Chapter 42: A Kindhearted Conviction

"U-Um... Sion?"

Seeing his lingering expression of agony, Mia got a little worried. Maybe all that kicking practice had paid off a little too well.

"Mia, you have my gratitude. Once again, I'm reminded that you truly are the Great Sage of the Empire."

Still grimacing, Sion lowered his head and thanked her in earnest tones. It sent a chill up her spine, and she took a step back.

D-Did this guy just thank me for kicking him? Wh-What in the moons? Is he one of them? Those people like Tiona's father who feel happy when they're hurt?

"Your words have awakened in me something that would surely have lain dormant otherwise."

Eeek! A-Awakened? Awakened what?! And what do you mean I'm truly the Great Sage? You don't have to be smart to... Oh sweet moons, is it about the strength of the kick? Or the angle?! Did he take a liking to how I kick?! What if he starts asking me to kick him again and again?!

She put on a forced smile. Her cheek twitched a few times.

"W-Well then, isn't that just wonderful? Good for you."

To her bewilderment, he burst into a bright smile, as though her words had eased some great burden. She slowly averted her gaze, trying very hard not to make any further eye contact. It occurred to her that she might have just made an irreparable mistake, but she threw it into the closet of her mind. The less she thought about it, the better.

"B-By the way, about this chancellor fellow. Dasayev, was it? Have you figured out where he is?"

She quickly changed the topic. Leaving problems for later was her modus operandi.

"Ah, yes... Keithwood, care to explain?" said Sion.

Keithwood nodded.

"According to our information, Lord Donovan is being held captive right under our noses," he said, gesturing at the town around them. "He's somewhere here in Senia."

"What?!" Mia's eyes went wide with shock.

"Prince Abel, are you familiar with this town?"

Abel shook his head at Keithwood's question. "No, but some of the soldiers might be. Let me ask..."

Just then, a thought occurred to Mia.

"Oh, wouldn't it be better to ask Lynsha?"

You think you can make me do all the hard work while you watch from the sidelines? Think again, you silly girl, thought Mia.

A mischievous grin crept across her lips.

For a moment, Abel was mesmerized by Mia's radiant smile. It took an effort of will for him to look away, after which he coughed awkwardly and refocused on the issue at hand.

"Lynsha? Who's that?"

"The sister of the rebel army's leader. I've become quite acquainted with her, as a matter of fact."

Abel drew in a breath of pure awe.

"I see... You did, huh..."

At that, Abel felt like he already knew what Mia was trying to do.

She's... hoping to lighten their eventual sentence?

He thought back to what Mia had said before: everyone makes mistakes, so people should be given the chance to make amends. Though they'd been coerced by foreign spies, those who joined the rebel army couldn't go unpunished. The central figures especially would face severe consequences. Under the current circumstances, it was likely to be the death penalty. However, if stripped of their rebel title, these people were little more than common people who felt overburdened by heavy taxes.

Mia, who understood that the monarchy was partially accountable for their unrest, probably felt sympathetic toward their plight. Hoping to lessen their punishment as much as possible, she was likely giving them a chance to redeem themselves. If they contributed to resolving this conflict, when it came time for the trial, they'd be able to present themselves in a more favorable light.

If they said that they'd been tricked by Sunkland's spies, but had a change of heart halfway through and helped the Remno army thwart the sinister plot... Knowing my father, they might actually convince him.

He knew that the King of Remno was a straightforward man. If Mia were to speak on their behalf as the Princess of Tearmoon, it would improve their chances even further.

Either way, she's definitely thinking many moves ahead.

Abel was awestruck by her foresight. Hidden within the awe, however, was something more tender — a comforting warmth from the knowledge that when dealing with those who erred, her profound wisdom was tempered by a deep sympathy for their plight. He was glad that she thought this way, even if at a glance, this facet of her character ill befit her status as a ruler. It was, ostensibly, a sentiment more than a little naive. Nevertheless, it endeared her to him more than ever, because he knew that Mia's compassion was always founded on a bedrock of sound pragmatism.

Since the girl Lynsha lived around here, she would be familiar with the local geography. Being connected to the rebel army, she might have knowledge of potential hiding places as well. It made sense to have her act as their guide.

Then there was the matter of the aftermath. The revolutionaries were technically representing the people, and putting their leader to death would cause no small amount of tension. At the very least, it would give factions opposed to the king plenty of fodder for political attacks, but for the kingdom to maintain any semblance of order, an incident like this needed to incur severe punishment. However, penalty without just cause would send a muddled message to the public and deal a blow to the legitimacy of the current regime.

The key words were, of course, "without just cause." That was the driving force behind Mia's actions. She was trying to give them the grounds to make acquittal more palatable for the powerful, if not obligatory. To do so, she would have to stitch together a complicated web of logical arguments and legal principles, but at the core of it all was a kindhearted conviction.

Mia, you are truly extraordinary... I might be reaching for the moon right now, but one day...

Fortunately for him, the day he came to realize the true nature of Mia's kindhearted conviction was unlikely to ever arrive.

"Speaking of information, though... These Sunkland spies of yours — What were they called? Wind Crows? — They sure infiltrated pretty far into our royal family," Abel said in a thoughtful tone. "I wonder who they are..."

"As a matter of fact, the one who sent this information was a maid who goes by the name of Monica Buendia."

"Wha— Milord?! That's—" A startled Keithwood tried to stop Sion from saying more, but the prince shook his head.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter if they know. I intend to advise Father to have all Wind Crows recalled."

That left Keithwood with little more to say. A full scale withdrawal of the Wind Crows was likely to happen even without Sion's proposal. Neither kingdom wished to fight a war at the moment. Remno lacked the strength, and Sunkland dreaded the optics. Consequently, meetings would likely be conducted behind closed doors, in which the issue would be settled through some other method such as monetary compensation. It was easy to imagine that the first demand from Remno would be the complete elimination of Sunkland's spy network within their borders, starting with the expulsion of all Wind Crow agents. As for those directly involved with the conspiracy... Diplomatic deliberations would ultimately decide their fate.

"Besides, knowing Prince Abel, I doubt he'll do anything to her." Sion looked at Abel. "Am I correct in my assumption?"

"Yes, you can trust me on that much. Still, Monica, huh... So it was her..."

Abel recalled the face of the maid he'd seen just the other day.

I'm no Princess Mia, but the thought that she might face severe penalties doesn't sit well with me either. Which means...

With a hesitant grimace, he turned to Mia.

"Princess Mia, could I perhaps ask that man to accompany us? I believe he's one of your subjects."

"...Eh? Dion?"

Seeing that she was giving him a blank look, he scratched his head and explained.

"Normally, this would be Bernardo's job, but he's not exactly known for his flexible thinking. For now, I'd rather not tell him that Sunkland's involved in all this."

"Ah, I see. Well... I guess he probably won't say no..." she said, her expression turning dour as she looked in his direction.

With slow and clearly reluctant steps, she approached Dion.

"Well, I mean, since Your Highness seems to have every intention of going, I sort of have to follow along as well, don't I?" He shrugged and shook his head like he was dealing with a particularly demanding child.

Wait a minute... Oh, I see what's happening here. Everybody is expecting me to go too, aren't they? Of course they are. When haven't they? In fact, I'm starting to see a pattern here...

With a put-upon sigh, she accepted her fate like the provident sage she supposedly was.

In the end, the squad that set out to rescue Donovan was comprised of six people: Sion, Abel, Keithwood, Dion, Mia, and Anne. Ludwig went to speak to Lambert and negotiate the immediate dissolution of the rebel army upon Count Donovan's safe return. Tiona, who could handle a sword to some degree, went with him as a safeguard. The idea of having both princes charge into the fray met with some resistance, but the lack of other viable individuals ultimately decided the issue. Lambert's Blue Scarves weren't going to let them bring a bunch of soldiers from the Remno army. Conversely, the revolutionaries were neither competent nor trustworthy enough to be a wise option for escort. Mia's group was, therefore, the best given the circumstances.

Honestly, just me would have been enough... But anyway. If things get ugly, I'll just make sure I get the princess and her maid out of there. As for her princely sweetheart... Eh, he'll have to cover his own ass, thought Dion.

According to the information from Monica, the confinement area was loosely guarded. Jem had only a few combat-trained Wind Crow agents accompanying him. Normally, Dion would be disgusted by these numbers — they'd need three times the opponents to make the fight interesting — but considering the princess was with him, he decided to tone down his usual bravado and proceed a little more cautiously.

"So, the fighting doesn't really concern me, but just between us... are you really expecting this to work out?" he'd asked Ludwig before they parted ways.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you want me to just go in and butcher everyone I see, then I totally understand, but if you're expecting to have the Chancellor back safe and sound... Gotta admit, I can't really see why they'd keep him alive for this long."

Dasayev Donovan was nothing more than an instrument to trigger the popular revolt. Once he'd served his purpose, there was little merit to letting him live.

"I see your point," answered Ludwig. "I, however, believe otherwise."

Dion cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? How come?"

"This is something I was told by Her Highness... but apparently, the leader of the revolutionaries is a man who is, to quote her, 'a good talker but seems sort of shallow.'"

At first, the answer made Dion frown, but comprehension quickly seeped into his expression.

"Aha, so that's it... Yeah, I guess there is a reason for them to leave him alive. Anyway, I'll just be casually defending the princess with my life, so you guys make sure you keep these revolutionaries off our backs, okay?" he said, waving his hand flippantly as he strolled off.