"No."
After Vogel put forward his idea, Marius flatly refused:
"Trying to snipe him now would be too dangerous."
Vogel frowned:
"You were the one who suggested it first. And now you're changing your mind?"
Marius shook his head:
"Now he has the most legitimate reason imaginable—to seek His Highness's witness for a duel in the name of revenge."
Vogel gave a disdainful snort:
"Legitimate my ass."
Before them, Tales continued to stare fixedly at Anke, who was holding a hostage. His thoughts were in complete disarray.
What should I do?
Refuse him, allow him, kill him, persuade him...
What a mess.
"Bailar!"
In the hall, Count Godwin, who had stepped forward to negotiate, was livid as he denounced him:
"You've gone too far! Grandstanding and threatening His Highness—is this the conduct of a gentleman or a subject?"
But Anke had clearly come prepared. He did not retreat in the slightest, turning his head proudly:
"As a citizen of the Star Kingdom, shouldn't everyone have the right to make a request of our Supreme King?"
His grip made the old Baron Doyle groan in pain once more.
"Shouldn't listening to the sincere voices of every citizen be the duty of every king?"
Anke's words rang through the hall. They not only made Tales frown even more deeply, but also stirred the already uneasy guests into greater agitation.
Count Godwin was momentarily speechless, unable to find a rebuttal—whether it was "request" or "king," the trap formed by those words was too obvious, and too dangerous.
Marius paid no attention to the situation in the hall. As composed as ever, he continued speaking quietly with the Deputy Guard Captain:
"If we act first, then Tales will be the one in the wrong. It'll be seen as a cowardly, incompetent, and despicable act