Zanoba was standing there with a thoughtless smile on his face.
I looked at that with a drawn back face.
My gaze was not on his smiling face.
It was on the thing that he was holding in his hands.
"Shisho, how is this, with this you'll make me into your disciple right!"
"Ouchowowowow! Stop! Please stop older brother!"
"You're loud Pax."
"Ahhhgahhhh!"
That was the face of the captured Pax Shirone.
The places he was being held at had blood dripping from them.
It wasn't Pax whose blood was flowing.
Zanoba's entire body was covered in blood.
"..."
I was lost for words.
I don't understand the meaning.
I thought we were having a light talk about disciples and what not, then at some point unknown to me it had become a blood splattered horror.
No really, I have no idea what is going on.
Zanoba is smiling away.
It's an innocent smile. Scary.
A bloodstained smile is something that a beauty is supposed to show.
If this otaku-like gangly older brother does it, it just seems bizarre.
"Stop it Zanoba! Release your hand!"
"That...that's right Zanoba, get a hold of yourself!"
In this small room there are currently several people.
Ginger wielding her sword and three soldiers confronting her.
And hiding behind the soldiers, wearing expensive looking clothes, were two princes.
Even though they're both princes, one of them was considerably aged.
Inside of this small room there were nine including me. It's a bit cramped.
"Older brothers. Were you aware that Pax had taken his own soldiers' families hostage in order to manipulate them?"
"N-no..."
"It wasn't an imperial guard, it was something belonging to father, this country's soldiers."
Zanoba was smiling.
He was saying it as he smiled.
"Ginger as well, she had her family taken hostage."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes."
Ginger responded to the prince with her sword still drawn.
It was still with her sword drawn, but I wonder if that's fine.
Zanoba was without change wearing a smiling expression,
"Older brothers, do you remember Roxy?"
"Y-yeah. Pax's tutor..."
"She was a Water King Class magician who trained our Shirone soldiers in anti-magician fighting, a person who we owe a great favor. Didn't father officially invite Roxy into the Royal Palace? Thanks to this Pax's shallow actions, he completely destroyed that opportunity and she left."
"Y-yes. I guess so, certainly Pax is in the wrong, but you..."
"Even though that's the case... Please take a look. That person’s disciple... Rudeus-sama is being put through this disgraceful situation. By Pax's hand. According to Roxy, she was boasting that he was a disciple who had more talent than herself. He's someone who should have a wonderful talent."
Zanoba still hadn't changed his smiling face.
In some ways you could call that a form of poker faces.
"Y-you, during the congress you always make such bored faces as you listen. As an older brother I'm feeling relieved. I surely thought you didn't have any interest in the country..."
"Older brother, I have no interest in anything other than dolls. I'm just pointing out the illegitimacy of Pax's actions. There is just one reason why I'm doing this."
Zanoba clearly declared that and raised Pax up.
"Owowowowow!"
"Rudeus-sama is a great person who has created a wonderful doll with no replacement in this world. Such a great person, being used in Pax's worthless revenge, that is something that shouldn't happen!"
"Aaahhh! Breaking, breaking, breaking!"
Pax's bitter screaming was echoing throughout the room.
"Older brother, if you intend to side with Pax, then I will act violently."
The three soldiers and the two princes started to rustle.
I thought, aren't you already acting violently.
They were all surprised and shaking over that.
In my previous life, when I acted violently in my parents’ house, it never became like this.
"I'm not saying anything difficult. I want to save the producer of this doll, but Pax's crime is getting in the way of it."
"However, Pax and the slave market..."
"Older brother, please don't make me say it again. I feel like I'm about to uproot my little brother's head."
Zanoba had already stopped laughing.
I still had no idea what was going on.
I was just bewildered over how or what kind of metaphor uproot was.
I just understood that Zanoba had control over this situation.
Give it your best my disciple.
You're a bit scary though...
"N-n-no way! Stop it! Save me Ginger! Save me! Your family, don't you care what happens to your family!"
"If it's about my family, last night Ruijerd-dono saved them."
"What!?"
Pax was struggling and Ginger coolly replied.
I wonder who Ruijerd saved.
He's always saving someone.
Even though I say that, after all it seems like something was moving in the background that I didn't know about.
"It's just like this older brother, since among the princes I'm the one with the least authority, I had no choice but to ask older brother in this way, if you were to turn me down, I'll act violently to the limits of my power. What, I'm sure with this distance, one of the older brothers or otherwise both will have their heads twisted off. After that, I might be burnt to death by the Royal Court magician, but..."
"Your highness, I'll follow you to the death."
A gangly man like you has quite a bit of confidence, huh.
I seriously thought about it.
It's dangerous to be under the impression that I'm strong, I'll thrillingly look over that in my heart.
Even saying that, most likely it just worked on the first prince and the second prince.
"U-understood! We'll do as you say!"
"Older brother, please properly investigate it? After that, somewhere in the castle should be the two who just caused an uproar before and captured Lilia. I would like you to guarantee their safety as well."
"Of course. We'll put in a word with father..."
I wonder why these two princes would defend trash like Pax.
I seriously considered those doubts.
However, it's different.
They're afraid of Zanoba.
They're afraid of what to do, like a bomb when it's about to go off.
While not knowing what was going on, I was let out of the barrier.
It seems like the magic crystal was hidden in the ceiling.
Pax was arrested and Lilia was released, while still dumbfounded the incident ended.