kscans

Chapter 100 - Chapter 2: Part 2, Seasonal Fluctuations

On the top floor of the Imperial Residence, the most spacious room served as the Envoy Head's office. Before Biral, the Imperial Envoy Head, who sat at a large, unrefined, black lacquered desk, stood a man and a woman.

"So, you're saying the merchants the Imperial Princess invited have no real power?" Biral muttered bitterly.

"Yes. I have confirmed it myself," Maybelle replied to her superior with a respectful demeanor. Though she was dressed as a maid to match her gestures, her gaze was cold. "However, those invited were all affiliated with companies that have recently been gaining power within the Food Guild. It seems certain they have connections to the Oracle Princess and her backer, the Grand Duchess of the West."

"Hmm. Come to think of it, a merchant's son named Vinder was sticking close to Craig..."

"He appears to be under the umbrella of the Kenwell Company, the guild master. Kenwell also participated in the race with the same improved carriage as Craig. The commotion at the Forum also seemed to have been managed by merchants belonging to the Food Guild. Given that the Food Guild is beginning to align with the Third Prince's faction, I believe caution is warranted," said the man in the black robe standing next to Maybelle.

"Indeed, Princess Lisabet-sama was paying close attention to the commercial cooperation among the merchants," Maybelle added.

"Considering the 'future,' we must get the Food Guild under our control... But in the end, they are mere commoners, lacking the aptitude to handle magic. There is no need to play the Imperial Princess card. Tell her to prioritize getting close to Craig and the Oracle Princess directly. She is an Imperial Princess, after all. That title will be useful in the kingdom. Yes..."

A smile played on Biral's lips.

"Have her use her charms or whatever else she must on Craig. The secret of the dragon subjugation must be important to the Imperial Princess as well."

"As you wish." Maybelle bowed respectfully and left the room.

The robed man who remained behind spoke up.

"Putting the merchants aside, what shall be done about the Grand Duchess of the West, who is expanding her influence by manipulating them from behind the scenes? Considering the future, her growing power could become a problem. We have already taken steps, but our 'allies' are also growing impatient."

At the black robed man's words, Biral's face soured as if he had bitten into a bitter bug.

"Is the Grand Duke of the East clamoring again? True, our efforts to win over those who fell from grace during the rebellion twenty years ago have begun to stall. And after we went to the trouble of lending them an Imperial carriage, those incompetents. I even supplied them with Cacao-rus fruit for some foolishness they called a tea party."

"My apologies. The Knight Order nearly inspected the carriage."

"They must have been seen by a craftsman passing by. Are you sure it's alright?"

"The craftsmen of this country are nothing more than underlings to the merchants. Furthermore, a craftsman from the kingdom, with its poor quality materials, could never understand that design. He just tilted his head in confusion. Besides..."

"You're right. It's no great loss if they only saw the undercarriage. The kingdom's new carriages being made in Bertold are far more important. Let's just be satisfied that we achieved our primary objective regarding that matter."

"Indeed, Bertold will eventually... Shall we leak the information to the Grand Duke of the East soon?"

"Don't. There's still the matter of the Oracle Princess's prophecy. It will only be a hindrance if they make a scene. It's just as difficult to deal with fools when they get carried away."

At Biral's contemptuous words, his subordinate's lips twisted into a smirk.

"Indeed. It seems those people believe they are always living in spring."

"Exactly. There are no guarantees for the future. You never know when circumstances will change. We must settle this by the end of summer at the latest."

Biral's expression suddenly hardened, and the robed man's face turned serious once more.

"That is why failure is not an option. We have a firm grasp of the kingdom's strength, but there are too many unknown factors concerning the power of the prophetic crystal and Craig's knight order. Your investigation into their training at Marel revealed no secrets, did it?"

"No. The training was rigorous, but I cannot believe it would be enough to defeat an adult dragon. The theory that the dragon was unable to exert its full power due to a weak magic vein is more persuasive."

"I wish that were the case. But both the Prince and I saw the stone on the Greedy Dragon's forehead. Given its size, I cannot believe it was that weakened. There must be a secret. Depending on what that secret is, it could pose a major obstacle to our future plans."

"Certainly. ...Your Excellency, a communication," the robed man said, directing his superior's attention to something behind him. Behind Biral's chair, a small crystal began to glow with an eerie light.

"In any case, Craig is the top priority."

"Yes, understood."

As Biral nodded, the robed man quickly exited the room. The Imperial Envoy Head hurried back to his desk. He transcribed the string of symbols appearing on the crystal. He finished the task, one where no mistakes could be made, as quickly as possible. The amount of magic required by this magical device increased exponentially with distance. A massive amount of magic crystals must be being consumed in the Imperial Capital right now.

Putting down the pen, Biral unlocked a double locked drawer. He took out a black lacquered box from within. Rolling up his sleeve, he exposed his arm. As the pattern carved into his arm glowed, the box's lid opened. The string of symbols he had just written was placed inside.

Taking out a similar piece of paper with symbols already inside, Biral tossed it into the fireplace. He picked up the fire poker and meticulously crushed the charred paper.

"To be dealing with such a languid nation, these precautions feel somewhat excessive."

Biral gazed northward with a distant look in his eyes. The snow in the Imperial Capital was likely still deep. He shifted his eyes to look below the window and bit his lip. The kingdom was already showing signs of spring.