Even if you're a corrupted magical girl, you still have to try to redeem yourself.

That guard had abandoned all her titles: the monarch's sword, the monarch's henchman, the monarch's mad dog—she was no longer any of them.

The current Inuyama Tomoe should be called—the King Killer.

Chapter 108 The Traitor

The monarch is dead?

Mizuno Yu couldn't believe her eyes, let alone what she had just experienced.

What happened that very night was completely unexpected by Mizuno Yu.

To trace exactly how things got to this point, we might have to go back a bit further, back to when the general returned to the Prime Minister's residence.

……

The general returned home exceptionally late that day.

When she returned to her residence, she appeared somewhat sullen.

At first glance, few people would notice anything amiss, but Mizuno Yu had been with the general for so long that she was very familiar with his every word and action, so she could naturally tell that the general was unhappy.

In fact, Mizuno Yu should now address the general as Prime Minister, but she is still not used to changing her address, and the general allows her to address him as before.

Mizuno Yu couldn't possibly ask the general why he returned so late, nor was it convenient for her to ask him why he was so sullen; the prime minister's affairs were not something she should interfere with in her current capacity.

But Mizuno Yu could more or less guess that the real task the lord had given the general was not progressing very smoothly.

Let alone a general who is being watched by countless eyes and whose slightest action will be known to others immediately; even for someone like myself, who has no official rank and is nominally a follower of the general, it is extremely difficult to investigate anything.

So Mizuno Yu's progress was actually quite unsuccessful.

After arriving in the monarch's city, Mizuno Yu almost never spent time alone with the general, in order to minimize the suspicion surrounding her—she knew that anyone who had contact with the general would become a target of surveillance.

Reducing contact until decisive evidence is obtained is good for yourself, the general, and the monarch.

But today, the general has unusually summoned me.

"Mizuno." The general, who was sitting in a chair in front of the bed, beckoned to Mizuno Yu, who had been brought by his attendants.

There was another chair opposite the general, presumably prepared for him.

Sure enough, as he drew closer, the general waved to the servants at the door, who immediately withdrew and closed the door tightly.

The general then glanced at the chair before looking back at Mizuno Yu.

"sit."

"General, you wanted to see me?" Mizuno Yu sat down in the chair. Although the general was of high status, Mizuno Yu felt no pressure sitting in front of the general.

Perhaps this is the general's charisma.

"Hmm." The general's voice was drawn out, as if he were sizing up Mizuno Yu: "Any progress lately?"

"There's no real evidence, but I've narrowed it down considerably," Mizuno Yu replied truthfully.

"Oh?" The general showed a hint of satisfaction: "Tell me about it."

“The people who came to visit me on my first day here are the most suspicious.” Mizuno Yu paused for a beat before contradicting herself: (⊙.4 “The only suspects are them, or people close to them.”

"Chief Steward Yuki, Minister Nishio, are you referring to them?" the shogun asked.

Mizuno Yu added, "And Tenrai, she's also a suspect."

The general didn't show the slightest surprise, but rather acted like an elder testing his student—at least that's the impression the general gave Mizuno Yu.

"She's your best friend, how can you doubt even her?"

Mizuno Yuya humbly shared her speculation: "Her entire family was executed by the monarch for treason, but Tianlei, who was sent to the monarch's city, escaped and was even given an important position. She does indeed have the possibility of avenging her family."

The general nodded in approval: "Anything else?"

"Tianlei invited me in a hurry as soon as I arrived in the Monarch City. This was certainly in line with her personality, but she should have known that it would be easy for people to misunderstand her. Even so, she still did it."

"The relationships in the city are complicated, and no one can remain unaffected. I naturally belong to the General's faction, and Tian Lei's actions are most likely because her faction wants to befriend the General."

"But the general is isolated and helpless, and is subject to orders from others everywhere. Even though the general is now the prime minister, it is not a good choice to be on good terms with him. Therefore, I suspect that she wants to win me away from the general."

The general was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“I am also unwilling to doubt my dear friend, but since the monarch has given such an order, I should be fair and just, and do my best to clear my friend of suspicion, but so far I have made no progress.”

On one hand, Mizuno Yu was trying to help Helica regain some favor with the general. She could doubt Helica, but she didn't want her words to cause the general to have any prejudice against Helica. On the other hand, she had completed her report.

"Hmm." The general's voice trailed off even longer: "I called you here today for this very reason."

Mizuno Yu was startled. For the general to risk contacting him meant either that there had been a breakthrough, or that the situation had worsened.

"The monarch secretly summoned me to meet with her tonight and left this behind."

As the general spoke, he pulled an envelope from his pocket, which was clearly sealed with a wax seal belonging to a monarch.

If it is merely a decree from the monarch, it does not need to be given to the general, nor does it need to be sealed with wax.

When asked what this thing was, Mizuno Yu could only think of one possibility.

The general himself revealed the true nature of the letter, just as Mizuno Yu had guessed.

"This is the monarch's will. If anything happens to the monarch, I will make this will public."

The fewer people who know about such an important matter, the more secure it is. But why did the general tell me about it?

"If I were to suffer any misfortune, the task of making this will public before anyone else obtains it would be yours."

……

The more trust there is, the greater the responsibility.

The general entrusting such an important responsibility to her shoulders shows his high regard and trust in her, but Mizuno Yu felt like she couldn't breathe.

She can't remember what the general said to her afterward, or how she left the general's room.

But she remembered only one thing clearly: where the general had hidden the will.

Mizuno Yu kept repeating the location of the will in her mind as she quickly left the Prime Minister's residence and headed towards her own home.

Now all she wants to do is lie in bed and rest, letting her mind take a break.

But reality doesn't always go as planned. Just as he turned the corner after leaving the Prime Minister's residence, a figure blocked his way.

Is it someone spying on me?

"I wondered," Mizuno thought, but quickly rejected her own idea.

If someone wanted to spy on him, they certainly wouldn't openly expose their little tail to him.

So, he's going to take action against himself?

He currently holds no official position, and having just left the Prime Minister's residence, he possesses extremely important information. It is entirely possible that if they were to kidnap him and force him to reveal what the general had said, it would be highly probable.

Mizuno Yuu became extremely vigilant, outwardly strolling leisurely along the road, but secretly preparing to face the enemy.

When Mizuno Yu saw that person's face in the dim moonlight, her heart tightened again.

If someone really wanted to harm me, that would be fine, but the person who stopped me was her.

The Minister of Home Affairs' black hair seemed to blend into the night, and her delicate face was expressionless. At this moment, Nishio Reki was waiting for her as if she were an old friend waiting for her on the street.

The only person she can wait for is herself.

"Lord Mizuno." Nishio Reki stepped aside to make way for Mizuno Yu, but her call made Mizuno Yu unable to move an inch.

"Minister Nishio, it's so late, could it be that you've come to visit the Prime Minister?" Mizuno Yu asked, speaking in a somewhat awkward official tone, as she stopped in front of Nishio Reki.

“No, no.” Nishio Reki shook his finger. “I came to see you.”

"Looking for me?" Mizuno Yu could almost hear her heart skip a beat, but she had to maintain a calm demeanor. "I'm truly flattered. May I ask what brings Minister Nishio to me?"

"Have you given it a good look, Mizuno-sama, what I said a few days ago?" Nishio Reki asked softly.

"I wonder what Minister Nishio is referring to?" Mizuno Yu asked back, her heart already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

The general had just received him, and then a Minister of Home Affairs appeared out of nowhere. If these two things were not related, Nishio Reki would never believe it.

What's even more crucial is, what exactly does Nishio Reki want from me?

Or perhaps, how much did Nishio Ryū know about the matter between himself and the general?

Nishio Reki remained silent, which made Mizuno Yu even more anxious. She clenched her fists in secret, but tried her best to appear indifferent while waiting for Nishio Reki's reply.

"Lord Mizuno, you must remember what I said, and you must also remember your position. The monarch can't hold on much longer. What you should do is not to listen to the monarch and continue playing your childish game."

To Mizuno Yu, these words were utterly treasonous. For the Minister of Home Affairs to speak ill of the monarch to him was tantamount to treason.

However, Mizuno Yu remembered everything Nishio Reki had said clearly. If Nishio Reki was really the traitor, there would be no need for him to say these things to her.

Could it be that she is actually working for the monarch, and is saying this to test her loyalty to the monarch?

Alternatively, Nishio Reki might be a neutral party, pointing himself in the right direction.

On the contrary, it is entirely possible that she is indeed involved with the rebels and that her visit was to test my intentions.

Regardless of the approach, Mizuno Yu believes that the smartest thing to do is to stick to her own ideas, as switching sides at the last minute would leave her pleasing neither side.

Even though Mizuno Yu suspected that Nishio Reki already knew he was working for the monarch, Mizuno Yu couldn't possibly expose this fact himself.

Moreover, Nishio Reki's words really hit Mizuno Yu's sore spot.

"Playing house? Do you think everything I do is just playing house? Or do you, as the Minister of the Interior, think the future of this country is just playing house?"

“What I think is not important, but many people think that we are just playing house together.” Nishio Reki said noncommittally, and his cryptic statement annoyed Mizuno Yu.

Mizuno Yu didn't want to say much to Nishio Reki, as she understood the principle that too much talk leads to mistakes.

Now is the best time for Mizuno Yu to leave, and if she's smart, she won't let this opportunity slip by.

"I don't understand what Minister Nishio is saying, but if Minister Nishio has nothing else to say, I will take my leave now. I will think about Minister Nishio's words carefully when I get back."

“Don’t say that, I actually have other things to do,” Nishio Reki said.

"What is it? Minister Nishio, please speak plainly." Mizuno Yu couldn't take it anymore under Nishio Reki's relentless and pointless attacks, and just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"To be precise, it's not my problem," Nishio Reki said slowly, his deliberate tone making Mizuno Yu even more anxious.

"It is the monarch. The monarch wishes to see Lord Mizuno."

monarch?

Mizuno Yu's anxiety turned into more doubt, and she even felt a chill run down her spine.