Intermission

Recently, Jircniv had been in great shape.

最近这段时间，吉克尼夫的状态很好。

Terrific, even.

非常之好。

In any case, life was good.

总而言之，就是好。

After visiting the nightmare that was Nazarick, the stomach cramps that had been plaguing him all this time were gone. The cabinet which had once held potions now contained neat stacks of documents. He was free of all his troubles, he no longer collected hair from his pillow and he was no longer shocked by how much of it there was.

自从去过纳萨力克这样一个庄严的噩梦以来，一直缠绕着他的胃痛也已经离远去。过去放着药水的抽屉，现在也好好地摆放着文件。他已经从所有的烦恼中解放出来，再也不会有从枕头上收集起头发，并对那份量感到惊愕的时候了。

How refreshing!

爽快！

How pleasant!

舒畅！

How comfortable!

舒服！

This was probably the first time he had been filled with such a feeling of liberation. He felt so good that he could not help but imagine he had sprouted wings with which he could flap into the sky.

被如此的解放感所包围，说不定还是人生中第一次体验到的呢。舒服到不禁产生了一种是不是能长出翅膀，翱翔于天空的错觉。

He put his heartfelt smile away and faced his subordinate. You smile more often now, his not-beautiful concubine had said, but this was not a time to let others see him smile. Dignity was a thing that caused a lot of problems when one lost it.

把从心底里绽放的笑容收回心里，他面向属下们。变得经常会笑了呢，虽然被不是美人的侧妃这么说过，但现在这样的场合还是不能让人看见笑容的，果然威严这种东西一旦失去了还是会很麻烦的。

And so, the usual morning meeting began.

因此，惯例的朝会开始了。

Jircniv had many scribes, but the one before him now was an excellent man called Roune Varmilinen.

虽然吉克尼夫有着数名书记官，但现在眼前的是这名叫做罗内・梵米利恩的、非常优秀的男人。

At first, he had been worried that something had been done to him after he had returned from the Sorcerer King’s palace, and so he had placed him in a sinecure. However, that too was a thing of the past. Roune’s position as head scribe was now secure. This was not because he was certain that nothing had been done to him. It was simply to prove that he had nothing to hide from the Sorcerous Kingdom. In addition, it was also a fact that Roune was very skilled.

虽然刚从魔导王的居城回来之后，还担心过他在那里是不是被做了些什么，所以赐了个闲职给他。不过那也已经是过去的事儿了。现在的他稳坐第一书记官之位。这并不是因为确信、他并没有被做了什么手脚，而是为了彰显我国对魔导国没有丝毫的隐瞒。而且罗内非常优秀也是事实。

He glanced over the document he had taken from Roune, and due to the ridiculous content within, Jircniv lost control of himself and burst into laughter.

从罗内手里接过文件稍微过目一遍，因上面所记载的内容实在是过于胡扯，吉克尼夫不由的失笑了出来。

“Whoever wrote this was quite the comedian. What do you think of the Sorcerer King’s death?”

「这写的还真是有够滑稽的啊，你怎么看魔导王陛下去世这事？」

“I am absolutely certain that this is one hell of a lie.”

「首先必定，绝对，除此之外是不可能的确率来说，应该是个超大的谎言吧」

Jircniv agreed with what Roune had said.

罗内的话语也获得吉克尼夫深深的同意。

“Ahh, that’s right. It must be fake. Besides, it’s impossible that His Majesty would lose or die or whatever.”

「啊啊，没错。一定是假的。再说了那个魔导王陛下会输或者死亡什么的根本不可能」

Nobody could possibly kill a magic caster who could crush an army of 200’000 with a single spell and fight in armed combat with the Martial Lord, the Empire’s mightiest warrior. Jircniv was certain of that.

一个魔法就能让二十万的大军土崩瓦解，并能与被称为帝国最强的战士、武王持着武器战得旗鼓相当的魔法咏唱者，能杀的掉他的人是不可能存在的，吉克尼夫有自信这么断言。

Of course, one could not poison him either, and he could not fall to disease or die of old age. It felt more realistic that someone was spreading a bad joke on a massive scale in order to make the punchline of “...because he was already dead to begin with”.

当然的，毒杀也做不到的，因为疾病而倒下，衰老也是不可能的。比起这些，说这是为了说出“本来就是死的嘛”的这么个结果，而大规模散布的恶趣味笑话还比较有现实感。

“Well, it’s probably to root out any malcontents. Still, I have a question.”

「嘛，估计是为了发现潜在的不满分子吧。不过，有一个问题」

“Which is?”

「那是？」

“That is to say, I am wondering why is His Majesty, who possesses unrivalled intellect, resorting to a lame little scheme like this which anyone can see through. Unless it means there’s some other… yes, it’s possible there may be some grand conspiracy brewing that even I cannot discern…”

「就是那个有着绝顶智谋的魔导王陛下，为何会使用这种无论是谁都看得破的无聊计策的疑问。莫非那里面有着别的什么……对，连我也看不破的那般远大的阴谋在酝酿也不一定……」

Who could say for sure there was none? No, if this was a scheme laid by the monstrous intellect who knew every detail of Jircniv’s movements, then Jircniv was certain that this was nothing but the tip of the iceberg.

谁又能断言绝对没可能呢。不，若是完全看破了吉克尼夫的行动、如有怪物级睿智的他所设下的计谋的话，吉克尼夫确信这绝对只不过是冰山一角罢了。

For all Jircniv knew, even thinking that way might have been part of his plan.

说不定吉克尼夫会这么想，也在他的打算之中呢。

However, what if this was not a scheme hatched by the Sorcerer King, but by one of his underlings -- for instance, that utterly imbecilic-looking toad monster?

但是，如果这不是出自魔导王的谋划，而是部下的——例如是那个看上去就愚钝不堪的蛙形怪物想出策略的话又当如何？

“...I don’t know. Besides, if you can’t figure out something you want to figure out, you can only abandon it. More to the point, all we need to do is obey Albedo-sama, the prime minister of the Sorcerous Kingdom, and do what she says. There’ll be no problems so long as we don’t betray them and complete our tasks. As the ruler of a vassal nation, I won’t be so easily purged if I’m appropriately incompetent.

「……不知道啊。再说了，想明白的东西就是想不明白，只好放弃了吧。而且说到底，我只需要遵从魔导国的宰相雅儿贝德大人的指示，按她吩咐的去做就是。只要不背叛，完成好自己的任务就没什么问题了。作为属国的担当者，适当地无能一些也就不会那么容易被肃清了啊」

“It is as you say.”

「正如您所说」

Roune shrugged.

罗内耸了耸肩。

In the past, he was a person who would not make such movements, It would seem he had trained himself to do so after his many experiences. Or perhaps it was because he had grown bold.

他以前是不会做出如此动作的人物，看来是经历了许多，被锻炼出来了。又或者说是胆子大起来了吗。

Regardless of the Sorcerer King’s vital status, all would be well as long as the Empire did not stop being a vassal of the Sorcerous Kingdom. In this way, they would be immune to any stratagem the opposition employed. Loyalty was the best defense. If they were killed even after giving their loyalty, then all they could do was laugh at the pettiness of the other party and go to the grave in peace.

无论魔导王是死是生，只要帝国不改变作为魔导国属国的这一立场就好。这样一来无论对手有着怎样的策略都与其无缘，忠诚心才是最有力的防御方法。如果如此尽忠了还要被杀掉的话，那也就只能嘲笑着对方的心胸过于狭窄，然后安详的的逝去罢了。

“Now then, is that all the work for today?”

「那么，今天的工作就到这里完了吗？」

Ever since he had become a vassal nation, Jircniv’s administrative workload had dropped to around half of before, Still, today’s workload seemed too light.

虽说自从成为属国后，吉克尼夫每日所需处理的政务量，变得只有以前的一半左右了。不过今天的工作量也太少了一些。

“No, Your Majesty, there’s still something else. This is a document we received this morning. It was submitted by the knight legions.”

「不，陛下，还有一些。这是今早接到的第一份文书。是从骑士团那里承上来的」

Unfortunately, his work was not yet done.

非常可惜的是，工作果然还没有结束。

Jircniv accepted the proffered document with a mocking smile on his face.

对着递出的文件，吉克尼夫浮起讥讽的笑容接了过来。

He glanced briefly through it. It seemed to contain the knights’ complaints about their legion being reconstituted.

大致地看了一遍，似乎是骑士团对于再编成的不满。

In the past, he would have given a certain amount of special consideration to the knights. Or rather, considering Jircniv had many nobles as his enemies, he could not allow the enemy to snatch away the martial force which the knights represented. However, things were different now.

过去对骑士团不得不有一定程度的倾斜考虑。或者说对于敌对贵族众多的吉克尼夫来说，不能做出让敌人夺走骑士团这种武力的事情来。不过现在已经不同了。

“Tell them this: you can tell His Majesty the Sorcerer King in person. I can’t believe they wasted paper on this.”

「那就传话给他们，你们自己去亲口跟魔导王陛下说就好了。还特意用纸什么的真浪费」

Paper used in these reports was made by utility magic, and it cost more regardless of what tier of spell was used to make it. Jircniv could have thrown it away after use without any concerns, but he did not intend to keep quiet about excessive expenses.

报告书之类所使用的纸张是由生活魔法所制作出来的，无论是由哪一位阶制作的都比较值钱。若是吉克尼夫的话倒是可以无所顾忌地用完就扔，不过他也不打算对经费的多余开销默不作声就是了。

Paper made from zero-tier spells was crumpled. It was coarse and discolored.

零位阶的生活魔法制作出来的纸是皱巴巴的，比较厚，有些颜色附在上面。

Paper conjured from first-tier utility spells was thinner and whiter. Papermaking could produce paper of this quality as well, but spells of this tier produced less paper and so it was more expensive.

第一位阶的生活魔法制作出来的纸更加薄一些，也更白。到这种程度的话造纸术也能制作出来，只不过，这个等级的纸生产量不多，因此价格也高。

Second-tier utility spells produced very sheer and very clean paper. Of course, one could color magically-created paper to a certain extent. Spells of this tier could produce a very soft paper known as noble paper, and all productivity went to that aspect.

而第二位阶的生活魔法制作出来的纸非常之薄，白白净净。当然，由魔法造出的纸在某些程度上也可以上好颜色，只不过，在这个位阶能产出被称为贵族纸的非常柔软的纸，变成基本上生产力都用在这上面的状况。

“Still I don’t understand why they’re so resistant to letting another country handle our national defense.”

「不过我也不是不清楚，对于把国防交给他国负责这种事，所引起的抗拒心情就是了」

“Don’t complain about that to me, tell Albedo-sama. Also, didn’t we already say that we weren’t entrusting everything to them?”

「那种不满别对我说，去和雅儿贝德大人说啊。而且不是已经说了并没有完全委托于人吗」

This came from Prime Minister Albedo’s instructions to supplement the Empire’s military manpower with the Sorcerous Kingdom’s undead armies.

这是来自魔导国宰相雅儿贝德的指示，就是以魔导国的不死者军团填补帝国军事力量的一部分。

Jircniv believed that this was part of the program to complete the vassalization process, and so he obeyed it. He planned to let some of the knights retire and disbanded two of the Empire’s eight legions.

认为这是完全的属国化计划一环的指令，吉克尼夫遵从其指示，打算让一部分的骑士引退，解散帝国八军之内的两军。

This ought to have been a good idea since there were many people who were mentally exhausted from that massacre, but there had still been some disgruntlement about the lack of seats which could be taken.

虽然觉得因那场大虐杀而在精神上疲惫不堪的人也很多，应该不是个坏主意，但能坐的位置变少了这件事上果然还是引发了某种程度的不满吧。

“And I even prepared positions for them to transfer into…”

「我明明有准备好岗位，让他们调职过去的啊……」

“People are just unhappy at losing their privileges and uneasy about doing jobs they’ve never done before, I think.”

「果然还是有着对于待遇减少的不满、以及对至今为止从未从事过的职业有所不安等问题吧」

“If it’s the latter, then they just have to work hard, but if it’s the former then it’s only to be expected. Or am I expected to pay people who simply do their job and engage in physical labor the same amount that people in hazardous and deadly jobs receive?”

「虽然后者只能说让他们努力，但是前者可是当然的事。难不成我还得支付同样工资给，说不定会死的危险职业，和单纯从事体力劳动的人吗？」

Jircniv snorted and disregarded it.

吉克尼夫嗤之以鼻对此无视。

Perhaps he would have needed to masterfully manipulate them in the past, but now there was no need for that.

如果是之前的话，或许还有必要高明地去诱导，但现在已经没有那个必要了。

Jircniv had the backing of someone called the Sorcerer King who possessed absolute power. No matter what happened, all he had to do was say, “please tell His Majesty yourself” and all dissent was quashed in an instant.

吉克尼夫的背后有着名为魔导王的拥有绝对力量的人在。无论发生什么事，只要来一句「请去向那位大人提」就能瞬间封杀不满。

Nobody in the Empire could express their displeasure to someone who could slaughter on such a scale and even defeat the Martial Lord in combat.

帝国里可没有能对进行那种大量虐杀、谈到武术则连武王都能战胜的对手抛出不满的人。

While they had used to field their complaints to Jircniv in the past, his position was now secure, given that he was a servant of the Sorcerer King. No, because he was feared, he ought to say it was more secure than secure. Immovable, perhaps?

虽然以前的不满会投向吉克尼夫，不过既然他隶属于魔导王，吉克尼夫的地位可谓是安泰。不，因为还有被畏惧着的缘故，应该说是比安泰还要安泰、稳若泰山了吧？

And frankly, there were shockingly few people in the Empire who were unhappy about becoming vassals of the Sorcerous kingdom. That was because the Sorcerous Kingdom made very few demands. There were quite a few finely-detailed requests, but there were only two main demands.

而且老实说，帝国内部对于成为了魔导国属国的不满就少得惊人。这是由于魔导国的要求非常之少的缘故。虽然细微的要求有好几个，但是重要的要求就只有两个。

The first was to amend a part of the Empire’s law -- this was to emphasize the absolute nature of the Sorcerer King and his confidants.

其一是修改帝国法的一部分——这是为了将魔导王与其侧近的绝对性载于前言之上。

The second was to hand over criminals sentenced to the death penalty. This was shocking in the opposite sense. While he had felt that they would suffer horrible fates, one of them had been safely returned because “he was framed, and so he was innocent”.

其二则是交出应受死刑的罪犯。这个则是从相反的意义感到吃惊。虽然觉得应该是被用在了残忍的目的上，不过却有一个人因为「此人只是被冤枉的所以无罪」的原因被平安的送了回来。

And so, one could say that there was practically no change from daily life.

就像是这样，几乎可以说与平常的生活没有任何改变。

“Come, let’s finish up quick so I can meet my friend.”

「来，那么就快点结束工作，准备迎接吾之友人吧」

Today, a true, freshly-made friend was scheduled to visit Jircniv. All the preparations for his welcome were complete, and all that was left was Jircniv’s part of the work.

本日吉克尼夫新结交的、真正的朋友有着来访这里的预定。为他而准备的欢迎会也已经结束，剩下的就只有吉克尼夫完成工作了。

He spent half an hour taking care of sundry tasks, and then his subordinate entered the room after receiving the approval of his guards and Jircniv himself.

从那之后花了三十分钟左右处理杂务，得到了警备兵和吉克尼夫本人允许的属下进入了房间。

“Your Majesty, your guest has arrived--”

「陛下，预定的贵客已经到——」

“Ohh! Hurry and let him in!”

「哦噢！赶快让他进来」

His work was not finished. Still, what about it? What could be more important than greeting a friend?

工作还没完成。但、那又如何呢。怎么可能会有比欢迎友人更重要的事呢。

Soon, his friend was led into the room by his subordinates.

不久在部下引导下，他的友人进入了房间。

Jircniv rose, his face all smiles, and he spread his arms in welcome and invited his guest in.

站起来的吉克尼夫满脸笑容的同时，张开双臂作以表欢迎，把客人迎了进来。

It was a demihuman who looked like a short, squat mole. The enchanted pendant he had given him dangled back and forth.

那是有着矮胖土拨鼠外观的亚人。吉克尼夫所赠送的、蕴含着魔法之力的垂饰来回地摇晃着。

“Ohhh! Welcome! My true friend, Riyuro!”

「哦噢！欢迎光临！吾真正的朋友、里尤洛啊！」

Jircniv embraced Riyuro without any hesitation and wrapped his arms around him.

吉克尼夫毫不犹豫地抱着里尤洛，把手伸到了他身后。

“Ahhh! Jircniv, oh friend with whom I have shared my troubles! I am deeply grateful for your welcome!

「啊啊！分享苦恼的吾之友、吉克尼夫啊！对于招待一事我表示深深地感谢！」

Riyuro embraced Jircniv as well. Given the sharp claws on his forelimbs, one could see the gentleness in his movements as he took care not to hurt Jircniv with them.

里尤洛那边也拥抱了吉克尼夫。由于他的前肢有锐利的尖爪，那是能让人明白、他在注意着不让爪子伤到吉克尼夫的温和动作。

They held each other for a while, and then slowly broke apart.

拥抱了一阵，然后两人慢慢同时离开。

“--What are you saying? My doors are always open to Riyuro.”

「——说什么呢。我的家门可是随时为里尤洛所敞开的啊」

Riyuro smiled savagely.

里尤洛狰狞一笑。

While the smile looked very menacing on a demihuman, Jircniv understood that he was smiling. Such was the intimacy of their relationship.

虽然那个笑容因为身为亚人而看起来非常凶恶，但是吉克尼夫却能理解他是在微笑。和他的交情已经如此亲密了。

Jircniv was suddenly struck by how interesting this was.

吉克尼夫突然觉得很有意思。

He had been born and raised as a candidate to be the next Emperor, and everyone around him of his age considered him the Crown Prince. Therefore, he had not had anyone he could call a friend. But now, the fact that his first friend was a demihuman--

从一出生起就被作为次代皇帝候补所养育，只能被周围的同龄人们视为皇太子。因此无法拥有能称为朋友的存在。但是，他最初能交到的朋友是亚人这种事——

--Hmph. If I had told myself from 10 or 15 years ago about this, I wouldn’t have believed it… For this, if nothing else, I have to thank that undead being.

（——哼。要是对十年、十五年前的自己说了也绝对不会相信的吧……只有这件事得好好感谢那个不死者了啊）

He had first met this dear friend before him in a waiting room when he had gone to see the Sorcerer King.

眼前的这位大亲友，是在去谒见魔导王时在等候室相遇的。

At that time, he had simply wondered where this demihuman had come from and how far the Sorcerer King’s domination reached.

虽然那时只是在考虑，这是哪里的亚人、魔导王支配的魔爪究竟伸到何处之类的事。

But after that, they met again, and engaged each other in conversation to learn more about each other -- and then they forged a spiritual bond. After a minute together that could have been a month, a deep friendship was born.

可在那之后，因为再次相遇为了引出情报而互相对话——然后心灵相通了。一起渡过了一分钟甚至能匹敌一个月般的浓密时间，结下了深厚友情的朋友就此诞生了。

That was why they no longer addressed each other with honorifics, This was not because they were both kings.

正因如此，他们称呼对方时已经不会在加上敬称了。这并不是因为双方都是王者。

Indeed, it was because the two of them--

没错，因为他们两个。

--Were both being tormented by the same oppressor -- they were comrades in suffering.

都是被同一个加害者所折磨着的——受害者同伴。

“Come, I’ve prepared all sorts of delicacies that will surprise you. Why not come enjoy yourself for all your labors?”

「来，我准备了会让你大吃一惊的各种美食。今天就来慰劳彼此的辛劳吧？」

“Ah, I look forward to it, Jircniv. I too have brought many of the mushrooms you said were delicious. Let us eat them together when we have the time.”

「啊嗯！我很期待啊，吉克尼夫。我也带来了很多你说过美味的蘑菇。等有空的时候吃吧」

“Ohhh! Thank you, Riyuro.”

「哦噢！麻烦了啊，里尤洛」

The mushrooms Riyuro had brought were fragrant and meaty, and they were a luxury ingredient called Obsidian.

里尤洛所带来的蘑菇非常香而丰满，是被称为黑色宝石的贵重食材。

The two of them left the room side by side.

两人并排着走出了房间。

In the past, Jircniv had been uneasy when he heard that the Sorcerous Kingdom treated demihumans the same way it treated humans.

过去听说魔导国连亚人也像人类一般对待时，吉克尼夫还曾有过不安。

However he snuck a glance at Riyuro beside him and thought.

可是他偷偷瞄了眼身旁的里尤洛，想道。

Demihumans aren’t bad. At least, compared to the undead -- the Sorcerer King.

亚人也不错啊。至少和不死者——魔导王相比的话。

“Speaking of which, have you heard, Riyuro? The Sorcerer King seems to have kicked the bucket.”

「说起来，里尤洛你听说了吗？魔导王似乎驾崩了啊」

Riyuro expelled a great rush of air from his nose. This was his way of snorting in laughter.

里尤洛喷出了强烈的鼻息。这是在嗤笑着。

“Jircniv, that is impossible. How -- how could someone like him die?”

「吉克尼夫，不可能有那种事的吧。那——那位大人怎么可能会死」

“Indeed, I agree with that statement. However… which nation will see its people lamenting this time…?”

「没错。我也赞成这个意见。只是……这次哀叹着又会是哪个国家的人们啊……」

“Yes…”

「是啊……」

Riyuro and Jircniv both looked to the sky.

里尤洛和吉克尼夫一样抬头看向空中。

There was pain in their eyes. They grieved for a tragedy that was happening in some faraway place, and the shared sympathy that soon they would gain a new comrade.

两人的眼中所映照出的情感蕴含着悲伤。为正发生在某个遥远的地方的悲剧而哀悼，其中包含了肯定会诞生的新的同胞们的怜悯。

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

「啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！」

The cry that rang through the room made the man go stiff. He belonged to a secret organization called Eight Fingers, and while he had seen many things before, he had never seen an eruption of such dark emotions. It seemed like genuine hatred and unadulterated cursing.

突然响彻房间的惨叫使男人一瞬间僵直了。他隶属于名叫八指的地下组织，见闻过各种各样的事情，但是也没见过爆发这种程度的漆黑感情。简直是真正的憎恶，纯粹的诅咒。

He would not have been shocked if it had come from an enemy. Indeed, he would be smiling serenely instead. However the people making that sound were his friends, friends with whom he had forged a spiritual connection due to having gone through the same suffering and misery.

如果这是发自与自己敌对者的话他也不会惊讶成这样吧，相反肯定会有着浮现微笑的从容。但是发出那种声音的却是他的伙伴，还是因同样的痛苦、同样的辛劳而心灵相通的伙伴。

Friends -- he thought that there could not be a word that was less applicable to him than that.

伙伴——他想没有比这个与自己更无缘的词了吧。

Even the organization he belonged to now simply hamstrung each other, struggled for power, and tried to suss out each others’ weaknesses. If there was a conflict of their interests, there would have been blood.

即使至今为止即使所属于相同的组织，也只是互相扯后腿、互相争权、每天瞅着对方的破绽。如果彼此的利益冲突了的话会确实地见血。

However, things were different now.

但是现在不同。

Even if there was only one less person, everyone would have to do more work and their probability of failure would go up. When that happened, they would be dragged into that hell as well, because they were responsible for them. Even being punished once would be enough to condemn one to a liquid diet and being plagued by nightmares. For all he knew, there were other hells waiting for him.

就算只缺一人，其他人所担任的工作就会增加，失败的概率也会提高。那样就会因为连带责任被拖进那种地狱吧。只受过一次惩罚就会变得只能吃流食，被噩梦缠身。说不定这次又有着其他的地狱在等候着自己。

With that in mind, whenever anyone began to fall behind in their work, everyone would immediately support him with all their might, worry about his health, and fret about his mental state. And they were desperate in their efforts.

只要那么想，要是谁的工作出现了阻滞的话，其他人就会立刻全力支援他，担心他的身体状况，忧虑他的精神状态。而且还是拼命地。

They had become true companions, those who shared their fate, their lives, and their deaths.

他们成为了同生共死的命运共同体，就是那样子的真正伙伴。

And one of those friends of his was now screaming and rolling around on the ice-cold stone slab flooring. The fear called “if you don’t find out the reason soon, you’ll end up like that too” drove the man to action.

而那伙伴中的一员，现在正一边发出咆哮一边在冰冷的大理石地板上滚来滚去。名为“不早点知道理由的话自己也会变成那样”的恐惧让男人行动了起来。

“What, what is it, Hilma? What happened?”

「怎、怎么啦，希尔玛。发生什么事了吗？」

The wailing woman stopped moving, and her eyes slid up from below to look at the man.

发出声音的女子停止了动作，视线像是滑上去一样从下方看着男子。

“--I’ve had it! Swap with me! I need to watch that idiot’s movements! My stomach hurts! What the hell’s wrong with him! I lose my mind around idiots!”

「——我受够啦！和我换换吧！要注视着那个傻瓜的行动！我的胃在痛啊！什么鬼啊、那家伙！在笨蛋面前是没法保持理性的！」

They knew only one man who could be called an idiot. While they had used the word “idiot” often until now, that man was enough to show others what it truly meant to be an idiot, and so they could no longer use the word idiot lightly.

在他们之中只有一个能称为笨蛋的男人。虽然至今为止经常使用笨蛋这个词，不过那是个足以让人认识到什么才是真正的笨蛋的男人，为此他们也变得再也无法轻易说出笨蛋这一词了。

“What is it? What’s that idiot done now?”

「怎么啦。那个笨蛋又干出什么了吗？」

Hilma spoke quickly, like she was vomiting her pent-up rage.

希尔玛像是要倾吐出积累着的郁愤般、快嘴地开始说了起来。

“Ah, yes! You heard about it, right, how His Majesty perished!?”

「嗯，没错啊！你们知道魔导王陛下驾崩了那件事吧！」

He wanted her to slow down a little, but it sounded like Hilma was venting her stress, so he did not interrupt her, but listened patiently.

虽然想让她说的再稍微慢一点，不过这次听起来也有希尔玛要发散压力的意义。所以没有打断她的话头，而是忍耐着听。

“Mm, of course.”

「嗯，当然了」

Eight Fingers had been the ones who spread the news. Of course it went without saying that they had used unrelated merchants to spread the news through the Kingdom.

让那件事广为传播的正是八指。不过不用说，当然是巧妙地利用没有直接关系的商人在王国内传播的。

“What do you think he said after hearing about it!?”

「你觉得那家伙听到那事后是怎么说的！？」

Well, he was an idiot, after all. He ought to have considered that point before answering. However, all he could think of were ordinary answers. Still, there was no telling what an idiot thought, so he gave up in the end and said something normal.

毕竟是笨蛋啊。应该要考虑到这点后再做出回答。不过，能想到的却都是些普通的回答。不过笨蛋所想的事本来也猜想不到，于是他最后还是放弃了，说出了一般的话。

“...He said something about the burial?”

「……他说了关于葬礼的话吗？」

“If that were all, my stomach wouldn’t hurt like this! He, he said that if he married Albedo-sama, he would be able to inherit the Sorcerous Kingdom!”

「如果是那样的话我的胃就不会绞痛成这样了！那家伙、说了什么现在要是和雅儿贝德大人结婚了的话，不就能得到魔导国了吗那种话啊！」

“Aiiieeee!”

「唏」

The man squeaked and looked around himself.

男子不由得发出小声的嘶哑哀叫，慌忙窥视四周。

The man could not sense them but there ought to be watchers from the Sorcerous Kingdom here. After making sure that they had not made their move, the man sighed in relief.

虽然男子无法感觉到，但是这里应该也有来自魔导国的监视者。确认了他们没有开始行动，男子放心地喘了口气。

They had been ordered to prepare an idiot, but he would much rather not be pushed into that hell because he was an idiot beyond all limits.

虽然确实是准备个笨蛋的命令，不过要是被说超越限度了而推进那个地狱里还是请饶恕吧。

“Oi oi oi! We were ordered to prepare an idiot, but why don’t we just kill him off? Wouldn’t it be better to prepare a more suitable idiot!?”

「喂、喂、喂！虽然被下了准备个笨蛋的命令，不过还是把他给处理掉吧！再准备个稍微像样点的笨蛋才比较好吧！」

“Can we prepare anyone else at this point?”

「事到如今还能准备其他的家伙吗？」

The man’s answer made Hilma roll around while screaming “Ahhhhhhhh!” The hem of her dress rode up her leg and above her thigh.

男子的这种回答让希尔玛「啊啊啊啊啊啊！」地喊着滚来滚去。礼服的裙摆卷了起来，一直卷到大腿的上方。

She had originally been a high class whore and was as beautiful as one, but all the man could feel for her charmless, disgraceful state now was sympathy.

男子对本来是高级**的美丽的她，这种简直毫无魅力的难看样子抱着怜悯之情。

After all, he knew very well that if he had been assigned to the same task, he would be rolling around on the floor instead of Hilma.

毕竟他很清楚、如果被分配到相同任务的话，现在在地上滚动的就不是希尔玛而是自己了。

“Come on Hilma, give it your best.”

「希尔玛，再加把劲吧」

She suddenly stopped and glared at the man before speaking.

只见她猛的一下停住并瞪向男人说道。

“Wouldn’t it be alright if you manipulated that man… or made sure he didn’t do anything excessive?”

「要是你对那个男人进行操纵……又或者注意不要让他做出出格的举动就好了喔？」

“Idiots like that ought to be controlled by women. Am I right?”

「那样的笨蛋应该由女人来操纵才是的。对吧？」

After hearing that question, Hilma went “Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!” again and continued rolling around on the ground.

提出这样的反问之后希尔玛再次发出「啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！」的叫喊继续打起了滚。

“I think it won’t last much longer. We’ll move in earnest after another two or three years. Get more idiots together before that. We’ll do our best to help if you need to form a faction of idiots.”

「我想这并不是很长远的事。再过个两、三年之后应该就要开始进入真正的行动了。在此之前再多招揽些笨蛋吧。要是组建笨蛋们的派阀的话我们也会全力帮助的」

“Two years is too long ahhhhhhhhh!”

「两年都已经是太长了啦啊啊啊啊啊！」

“Still, those are our orders. Control the information they receive, and make a faction that will do even more foolish things.”

「但是，这可是命令来的啊。控制给他们的情报，打造一个会做出更为愚蠢行为的派阀来」

“That’s true ahhhhhhhh!”

「说倒是这么说啊啊啊啊！」

Hilma suddenly stopped, and then she bolted upright.

希尔玛又一次猛地停住，一下子直起了身子。

“You’ve got it easy. All you need to do is mobilize the traders and spread the news of the Sorcerer King -- His Majesty’s! -- death to the Second Prince.”

「你就好啦。只需要动用贸易商人们，将魔导王——陛下！对，将陛下阵亡的这个情报传达到第二王子殿下就好了呀」

You make it sound so easy, he thought,

看你说得倒是挺轻松的，他在心中碎碎念着。

In the past, he did not think that either of the princes was very bright. However, he had slowly come to realize that this was because of the First Prince, which had made him disguise himself.

在以前，并没有王子是非常聪明的人这样的印象。然而，最近慢慢的才发现是因为第一王子的存在，使得他一直都在伪装自己罢了。

It was because the Second Prince was intelligent that getting the news to him required extremely careful and complicated maneuvering.

正因为对方的聪明才智，所以要将情报传达之前是需要非常精细且复杂的操作才行。

This was to keep him from realizing that he worked for the Sorcerous Kingdom.

为的就是让其无法得知自己是为了魔导王在卖力。

“...It’s not as easy as you say it is.”

「……倒也没有你说得那么轻松啊」

“...Ahh, my apologies. It’s given you a lot of work too, right… how about tonight, coming?”

「……啊啊，抱歉了。你也是为此没少忙活吧……今晚怎样、来吗？」

Hilma mimed the action of drinking a big mouthful of wine.

希尔玛做出了大口喝酒的样子。

“Sure. I need to make sure I don’t leak anything even when I’m stinking drunk.”

「也好。一定要做到烂醉如泥也不泄露出情报才行啊」

They might not be able to eat solid foods, but drinking was a different matter.

虽说无法摄取固体食物，但喝的话倒是另当别论了。

“Haha,” a withered smile appeared on Hilma’s face. “It’ll be fine. Our watchers will help us take care of it.”

「哈哈」希尔玛浮现出干枯的笑容「没事的啦。监视着我们的人会替我们处理掉的啦」

“Haha,” a similar look appeared on his face. “That… is true…”

「哈哈」他也露出了同样的神情「确实……如此呢……」

“But now that you mention it, where’s that lucky fellow now…”

「不过话说回来，那个幸福的家伙现在到底在哪儿呢……」

There was only one person among them who could be considered a lucky fellow.

所谓的幸福的家伙，在他们之中只有一个人而已。

“Coccodol’s still in jail because he lost his power during that struggle… lucky him.”

「岢可道尔啊。因为那场纷争而丧失了权力。现在还待在监狱中呢……真是幸福啊」

“You’re right… he really is…”