Chapter 77: Triple Payback
Now then,
let’s calm down.
Take a breath and recollect the bizarre scene I just witnessed.
When I opened the door, the princess had Noel hogtied and suspended upside down by ropes.
…………No, I still don’t understand the meaning of this.
“Could it be that Noel has…that kind of hobby…?”
“Um, Al kun. You mean that kind of hobby…?”
“The hobby of being tied up and hung upside down by his little sister.”
“That is……………………a rather unique hobby.”
I was quite vague with my words there.
“Please do not worry. My dear brother does not possess such hobbies.”
At some point, the opened door revealed Princess Marietta standing there with a beaming smile, looking right at us. Behind her, Noel was still hanging upside down.
“Hey Noel! You still alive?”
“……I’m fine. Don’t stop this, Alfred. I’ve resolved to accept this punishment.”
“I can sense your determination, but this whole scene is just ridiculous…”
If someone was told this was the genius Noel Noll Ivelpe, the ‘Frozen Prince’ who is the second prince yet considered closest to the throne, would they even believe it upon first glance?
I probably wouldn’t have believed it before visiting Garland territory.
……Back then, Noel was possessed by a desire for revenge after losing his fiancée. Anyone who knew the ice-cold rejection he wore like armor would doubt their own eyes seeing the docile, rope-bound Noel now.
“My apologies for the delayed greeting. Alfred, Charlotte. I have come as reinforcements from our ally, the Ivelpe Kingdom, to deal with the ‘Fragment.’ I am Marietta Noll Ivelpe.”
With a voice as clear as ringing bells, Princess Marietta gracefully completed her introduction. Her flowing movements made me momentarily forget the ridiculous scene before me.
“I’m Alfred Berg Leuville, the third prince. It’s a pleasure to meet you…but Princess Marietta…”
“Yes, what is it?”
“About your brother hanging upside down behind you, could you explain that?”
“Ah, this? Fufufu. Please pay it no mind. Consider it interior decor.”
“Some tasteless interior decor. Why don’t you just get rid of it?”
“While an intriguing suggestion, I still have use for this piece of shit brother, so I’ll have to decline.”
She just called Noel a ‘piece of shit brother’? Noel, what did you do?
“Kuh…………”
Charl looks stunned that the elegant Princess Marietta used such crass language. It’s not something Charl would likely say herself.
“Ah…that ‘use’ you mentioned?”
“It’s my principle to get back triple what I’ve lost.”
“Lost?”
“Return blows with blades, blades with bullets, and bullets with cannon fire. There is no such thing as equality. Even getting back double is too merciful. Only by repaying triple can I grant the bare minimum forgiveness.”
While her words carry an ominous air, Princess Marietta’s beaming smile doesn’t falter. Noel’s rejection was cold and firm like ice, but Marietta’s feels more like a blizzard.
“So in summary, you’re in the process of paying that piece of shit brother back triple for whatever he did to you?”
“Precisely.”
“Well, can’t be helped then.”
“Al-kun!?”
Retaliation is important after all. I told Nenel something similar.
“Princess Marietta, don’t you think suspending him upside down is going too far? Especially after such an intense battle, Noel must still be exhausted…”
“This piece of shit brother slapped me in the face.”
“Ah, in that case it can’t be helped.”
It seems Charl understands too, which is a relief. Her impression of Noel has likely plummeted as well.
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“……That said, I do have a general grasp of the situation. Now that Prince Alfred has awoken, we have no time to waste on this. Allow me to make it quick.”
Princess Marietta cuts the ropes, and Noel falls to the floor like a dropped fish.
She then gracefully yet vigorously grabs him by the collar and lifts him up.
“…Marietta. What I did (SLAP) to you is unforgivable no matter how many apologies (SLAP) I offer. But I will do anything in my power to make amends. It’s the only atonement (POW) I can give.”
Whoa. She swiftly landed two slaps and a punch right on him.
“That final punch was clean.”
“Yes, an excellent triple payback.”
“Thank you.”
After unceremoniously dropping the ‘piece of shit brother’ Noel on the floor, Princess Marietta elegantly curtsied.
Noel himself now had swollen cheeks, slightly differently swollen on each side – a slap and punch on the right, and just a slap on the left.
“And yet you took it rather stoically. I expected more resistance. Did you eat something strange? Ah, but of course the perfect Lord Brother would never stoop to such unruly behavior.”
“………..Who can say. Perhaps I have become something of a ‘unruly’ person myself.”
“I see. So that’s why you obediently took those blows.”
“Heh…I didn’t say triple was the limit. Feel free to add one more (POW)…You’ve grown strong, Marietta.”
With his cheeks now equally swollen, Noel seems impressed by his sister’s growth.
It’s quite a surreal scene. Or you could say ridiculous.
“Well then, now that the payback on this piece of shit brother is complete, let’s move on to the main topic.”
This girl is basically telling her bother ‘you’re a minor issue’ in a roundabout way.
She really doesn’t hold back at all.
“First, let’s discuss our plan going forward, shall we? What are your thoughts, Prince Alfred?”
“The ‘Orchestra’…I don’t know its exact capabilities, but worst case it could bombard us from the air. Once we secure a way in, I’d like to take the offensive if possible.”
“You understand the danger of willingly infiltrating the enemy’s domain, yes?”
“The enemy has a flying mechanical palace. I’m not deluded enough to think we can win without risk.”
“My, you’re much bolder than I expected.”
“Too intense for the ‘Snow Fairy Princess’?”
“No, I’m actually relieved you’re not timid.”
Princess Marietta’s mouth is tearing open fearlessly, and before she knows it, she is holding a coin in her hand.
Is that the gold coin of the Kingdom of Ivelpe? She flicked it upward with her fingertips, as white as snow and as delicate as flowers.
“Heads or tails. Success or failure. Out comes a demon or a snake. The only way to know is to overturn it. Battle is a game of chances, and the chances are dictated by the whims of time. Seizing opportunities before luck abandons you is exactly my preferred strategy.”
Catching the flipped coin, she opens her hand to reveal the head side facing up.
“A degree of danger is simply the promise of reward. Lose and suffer great loss. But win and reap great profits. Thus, now is the time to gamble. I would stake everything without hesitation. In fact, if you had proposed some meek strategy against the ilk connected to the root villain, the ‘Night Witch’ behind the Ragments, I would have dragged you out kicking and screaming like that piece of shit brother over there.”
……Who the hell gave this princess the nickname ‘Snow Fairy’?
She’s an outright gambling freak on the inside.
“Hey Noel, what kind of education does the Ivelpe Kingdom give its princesses?”
“…No, in this case, your side also bears some responsibility.”
“Hah?”
“She’d been like this ever since returning from that new magitech exhibition party held in the Leuville Kingdom ages ago.”
“…You’re saying she picked up bad habits here? Don’t be ridiculous.”
If there was someone unscrupulous enough to teach a princess those vices, I’d almost want to meet them myself.
“Ah, Princess Marietta. While I agree to boldly infiltrating despite the risks, we lack a means of actually breaching that flying palace.”
“Yes, I’m aware. To be honest, I don’t have a solution for that yet either. But we can prepare for battle while watching for an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“While I don’t know the principles or mechanics behind its flight, it’s clear it runs on magical power. So it will need to resupply its magic at some point. All we can do is stay prepared so we’re ready to move the moment that opportunity arises…though the best situation would be finding a way in ourselves.”
I can’t really object to what she’s saying. In fact, I would have said something similar if she hadn’t.
“Then shall we proceed? There’s a place I’d like to go investigate. Could you escort me?”
“If that is your wish, I’d be happy to guide you. But where exactly?”
“To the site where this ‘Orchestra’ palace was sealed away. Even a small bit of information could aid our countermeasures and infiltration plans.”
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