My party and I gathered at Nina's hot spring the morning after the reception. I brought us here to catch everyone up on last night's events, and to discuss the meeting with the nobles and royal family later, in private. I've already told Nina about promising this area and the hot spring to Alara…it took a lot to calm her down.
I want to avoid another Alara situation with Tessa, so I've decided to nip it in the bud at the meeting later using a little scheme.
"Okay, does everyone understand the plan?" (Mizuki)
Nina, Alto, and Zara nod.
"Mizuki…the spell you mentioned performing! Does it use…what I've been learning about lately!?" (Alto)
Alto glances at Zara nervously part of the way through her question – presumably realizing she shouldn't say anything about radiation or photons. Still, Alto's eyes are glimmering with excitement, and I stifle my laughter. I smile at her warmly.
"Yes, that's correct Alto. I'm glad your studies are going so well!" (Mizuki)
Nina and Zara look confused, but Alto looks self-satisfied. Zara seems to sense what just happened.
"Mizuki, I've been so focused on developing my sword skills that I haven't bothered asking, but would it be possible for me to start studying the strange magic you know along with Alto?" (Zara)
I feel a surge of guilt. My bargain with Azazel severely limits how much I can teach her, and I'm sure she's felt a little excluded as a result. She's also the only one that doesn't know my full history. I see Alto giving me a sympathetic look.
"Zara, about that…I need to explain. It's okay for me to teach you how to improve your current spells and new alteration class spells. However, I can't help you to the degree that I have Alto, but it's not because I don't trust you. How about we have a meeting later today, and I'll answer every question of yours that I possibly can? I want you to feel valued as a member of our party." (Mizuki)
Zara raises an eyebrow, and seems to think it over for a moment, then she smiles and nods.
"I appreciate that, thank you. There are questions that I've wanted to ask you for some time now." (Zara)
I smile appreciatively at Zara. I'm glad she's being understanding about it.
"Wonderful, so back to business. Alto, are you sure you're okay taking the brunt of that spell? Remember, we're fundamentally bluffing, so we need someone we trust to be the guinea pig to convince the nobles that lying to us is impossible." (Mizuki)
Alto nods excitedly.
"Yes! It's the next one I want to learn after invisibility anyway, so as long as you don't injure me too much it's fine!" (Alto)
That I can manage, I've gotten better at using it on less sturdy people. I nod my agreement to Alto. Nina, however, looks confused.
"Mizuki, I believe I understand your reasons for all the theater, but I don't understand why Alto needs to be the one to demonstrate the fake spell in action. Could you not just let one of the nobles volunteer, so it's more convincing?" (Nina)
"Ah, right, that's because I can't actually be completely certain whether they're lying. They might try to test the fake spell with really obscure truths or lies, and then we'd be found out." (Mizuki)
Nina's confusion intensifies.
"Why not just have me tell you when they are lying through a thought message?" (Nina)
Does she think she's some kind of expert on deception?
"Uhm…I'm sure you're a decent judge of character, Nina, but we need to be absolutely sure whether it's a lie. It can't be a hunch." (Mizuki)
Nina smirks at me.
"Mizuki, spotting deceit is no hunch for a dragon. When most races lie to us, we feel discomfort in our very core, which is why dragons dislike lying so much. There are a few exceptions, like Greater Spirits and powerful dark fey, that could perhaps lie to us without being noticed. Similarly, you were an exception for reasons that I'm not quite certain of, but our Dragon Bond makes it hard for us to deceive one another now. However, I'd know for sure if a regular human or elf lied in my presence." (Nina)
Holy shit…is this for real? That's a huge game changer. Honestly, it would explain her strange willingness to trust people on occasion, and her intuition about Ilina and Cara.
Alto is looking at Nina skeptically.
"In my opinion, I'm much funnier than Mizuki. Is that true, Nina?" (Alto)
I roll my eyes. I don't need magic dragon ESP to know that Alto thinks she's hilarious.
"Fufufu…no, you are lying." (Nina)
Alto's eyes go wide in shock. After my initial surprise, a huge grin appears on my face as I look at Alto. She's avoiding my gaze.
"Oh, Alto? Is there something you want to tell me? We need to know the results of your test, you know." (Mizuki)
"Ehem…they were inconclusive, but I think it's fine to trust what Nina says about her ability." (Alto)
Oh, I am so going to remember this…that lie is not even remotely convincing. Still, she's right about trusting Nina.
"Alright, then, slight change of plans. We'll let the nobles volunteer to test the spell if they want, and we'll proceed as planned with Alto if there are no takers. Nina, I am very excited to learn about this ability of yours. It's going to be incredibly helpful going forward." (Mizuki)
Nina directs the same smug grin at me as before. She's earned it though. Looking around, I see that everyone agrees with our plans. I flash a huge grin to them.
"Well then, let's go scare Tessa Uril and Jorah Abel onto the straight and narrow!" (Mizuki)
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Later, we are in the roundtable conference room with the royals and nobles, with the same seating arrangements as before. The one change in the roster is that Alara stands behind Elira instead of Ilina. The second private announcement to the nobles is about to begin.
Elira clears her throat nervously, and I can see that she's dreading this meeting.
"Ehem…thank you all for coming. I'm sure today's discussion will be challenging, so I'll get straight to the point. The topic for this meeting is the royal succession. It has been decided internally that Ilina will replace Alara as First Princess, and heir to the throne. Furthermore, Alara will be stepping down from her place in the royal family and creating a new noble house." (Elira)
Shit Elira, you're just going to jump in!? There's not a single person in the room that isn't stunned silent. As Elira predicted, the first one to say something is Tessa.
"Queen Elira, I'm sorry, but this is absolutely preposterous! Alara has been declared as the heir to the throne for over a millennium, while Ilina has only even been alive for a few decades! Mere decades! More importantly, Alara is your firstborn, and a fine example of what a Queen should be, while Ilina can't even defend herself. The people will never accept that!" (Tessa)
Helena rolls her eyes at Tessa.
"Oh, spare us your elitist drivel, Tessa. All the noble houses get to pick their own heirs however they see fit, and you're the only one that still cares about firstborns. Why should the royal family have to follow your lead? Moreover, by 'fine example', I'm sure you just mean that Alara shares your elitist attitudes. It's well known that Ilina is infinitely more liked by the people of our kingdom than Alara, and despite her age she's a keen intellect." (Helena)
Damnnn…Helena is the most savage of the nobles, and she might even be my favorite. Cara's fun to talk with, but nothing beats Helena's entertainment value. Tessa directs a furious glare at Helena, but she's cut off by Jorah. He sounds surprisingly calm.
"Lady Tessa, I'm sorry to say that I agree with Helena. I'm not concerned whether our next Queen is the firstborn, just that they're qualified. I quite admire Ilina. She's the one responsible for securing the Elder Dragon's aid to resolve this recent crisis, and there's no denying that she's a capable intellect and beloved by our people." (Jorah)
I can't hide the shock from my face…I never expected Jorah to just outright tell Tessa off, even politely. I assumed he was basically her lackey, but I guess they just really bond over their hate for humans.
"Our differences aside, I agree with Jorah. In almost every regard, Ilina would make an excellent Queen. However, Tessa does make one immutable point – Ilina's too weak to be our Queen. Even the wolf-kin know that projecting strength for a leader is important, and when it comes to combat ability, Ilina might be the weakest person in this whole city. Despite her magic power, the only spells she's shown any affinity for are item storage and appraisal. They are exceedingly rare, but useless for combat." (Darak)
There's a round of begrudging assent from all the nobles, and Tessa seems to calm down, feeling supported. That won't last, though, because they're all operating under false assumptions.
Alara politely steps forward.