Re:Zero - Jobless Reincarnation: Succubus Sword God? I don't recognize it!

Chapter 214 The princess is ready.

The words fell with a resounding sound.

The future situation of Asura's succession struggle seems to be entirely on Philip's chessboard.

The bedroom fell silent.

After a long while, Philip looked up at Gileno.

The latter, as the secretary of the cunning mayor of Roya, just stroked her sword and looked at the chessboard with a dull expression. When she realized that Philip was looking at her, she rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment.

He spoke with one word, clear and crisp.

"Ah."

Followed by.

"Master is right."

Philip gripped the chess piece with some force. He looked at Gileno silently and shook his head.

"Kilenu, go get the analysis of the situation in the capital on the table. Oh, by the way, your reading and writing skills have improved a lot in the past year, so you might as well take a look at it first."

Gileno nodded, walked to the desk, picked up the letter, read it as he walked, and returned to Philip.

He looked understood and nodded.

Seeing this, Philip looked at the chess piece in his hand again and narrowed his eyes.

Like an old fox.

Then I heard Gileno start to analyze seriously with a stern face, and the first sentence was -

"I see. According to the process of elimination that Rudy taught me, I will eliminate the second princess first."

"Okay, Gileno, give it to me."

The wind blew in from the window, ruffling Philip's hair. He silently put down the chess piece, casually put his hair behind his head, and picked up the analysis of the situation in the royal capital that Gileno handed to him in a daze.

Gileno also realized that he had guessed wrong, but his eyes were fixed on his familiar posture, and he remembered what Rudy said - people always subconsciously imitate the expressions and movements of the people they are looking at. Oh? Don't you believe it, Gileno? If you don't believe it, you can see whether Allen and Alice look more and more alike.

He did not forget to respond to Philip's words.

"Could it be the second princess? But doesn't she have the least chance of winning?"

"The second princess has little chance of winning because she is taking the lower class route and only has the advantage of popularity. Popularity is of no use to Charles. At most, it can only be regarded as icing on the cake for the succession to the throne. The problem is that she has not even obtained this 'icing'."

Philip silently read the situation analysis he had written, his eyes moving back and forth on Ariel's line. The thoughts that had just been shut down by Gillenau's iron brain became active again, and his hands were quietly groping for something.
He is looking for a good 'king'.

"I have seen that child from a distance before."

Philip raised his head, looked at Gileno, pointed at his eyes, and said with a smile.

"She has a good appearance just like Allen, but unlike Allen who spends the whole day in the capital, using his sword to subdue others, she is very good at using her existing advantages to influence others in various social occasions through her natural affinity and emotional appeal. But I can see that her nature is not too different from other nobles in the capital."

"If I'm not mistaken, she is very popular among the people in the capital. In addition to her natural ability to disguise herself, it is also related to the fact that she has an advisor who helps her with her strategies. Unfortunately, judging from the current performance, the advisor is too immature and cannot fight against Darius."

"It takes more than popularity to reach the pinnacle of power in Asura."

Philip smiled and lowered his eyes, pinching the chess piece.

With a snap, the 'minister' was pressed onto the chessboard.

"A high-level strategist."

Another move was made: "Elephant".

“Excellent staff.”

Another move, 'Chariot'

"A powerful retainer."

And finally, 'War Horse'.

"Powerful supporter of the nobility."

Gileno stared at Philip placing the four chess pieces on the chessboard one by one, surrounding the 'king'.

"She hasn't prepared all the conditions to become king." Philip looked up at her and gently placed the last 'soldier' ​​in his hand on the chessboard.

"Only in terms of popularity, the gap is huge. So I said she has the least chance of winning, but..."

Gileno raised his eyebrows, and saw Philip casually brushing off the "minister", "elephant", "chariot" and "horse" from the chessboard, leaving those chess pieces that he had just mentioned to be very important to fall to the ground with a clatter, bouncing up and down.

The sound gradually stopped, but Philip smiled and placed a new chess piece on the chessboard, next to the white king.

This time the move was very light, but for some reason, Gileno saw a sense of power in Philip's action.

As confidently as someone wielding a knife.

Where the chess piece was placed, a black 'king' stood on the chessboard.

"A high-level strategist? An excellent staff? A powerful retainer? A powerful noble supporter?"

Philip spoke very quickly, but his eyes were gentle. He just looked at the black king quietly, with a smile on his lips, as if he was admiring a masterpiece.

"We have all these things, and we only need to place one chess piece to perfectly provide all the assistance."

“If you want to take something first, you must give it to yourself first.”

"In the future, I will rely on her royal power to reach the pinnacle of Asura's power. So now I will send her a 'weight' that is enough to overwhelm the balance of power in the capital."

"It all depends on whether the counselor beside him dares to pick up this 'king'."

Philip looked at the chessboard, and his usually restrained smile now seemed wanton and carefree. The depressed look on his face since the patriarch's defeat seemed to accompany the moment of this move.

All the shadows of the past were swept away.

"This is the best 'king' of the Boreas family."

Gilenu looked at his expression quietly, and spoke after a long while.

"Master, you obviously like Allen very much and are very proud of him. Why don't you express your feelings to him? Try to get close to him in other ways. I think maybe he can understand you."

Philip shook his head.

"Alan doesn't need to understand me. I didn't give him love and education since he was a child. He has grown up to what he is now entirely through his own efforts. I feel guilty that he understands me."

"What if I also gain Alan's recognition like Hilda did? Alan is naturally unrestrained and dislikes power, but he has a strong personality very similar to my father. He will definitely have a dispute with my father over the issue of the next head of the family. At that time, given Alan's personality, he will definitely quit, leaving my father with no choice but to accept me, his ridiculous father who is recognized by him, as the head of the family."

"and then?"

"My father never thought highly of me. Even if James fell, he was unwilling to give me the position of the next head of the family. This is meaningless. Hilda will continue to be sad for nothing and fall into the longing for her child again."

“No one wins.”

"It shouldn't be like this."

"He should be like the first time I saw him, in the capital, at the top of Asura's power, amidst countless flowers and applause, embracing the glory that should belong to him, instead of becoming a loser like his father, returning to Roya in disgrace, becoming a worthless mayor, unable to even recognize his own children, unable to even make his wife happy, and spending the rest of his life in such a miserable way."

The wind blew the candlelight, causing it to flicker. Philip gently touched the black 'king' in his hand with his fingertips, his eyes lost in the flickering flames.

"Now, it's good."

“Everything is moving forward as planned.”

"By then, Boreas will be the 134th Patriarch."

"It'll be my child."

"that's enough."

-

"that's enough."

The Silver Palace was the residence where the second princess lived. The dense candlelight on the ceiling illuminated the luxurious waiting room as bright as day.

Ariel sat gracefully on the sofa in the waiting room.

A short crimson cape, a puffy skirt with a waist in the same color, a white shirt with floral tassels and a moon-white stiff plaid skirt.

The extremely delicate and complicated layering effect does not look redundant at all on Ariel.

She was born to be like this. "Your willingness to come and visit me is an attitude in itself. If I ask you to publicly express your support for me in the capital at this time, it will definitely cause you unnecessary trouble. I understand your difficulties. Even so, I am very grateful for your visit late at night."

On the sofa opposite Ariel, the current head of Notos, Piremon Notos Greyrat, was sitting casually on the sofa. He had brown hair like Paul and looked somewhat similar to Paul, very young, but his expression was more gloomy. He tapped his knees slowly with his fingers, which was completely different from Paul's usual cynical look.

He looked Ariel up and down with a cautious expression. On the one hand, he was a little surprised that she could act like a princess with such grace and impeccable manners at such a young age. On the other hand, he was concerned about her weakness and seemed a little hesitant.

However, the proposal to stand on Ariel's side was made a long time ago, and he also made some preparations in private.

He looked at the hem of Ariel's skirt, narrowed his eyes, and stopped tapping his knees.

"This is the reality at the moment. I do have many concerns and cannot fully express my position. If I make it clear too early, I am afraid it will cause criticism from the First Prince's faction. I don't have much time to obtain the position of Patriarch, and I need some time to consolidate my power, especially in the capital. You don't have to doubt my sincerity."

Ariel looked at Pilemon intently, as if she was listening attentively, while Dilic, who was standing behind her, lowered his eyes and looked at his hands quietly, revealing an imperceptible dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Pilemon spoke up.

"To be honest, my second son is twelve years old this year. He just broke through to the intermediate level of the Sword God Style last month. After much consideration, I decided to recommend him to you. I believe that having him as your personal guard knight will make you feel more at ease. I think nothing can be more sincere than this. After all, he has been carefully trained by Notos as the next generation of guards to assist the royal family members. This is also Notos's recognition and affirmation of the future of Your Highness the Princess."

After hearing this, Ariel seemed to be dazed for a moment, and then the expression disappeared in an instant.

As if it had never appeared on her face.

At the same time, Dilic on the side nodded slightly, but was stunned the next moment.

Ariel said this in her soft voice.

"Intermediate level of Sword God Style? What an outstanding talent! Ariel is very grateful for your kindness."

"But you have to believe me. I trust you completely. Please don't have these concerns."

After these words fell, Dilic and Piremon were both stunned. The former looked up at Ariel, not understanding why she refused. The latter raised his eyebrows, as if he didn't expect that the still very "weak" Ariel would reject this sincere bet.

Ariel smiled with a hint of mischief on her face, and tilted her head slightly to glance at Dilic.

It seemed as if it was signaling the existence of this guardian warlock to Pilemon.

"To be honest, I've been exhausted in the past few months dealing with the maids of my personal guardian sorcerer who admired me. I guess the beloved son of Duke Pilemon is also a very handsome man. I'm a little distressed. What can I do if I can't control the maids? I have to discipline them for a while."

While he was talking about the maid, he paused at the word "close".

Pilemon glanced at Dilic, who looked at Ariel and seemed to understand something.

The princess has not yet married, and she has two handsome personal bodyguards with her. I'm afraid there will be some rumors. Haha, it seems that she cares about her reputation as the rumors say.

I have been hesitant about whether to send Luke to the capital. If Ariel loses power soon, Luke's betrayal to other candidates will be a stain. It's a good opportunity to wait and see for a while.

"Okay, I understand your difficulties. If the discipline is completed, you can write to me at any time."

In sight.

Ariel smiled with her eyes narrowed, tilting her head slightly, as if she was quite distressed.

"Sorry for making you laugh."

-

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. Even though the floor was covered with thick carpet, one could still hear the urgency of the people walking.

"Your Highness, aren't you being inconsiderate? Lord Pilemon should definitely be the one you want to win over. Currently, no nobles of any importance in the capital have bet on you. Even if public opinion is on your side, it will be very unfavorable. And you clearly know that I have no affair with the maid. If you are worried about such things, it is unnecessary. Others think that you, the princess, cherish your reputation very much, but I..."

Ariel paused and sighed.

"Dilic."

Upon hearing this, the anxious expression on Dilic's face froze for a moment, and he felt a little annoyed about "saying the wrong thing". When he was anxious, he sometimes spoke more directly. In fact, it all came from having too high hopes for Ariel, and he was too concerned about her.

Ariel, however, relaxed her shoulders and tilted her head to look at him.

"I'm just the second princess."

Dilic's face turned serious when he heard this.

"Yes, you are the princess with a high right of succession to the throne, and one of the candidates for the next king."

Ariel shrugged her shoulders. She was so well behaved in front of Pilemon just now, but now she was obviously much more relaxed in front of Dilic, the guardian warlock who knew her "bad behavior" inside out. Her tone also changed from aristocratic to everyday language.

"I have two older brothers and one older sister. Although my sister has already decided where she will marry, my brothers are currently recruiting soldiers for the throne. As long as they are around, there is no chance for me to become queen."

"No, you are the child of Her Majesty the Queen, and the only one who inherits the orthodox bloodline of the Asura royal family."

"Stop talking, Dilic."

Ariel interrupted him.

"If this kind of talk gets to my brothers' ears, it's fine now, but if the power struggle becomes intense in the future and they send assassins to kill me, what should I do? I feel that my current life has made me very satisfied. It's not a very wise thing to actively participate in the power struggle."

Dilic's face showed obvious surprise when he heard this.

"Shouldn't we need a personal guardian knight?"

Ariel smiled, as if she had heard something funny, and she tilted her head and pursed her lips.

"A mid-level guardian knight from the Sword God School?"

Dilic was stunned, finding it difficult to refute Ariel's words.

After all, he was only a high-level magician. If there was an assassination attempt, could he resist it? What about the guardian knight of the intermediate sword god style?
The weaker the strength, the weaker the strength. Ariel's words actually left him with no way to refute.

He swallowed with great difficulty, and then saw Ariel turn her head and look towards the window in the corridor.

The Silver Palace is brightly lit.

The night was not so dark, covering the courtyard like a gray veil.

She blinked and smiled.

"I'm tired and want to rest."

She was about to move forward, but paused slightly, as if she remembered something, and turned to look at Dilic.

The blue eyes are as bright as water.

"It may be very noisy today, please don't mind~ If you have trouble falling asleep, you can let Alz accompany you. I think she is very interested in you."

With a chuckle, he walked away.

Dilic looked at Ariel's back, his lips parted for a long time, and he couldn't say a word.

　Sorry that I have been checking a lot of original plots related to Ariel and Luke today. It took too long.

　　Although these two chapters are just for information, they give a lot of information below the surface. The next chapter switches back to Allen's perspective, and there are still characters appearing.

　　I need to look up some more information, so I have to ask for leave.

　　Regarding Philip, the foreshadowing of the letter in the first volume is included: people are complex and three-dimensional.

　　In the original book, Philip's character arc peaks after Rudy's tenth birthday party.

　　The guests left, leaving only Philip, drinking red wine and talking to Rudy who stayed behind with a drunken attitude.

　　All his contradictions and thoughts can be reflected in this conversation.

　　The message of the discourse is (in order).

　　1 lost in the family struggle, and only Alice was left as a child, and all the children were 'taken away' by James.

　　2 The history of the failed struggle of the family owners.

　　3 defended his wife and pointed out that there was a reason why the other party was mean to Rudy.

　　4. Hope Rudy will marry into the family and defeat James
　　5Thanks to Rudy for helping Alice grow.

　　最后:
　　Even if the Boreas family is not involved, Rudy is still allowed to be with Alice.

　　-How much truth is there and how much lies?
　　I personally think that the truth told while drunk, the truth that was a blend of reason and emotion, was more convincing to Rudy, and there was no need to tell lies, because he had already noticed that Rudy was also very good at hiding and was mentally mature.

　　Telling lies is counterproductive, but that doesn't stop him from taking more rational actions (writing letters to provoke Rudy and Paul) when he is sober.

　　Philip is such a character who is full of contradictions but also has a very brilliant arc.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)