kscans

Chapter 118 - Chapter 6. The Princess's Worry

I was supposed to have been summoned by Euphillia to the grand ducal residence, so how did things end up like this?

"..."

Across the table, Alfina stared at me with sad eyes. She hadn't said a word for some time now. The awkward silence cornered me more and more with each passing moment. The worst part was, I had absolutely no idea what I’d done wrong.

It’s not quite that I have no memory of doing anything wrong. After all, I'm socially awkward, a fact I and everyone else can agree on.

They say that in human communication, spoken words account for less than half of the message, but for a socially awkward person, words clearly make up the vast majority.

Well, I must have done something. Even if I don't know what it was. But in times like these, isn't the one who summoned me supposed to...

"...Ricardo-kun."

"Y, yes."

Just as I was about to glance toward the table where the masters of the house were sitting, Alfina finally spoke.

"Ricardo-kun, you are a merchant, are you not?"

"Th, that's right."

The question that finally came was, thankfully, one I could answer. But wasn't that something Alfina, as a shareholder, should know best? Though I have been roped into work that’s a bit outside my field lately.

Could this be a reprimand from a shareholder, telling the management to commit more to their core business...?

"Is being a merchant a job that requires you to go to the dangerous Red Forest?"

"W, well... that, uh, depends on the time and circumstances..."

I see. So she found out that I'm taking a business trip to the Red Forest.

"There are, um, unavoidable circumstances..."

I averted my gaze, a cold sweat breaking out on my back. How was I supposed to explain this? It's not like I want to go. Besides, I am taking safety precautions.

That's right, I have a reliable knight with me. As if seeking salvation, I looked across the room.

"Princess Alfina. We will take full responsibility for the safety of the Great Sage and his party..."

Hyde stood up from his table some distance away. He had the sharp, impeccable posture of a true knight.

"Lord Hyde. That is not what this is about."

However, Claudia, who was sitting next to Hyde, shook her head. My would-be reinforcements sat back down in confusion. I glanced at Alfina's expression. The brave knight's words had not impressed her in the slightest.

Huh, why not? That's exactly what this is about, isn't it?

I once again endured Alfina's silent gaze. The conversations of the onlookers began to reach my ears.

"...Lady Alfina, you have to push a little harder."

"Lady Claudia. The way she's acting, it's almost like a lover before they march off to..."

"Hush. It's too late to be saying such things."

"Hah, Alfina is one thing, but Ricardo is just as hopeless."

Luiza, Hyde, Claudia. And even Euphillia. They were all saying whatever they pleased.

"A, anyway. This is very important. It's absolutely necessary for the war against the Empire."

"...War. Is Prince Craig forcing you into something unreasonable again, Ricardo-kun?"

"No. Well, I mean, there is that other matter, but I've asked Senior Dalgan to handle it. That’s not it. The point is, if we leave things as they are, there is a high probability that the kingdom itself will be endangered by the Empire's sorcery. That would inevitably put me in danger as well, so this is an unavoidable measure to reduce that risk."

It’s my theory that protecting the kingdom means protecting myself. To be honest, even I wasn't fully convinced.

"...I, I see. B, but, must you go yourself, Ricardo-kun?"

For the first time, Alfina faltered.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Alright, let's steer the conversation in this direction.

"Speaking of which, what is the situation with Princess Lisabet's return to her country...?"

"Princess Lisabet can wait for now, can't she?"

Alfina's eyes narrowed, her sharpened gaze piercing me.

"Y, yes."

Huh? What was that for? My question was perfectly relevant to the topic.

"...Hah, to bring up another woman's name at a time like this. He's more hopeless than I imagined."

Euphillia shook her head as she approached us. She looked exasperated, but at least help was finally on the way.

"Princess Alfina. As a knight, I will protect this man's safety. Prince Craig himself has ordered me to protect him above all else. Please, leave it to me," Hyde said, standing beside Euphillia.

Didn't he say "the Great Sage and his party" a minute ago? And more importantly, what about your own safety? You're the heir to a grand earldom. I'd rather not have a brand-new way to die, like being cut down by my own escort for being rude.

At Euphillia and Hyde's words, Alfina bit her lip.

"...I understand. I was being unreasonable. It's not right for me to say such things, since I'm the one who dragged you into all this in the first place. But lately, it seems Mia has been too busy to keep her usual watchful eye on you. And you're always so reckless, Ricardo-kun..."

As she spoke, Alfina cast her eyes down.

I see. Even I could tell how worried I had made her. It was true that I felt like I was constantly taking on reckless challenges far beyond my station. Though honestly, this business trip felt much less stressful than dealing with chancellors and princes.

It was selfish of me to think this when I was the one making her worry, but a girl who worries about you is a cheat, it makes you want to protect her in return.

From my perspective, I was more worried about Alfina, who bore the burden of the prophetic crystal. If the kingdom were to lose to the Empire, she would surely be the first one they targeted.

Besides, as someone who wants to create a mechanism to separate the Oracle Princess Alfina from the crystal, I was hoping to find some useful knowledge in the Empire. Countermeasures against their sorcery were crucial for that goal as well.

"We have the Director's radar, and we won't go too deep into the forest," I said, trying to reassure Alfina. For some reason, everyone around us shook their heads.

"...I understand. You mentioned Princess Lisabet. It seems she will be returning to the Empire next week. I only had a brief chance to speak with her, but she was very grateful to you, Ricardo-kun."

"I, is that so? I'm glad to hear it. Did you convey that the pollen was only proven effective against the single dragon that appeared in the kingdom, and that there is no guarantee it will work on other dragons?"

"Yes. She said she was grateful nonetheless. She seemed very disappointed that she could not thank you in person."

It seems she was pleased with the gift of pollen. With this, they should properly test its effects. Now it was just a matter of how long it would take the Empire to do so.

But still, she was grateful, huh. That stings a little.

"...Princess Lisabet said that with the pollen, it might be possible to mend the relationship between the kingdom and the Empire. Apparently, dragons account for a large portion of their monster-related damages. If that's the case, then you won't have to do anything too dangerous, Ricardo-kun..." Alfina said, as if she had found a glimmer of hope.

The amount of pollen I gave them wasn't much. They can't cultivate it from the pollen alone, so the Empire would have to purchase it from the kingdom. If that happened, it could serve as a bond to tie our two nations together, but...

"I believe that will be quite difficult."

Looking at the Empire's magic vein activity, there's no reason for them to pass up this chance. They would see it as the kingdom getting them in a stranglehold, controlling their food supply and now this pollen.

"But, if we could show the Empire that their conflict with the kingdom is wrong..."

"If the Empire were wrong, we could correct them. However, since the Empire is not wrong, it cannot be corrected."

I said it firmly. A look of confusion crossed Alfina's face.

"The Empire is... correct?"

"To be precise, from the Empire's perspective, attacking the kingdom at this time is the correct move. For us, of course, it is not."

I told Noel the same thing, but it's clear if you put yourself in the Empire's shoes. What if the decline in the magic veins over the last decade is merely a temporary dip before an even greater surge? Even looking at stock charts, you can see that things don't move in a straight line.

Furthermore, the kingdom's magic veins have also been unstable these past few years. For the Empire, that is both an opportunity and a source of great anxiety.