Chapter 48 – Coup D’éTat
Fish prices have risen significantly. Vegetables are still expensive.
The Great War of the Nations is reported to have been a series of successive victories for our armed forces…
Observing the behavior of merchants, their expressions are more telling than their words. The merchant with a cheerful smile, the merchant with a pale complexion, or the merchant discreetly preparing to flee under the cover of night—I think their demeanor is more eloquent than their words.
My observations of the royal city led me to one conclusion.
……
Today’s dinner is tempura soba.
Towards Suzuha, who was silently eating and Yuzuriha-san, who was eating beside me as a matter of course, I said I wanted them to listen to me while they were eating.
“I think there is a strong possibility of a coup in the country in the near future.”
“———!?!?!?”
Yuzuriha-san spouted out, and the soba noodles and sauce in her mouth splattered grandly.
“Here, Yuzuriha-san, please wipe yourself with this cloth.”
“T-Thank you—but that’s not important! How did you know about that? Where did you hear it from?”
“Hear what?”
“It’s obvious! It’s about the princess coup plan led by the Sakuragi family!”
“…Yuzuriha-san? I believe this is what they mean by ‘loose lips sink ships,’ you know?”
Suzuha glanced at Yuzuriha-san with a stern expression. I, too, wholeheartedly agree with that opinion.
However, Yuzuriha responded with a defiant attitude, saying,
“It’s okay, because we originally planned to tell Suzuha-kun and her brother at the last minute and get them to cooperate. It would be more problematic if the plan was leaked at this stage. So where did Suzuha-kun’s older brother hear about the plan?”
“No, I haven’t heard that from anywhere.”
“…What?”
Seeing Yuzuriha’s expression, which seemed as if she had been caught off guard, I decided to explain things step by step, so that she could understand.
“First of all, as far as I know, there is no chance of victory for our country in this war.”
“Why do you think that?”
“It’s simply because we’re not using our strength. If we really wanted to win the war, we should have at least sent Yuzuriha-san into battle.”
“But if I take the lead, I will take the credit again. This war is partly a public distraction from the great victory we won in the Ogres’ Great Forest, so it makes sense for the royal family to step out and we to stay put.”
“Maybe on the political side, but on the tactical side it is the worst.”
“Why?”
“I borrowed The Duke’s study and researched our country’s wars in recent years, and basically the only battles that were won were those in which Yuzuriha-san was present. On the contrary, none of the battles were won with the two princes in the field.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“Furthermore, the battlefield for the past few years was only managed by Yuzuriha-san’s individual play. If Yuzuriha-san hadn’t played an active role, this country would have lost the war long ago.”
“R-Really? No, actually I thought so too, but I’m very embarrassed when you, of all people, say that…”
Yuzuriha-san seemed genuinely embarrassed, her face turning red as she squirmed and wriggled her body.
But that is not the point.
“So, I actually thought that we would quickly lose and retreat in this battle. However, it has been reported that the fighting is progressing with consecutive victories and unstoppable momentum.”
“Yes, I was actually surprised too.”
“So, I was closely observing the merchants in the royal capital. Where they come from, what goods they handle, and how their expressions were. I carefully observed individual price increases, product shortages, changes in sourcing, and frequency of goods being restocked… After combining and analyzing all these factors, I arrived at a certain conviction.”
“Hoo… What’s that?”
I declared solemnly.
“Our armed forces have lost every battle in a row. There is no doubt about it.”
It’s what’s called a ‘central government announcement.’
Our country’s leaders are concealing the fact of defeat and deceiving the people with false good news.
