“That was an utter mess!” Hear snarled once Otto was out of earshot. “You just had to mess up like that at such a crucial moment, didn’t you?”
See didn’t know why Hear was blaming him. After all, he did his job right. He had taken the form of the Sister almost perfectly. He’d even put on extra perfume to make sure the Paladin couldn’t smell them.
“I mean, Claire and Otto have such a close relationship!” Hear continued ranting. “How were we supposed to know that he hadn’t told her about his suspicions of Jerald?”
See grunted and shrugged. Honestly, he thought Hear’s fear of being caught out by Aelyph had made him panic, and now he was forcing his hand with the Paladin too much. See would have told him so, if he could’ve said anything.
They made their way through the outer corridors leading to the main Castle. It was about time the king had his second dose for the day. But See refused to go inside where people could hear them until Hear had finished his wailing. He thought that if Hear had been controlling their body, he would be pacing back and forward right now.
“He’s onto us now,” Hear hissed. “He didn’t know the seneschal very well before we took his identity, but he did know the priestess.”
That, and we had much longer to study the seneschal and his mannerisms.
That was why he was their default form while in the Castle, rather than this woman.
See could feel Hear’s sharp nose scraping against him as he shook his head. “Stupid! What a waste of time that was. Why did you suggest using her to help us sway the Paladin?”
See was about to grunt in anger, thinking it hadn’t been him who had come up with the idea, as it usually was Hear’s ideas they followed. But he stopped himself when he realized he had pointed down at the woman when Hear had been talking about needing a new pawn. For once, this had been his screw up.
“I should’ve never listened to you!” Hear hissed, tightening into a stiff cord around his neck. “You’ve ruined everything!”
Feeling his airway beginning to get cut off, See grabbed hold of the lizard-like monster constricting around him, trying to get some air. He struggled against Hear’s strength for a moment, honestly thinking that Hear was trying to suffocate him.
It wasn’t until a pair of Sisters appeared a few meters away that Hear released the pressure, likely not wanting to draw their attention.
“Sister Claire,” one of them called. “Aren’t you supposed to be giving your report to the high priest right now?”
See turned to them and covered Claire’s mouth with the tissue while Hear released himself from See’s neck and slithered back into hiding. “I’m sorry. I was feeling a little under the weather. I will report to him later when I feel better.”
“Well, don’t leave him waiting too long. He is quite anxious to hear the results of the latest election.”
“Oh, I will,” Hear said. “I’ll be in as soon as I’ve had some fresh air.”
See waved the tissue at them, and they looked at her strangely. After a moment of awkward silence, See raised the tissue back to her face.
“Ah . . . may the grace of the Goddess be with you.”
“And with you,” one of the Sisters said, then looked to the other uncertainly before moving off.
When they were out of earshot, Hear muttered, “We’ll have to go back to using the seneschal before we return to the king.”
“Mm?” See grunted.
“Oh, never mind about Otto’s suspicions of the seneschal.” Hear sighed. “Since Otto said that he won’t follow orders if Jerald becomes the new Captain, taking Jerald’s identity won’t achieve the full control we want. That stubborn little snot.”
“Mm?” See repeated, baffled by his sudden change of plan.
See had heard the previous plan countless times now. Step one: have a contentious but plausible candidate be used against the obvious choice for leadership. Step two: rig the vote to make sure he is seen as a legitimate rival against the obvious choice. Step three: create suspicion between both sides and have them accuse each other of working for the enemy. Step four: take the identity of the new captain and send any Paladins who won’t follow our commands on quests to the far reaches of the kingdom. Finally, step five: cause enough chaos and disorder with this new power to roll out the red carpet for their master when she arrives.
After all, once they took the role of captain and began creating horrible rules and punishments, such a coup among the Paladins would be inevitable. However, Hear saying that the young Paladin was worthless to them went against everything they had planned so far.
“Don’t give me that look!” Hear growled. “You didn’t think I had a backup plan? The young Paladin said it himself. Even if Jerald won, he would continue to be a thorn in his side . . . our side. Don’t you see?” Hear growled and he slithered up and whispered, “If we are to control the Paladins, we can’t do that with Otto there to defy us at every turn.”
“Mm?” So . . . ?
“So?” Hear snarled. “So, even if Jerald lost, he would follow the new rules and do what he was told. Otto’s too hotheaded to leave it alone, even if we banished him. After what we’ve heard of the last leader, Otto would’ve fought us to the bitter end for the order. That means we now have to make certain he wins . . . and then . . .”
“Mm!” See said as the idea hit.
Hear nodded. “And then we kill him, take his identity, and then we will have full control. After all, who would go against Crystalia’s new hero?”
Although See couldn’t speak, he could form his grunts into laughter, and he did so now as Hear’s master plan became clear to him. He had to admit that, for all his mood swings and accusations, Hear did have good plans.
If they made the young Paladin the captain of the order, and then took his identity, even the vigilant former second wouldn’t deny his new rules. They could control or break down the order of Paladins at their whim.
“You see? I didn’t become our master’s top spy for no reason,” Hear claimed. “All right, I’m going to be quiet for a moment. You go poison the king again.”
See nodded and headed back to the Castle. It wasn’t until he entered the king’s chamber and came face to face with a curious Princess Ruby that he realized whose form he had taken.
“What are you doing here, Sister?”
See froze, but Hear spoke up quickly in Claire’s voice. “I came to offer my healing services, if I can be of any help.”
Just like Hear to save See’s backside in such a tough situation.
“Thank you,” the princess said, “but he just needs the quiet and the rest. I’m on my way out now.”
“Of course.”
See rushed to a private spot and shifted into the form of the seneschal.
“How could you be so stupid to forget to change forms?” hissed Hear.
“Hmm,” See grunted apologetically. He wished he could point out that Hear clearly hadn’t remembered either.
This time, no one even questioned him climbing the Castle stairs to the royal halls, and no one batted an eye as he entered the king’s chambers and closed the door behind himself. Alone with the sleeping king, he pulled out the vial that their master had provided them. Careful not to touch the poison, See poured a few drops into the king’s drink, enough to continue to enfeeble the old man slowly but surely.
If only doing away with those sworn to protect the king was as easy as it was to cause the downfall of the king himself.
“Soon we’ll be the voice of both the king and the captain of the ones who protect this kingdom from our master,” Hear murmured as the liquid in the glass bottle on the king’s shelf began to glow purple with the magical poison. “And once we have that, she can come and take over.” See looked over his shoulder as the king groaned and turned over in bed. “As easy as taking candy from a baby.”
See doubted taking the identity of the young Paladin would be as easy.