly identifying him as a noble, there’s no mistake this old man is a high-ranking noble.

The possibility that this is the Prime Minister is high.

Alright, let’s catch him then.

“Paralyze Net!”

I revealed myself and immediately fired paralysis magic at the guards.

“Gwah!?”

I intended to follow up immediately, but the guards fell easily.

Eh!?

What? The guards seem strangely weak?

“Wh-!?”

The old man, whom I excluded from the magic range to confirm, is flustered.

I grab the old man’s arm, lock his joint, and press him to the ground to secure him.

“Gwah!”

But this is troublesome. Looks like I was tricked.

“Y-You bastard… Do you commit such violence knowing I am the Dragonia Prime Minister, Lugameno Mazanu Isemen!”

The old man identifies himself as the Prime Minister, but it’s too late for that.

“Don’t lie.”

“Wh-What!?”

The guards of this self-proclaimed Prime Minister are too weak no matter what.

I fired a weak paralysis magic as a check so as not to accidentally involve and kill the Prime Minister, but for everyone to become immobile from that is unthinkable thinking with common sense.

Then what’s conceivable is that this Prime Minister is a fake.

Yeah, a decoy.

They got me; the real Prime Minister must be escaping during this opening.

“H-Hey! I am the real Prime Minister! Real, I tell you! It’s not a lie!”

Good grief, even for a decoy, claiming to be the real thing in this situation is impossible.

Besides, if the real one was caught, he wouldn’t say he’s the real one.

No, maybe this decoy didn’t expect the guards to be this weak either.

So to buy time for his employer to escape, he’s desperately pretending to be the Prime Minister.

He has surprisingly loyal subordinates.

Well, the opponent is an old man, so let’s make him spill information without injuring him as much as possible.

I was bad at torture and interrogation, so I have experience making such drugs in the life before my previous one.

◆

A liquid with an unbelievably repulsive taste is forcibly poured into my mouth.

“Where is the Prime Minister?”

And receiving the question from the black armored man in front of me, my mouth moves on its own.

“Guoooooh! I-I am the real Prime Minister! I am right here!?”

It is likely a potion with special effects.

I was made to answer the bandit’s question honestly.

…And yet!

“Surprising, you won’t spill information even after drinking this drug?”

For some reason, the bandit doesn’t believe my words!

Thanks to that, I’m made to drink different drugs one after another and asked the same question repeatedly.

Moreover, since all the drugs have different repulsive tastes, I can neither get used to them nor endure them.

Or rather, it’s the drug you made me drink! Believe the effect of your own drug!

At the point I was caught, I changed my policy.

Since they targeted me, the Prime Minister, I judged I could negotiate with the opponent.

If it were a warning for a declaration of war, they could have targeted a town where commoners live instead of me in the Royal Capital.

But they dared to invade the Royal Capital openly and targeted me, the de facto highest authority of this country who is most difficult to capture.

That is undoubtedly for some purpose.

Then if I accept negotiation, there is a high possibility my life won’t be taken.

Besides, if it turns out a country’s Prime Minister was killed, our country would also search for the culprit’s identity with all its might and retaliate.

A decent power holder wouldn’t take such a useless risk.

Therefore, I tried to make my identity known and sit at the negotiation table, but this man stubbornly refuses to believe that I am the Prime Minister!

What on earth is he thinking!?

“Next, have a drink of this drug.”

“S-Stop!? Uboah!?”

“Now, spill it this time. Where is the Prime Minister?”

“Like I said, I AM THE PRIME MINISTERAAAAAA!”

S-Someone save me!

“Guards! Guards! Wake up and save me!”

I desperately call for help from the guards.

“……”

But the guards kept their eyes closed silently as if to say they couldn’t hear.

“DON’T PRETEND TO SLEEEEEEP! You guys are definitely awake! Your eyebrows are twitching!”

“Alright, next let’s have you drink this drug.”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”