kscans

Chapter 12 - Chapter 8: Part 2 - From Experiment to Politics

Everyone fell silent. A heavy silence descended upon the laboratory as we sat around the table. It was a silence born not in spite of the experiment's success, but because of it. The crisis in the western part of the kingdom was no longer an ambiguous prophecy, but a reality presented as solid data.

The image of the peaceful village I had just seen a few days ago resurfaced in my mind. I want to go back right now, to prepare them for evacuation...

"That's right. We must publicize this fact at once and have the villagers evacuate..."

Alfina shot to her feet, a look of realization on her face. Her desperate expression snapped me back to my senses. I took a moment to calm my breathing before I spoke.

"Please calm down, Alfina-sama."

"Ricardo-kun!?"

Her astonished face seemed to say, But you're the one who predicted the monster flood. It was true. Our hypothesis, that a monster flood would occur in the west, had just been verified by the experiment.

We had converted the prophetic disaster, visible only to Alfina, into tangible numbers. Honestly, I hadn't expected the results to be this clean. It had gone that well. Up to this point.

But this is where things would get complicated.

Nature is straightforward. At least, within the scope that it allows us to understand. The monsters will likely react predictably to the patterns in the magical energy, even if a monster flood has never happened there before. But how will humans react when faced with the same information?

"In the east, they dispatch the Knight Order as soon as the signs are confirmed, correct?"

"That is so. A horde requires a high-ranking individual at its core to maintain control. If that can be eliminated, the monsters will turn on each other. The horde can be broken up before it becomes a flood."

"And dispatching the Knight Order would require a cabinet decision, taking the form of a royal decree, I imagine."

Fulsy nodded. In other words, it had to go through the nation's highest decision making body.

"If this pattern were observed in the east, the order to dispatch the knights would be given without any issue. However. Though dispatching the knights is now standard practice, it took two disasters before that decision was first made."

Fulsy stated this in a flat tone, betraying no emotion. But the old man’s eyes were fixed on the girl who was like a granddaughter to him.

"A prediction for an unprecedented location, using an unprecedented method. It won't be evaluated the same way as the eastern phenomena, will it."

"How can that be, when it's so clear? Even if there's no precedent..."

The girl, who would soon experience the same frustrations, looked at the old man. An endorsement from Fulsy, the leading authority on monster floods, was crucial. Without it, this was nothing more than a student's independent research project. But...

"I promise to guarantee that this conclusion is irrefutable. I will do so no matter who I face. However, to the Royal Court, I am nothing more than a retired old man. If this were to be brought before the morning council, the time required for the official process would also be a problem. It would take several months at the very least, and that's assuming it isn't rejected once. For what it's worth, I am not on good terms with the current head of observation. The man couldn't advance the methods I devised by a single step."

It was a fatal lack of time to move the nation's leadership before the disaster struck.

Let's say a revolutionary method for earthquake prediction was discovered on modern Earth, a place where science and technology are trusted. The academic world would be in an uproar, and experts would praise the discoverer. But how long would it take for that to pass through the legislature and mobilize the government? Even several months would be an overly optimistic estimate.

I looked at the faces gathered here. We had been the ideal team for analyzing the prophecy. However, when it came to implementing countermeasures, we were the worst possible group.

"I... I will appeal to His Majesty once more."

"That would be counterproductive."

Mia's declaration was firm. Unfortunately, I had to agree. Alfina was already treated as a pariah because of her prophecies.

Besides, on a personal level, she had already taken enough risks and played her part perfectly.

"This is no longer a prophecy. It is a forecast. A forecast achieved by everyone here."

"Ricardo-kun? Of course it is. That's why I must do whatever it takes..." Alfina looked at me, her expression puzzled.

"When a sly schemer like you, senpai, says something like that, it can be misunderstood."

"Indeed. What the lad is trying to say is that you no longer have to bear this burden alone, Princess."

"Ricardo-kun..."

"N-No, that's not it. What I mean is, because it's a forecast, it can be handled differently than a prophecy. It's just a matter of whether it's possible to share it, provided we choose our audience very carefully and explain it extremely well. That's what I meant."

I waved my hands frantically as I made my case. Being expected to act like a knight protecting a princess... I didn't have enough self preservation instincts for a role like that.

"We need someone with influence. Preferably a high-ranking noble with territory in the west. Someone who will at least listen to what Alfina-sama has to say. Someone who can be reasoned with logically. Someone who is not afraid to overturn precedent."

I listed the conditions, my face growing stiff. In situations like this, you don't expect to find the ideal candidate, so you prioritize the conditions and narrow down the list. But this time, there were too many necessary hurdles, and they were all too high. These were all qualities lacking in this country's establishment.

Fulsy tilted his head. Mia remained silent. My own network was even smaller than theirs.

My past bill had come due at the worst possible moment. After all, one of my reasons for enrolling here was to find an influential person who understood numbers. Yet I had overlooked even Fulsy's existence, which was laughable.

Silence filled the room once more. Unlike before, this silence was stagnant.

"Um, I was planning to give you this after our discussion."

Suddenly, Alfina placed a sealed letter on the table. It was an official letter, sealed with wax. The addressee was... me!?

"My aunt said she had something she wanted to ask you about... regarding that previous matter."

"By 'previous matter,' do you mean when Alfina-sama forced her way onto senpai's trip?"

"It wasn't a trip, it was work. And I merely guided her from Bertold to Leylia. Jacob was with us the whole way..."

I hurriedly broke the seal and read the letter. The text was simpler than I expected. Of course, only the writing was simple. The content was a summons disguised as an invitation.

"The date on this is for tomorrow. Don't high-ranking nobles usually give people more time? Summoning someone in a hurry makes it seem like you're panicking, which could affect your prestige, or something."

Unable to honestly say I absolutely did not want to go, I looked to Alfina for help.

"My aunt doesn't really care about such things," Alfina said with a bright smile.

"B-But, I have plans too. You know, dealing with the monster flood..."

I turned to Mia, pleading for help.

"..."

"Regarding the conditions you just listed, the Grand Duchess Bertold would be a perfect fit," Fulsy said.

When I thought about it, she was ideal for our current objective. She met every criterion. This invitation was a golden opportunity. But what if we were the ones on the chopping block? Wouldn't we just get devoured?

They wanted me to give a presentation to one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom. And with only one day to prepare. This was an impossible game.

"Well, she is a difficult one in her own way. Now then, I suppose I should think about what to write in my letter of recommendation..."

"It will be fine. She was very interested in you, Ricardo-kun."

Fulsy spoke as if it had nothing to do with him. He seemed cooperative, but he was clearly pushing the whole thing onto me. The hopeful look in Alfina's eyes was painful to see. A commoner's fate could be snuffed out in an instant depending on the nature of that interest.

"Senpai, please instruct me on the necessary data and the format for the charts."

Mia began organizing the data as if it were a matter of course. This motley crew had somehow developed perfect teamwork. Except for me, who couldn't keep up.

"I'm terrible at presentations. Maybe with your years of experience..."

"You are the one who was invited. ...Indeed. I shall write that you are the most outstanding student in the last ten years. Of course, that phrase has been overused as a social courtesy to the point that it's almost meaningless if it's not included..."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Ricardo-kun."

The highest hurdle yet had just been set. With a strained smile, I had no choice but to nod.

There was no other option to begin with. They say a coward finds their resolve when there are no choices left. But for someone whose first priority is self preservation, all I feel is the terror of having no escape.

Right, tips for a presentation. One theme per slide, a simple logical flow, state the conclusion first... Right, and don't overuse animations... It's not like I have PowerPoint or anything.

"In other words, the most important thing is what the information indicates... No, that's not right. The word 'information' actually diminishes its value... My audience is a Grand Duchess, a woman, and Alfina's aunt. Which role should I assume she'll be in? Ugh, there's no time."

After returning home, I was doing some mental practice for tomorrow. Normally, I should have started by studying etiquette, but I would have to rely on the princess's support for that.

Was it almost midnight? Not knowing the exact time is so inconvenient.

Knock, knock.

"Who is it at this hour?"

I turned around as the door opened and Mia walked in. I couldn't make out the color of her face in the candlelight, but her expression lacked its usual composure. In fact, it was strange for her to enter without waiting for a reply.

"Senpai. Jacob is here with a report."

"Jacob? Isn't he with my old man in Leylia?"

My father was on a business trip to Leylia. While the experiment confirmed things today, I had asked him to make a move beforehand. I was currently preparing a presentation to move the entire country, but of course, I also had to plan for the possibility that it wouldn't work.

My father should have finished delivering the emergency supplies and be on his way back by now.

"Don't tell me something happened to my father."

I asked Jacob, who had entered after Mia.

"No, the president is fine. It's just..."

"What is it?"

"One of the village kids was almost abducted by a strange man. Luckily, we happened to be there, so nothing came of it. Anyway, the man was apparently sniffing around about the honey. The supplies we brought this time were a bit too varied and large in scale for a simple peddler's visit to the village, so information must have leaked from somewhere."

"Dorefano. It has to be Dorefano."

Blood rushed to my head in an instant. I slammed my fist on the desk. The quill pen that had been lying there flew into the air and clattered to the floor.

"Please calm down, senpai."

Mia picked it up and handed it to me.

"Why... It just so happens that no one was harmed this time, but still... Damn it."

A village child. That meant it was someone Mia knew. She must be far more worried than I was.

I took a deep breath to compose myself.

Things had been quiet lately, but Dorefano was the enemy. If I let myself get shaken by the enemy's hostile actions, I wouldn't be able to protect anything. It was fine to be angry, but I couldn't afford to be surprised.

"...How much do you know about who was behind this? What did my father say?"

First, I needed to confirm the information.

"The president is staying in Bertold to investigate the route he used to procure the supplies. The man's equipment and skills suggest he's a washed-up adventurer. Bertold was our party's old base of operations, so we have a lot of connections there. If Remi investigates along those lines, something should turn up. I'll handle the Royal Capital."

Our business expansion was being stifled because we were on a major merchant's bad side. That was why almost all the profits from the honey had been invested in people. That included me and Mia attending the academy, and hiring skilled people like Jacob's team, who were far beyond what a small company could normally afford. Right now, I had no choice but to trust in that.

"...Prioritize narrowing down the enemy. Dorefano is the prime suspect. You can spend as much money as... well, not quite, but you can use up all of this year's current budget."

"I thought you'd say that."

"Leave the presentation to me. Mia, you go help Jacob. However, limit yourself to information gathering, and do not go outside alone under any circumstances."

"Understood. Jacob-san, please also look into the area around Kenwell Company, since their relationship with Dorefano is deteriorating."

"Got it."

The two of them left the room, talking as they went.

I will never forgive him. Not that he can't be forgiven, or that he shouldn't be forgiven. I will not, in fact, forgive him. It doesn't matter that no actual harm was done. The moment there was a possibility of harm, a line was crossed.

In the world I came from, there's a saying. Even an inch-long bug has a half-inch of... revenge.