kscans

Chapter 147 - 16. The Most Important Potato in the Kingdom

The room was in the most vital section of the royal palace. In other words, it was situated between the audience chamber, the most important facility for the kingdom's governance, and the king's private living quarters.

Two knights from the First Knight Order stood guard before the door. They were likely of a higher rank than the two who had escorted me here. The same crest as the kingdom's flag was embroidered on their capes in gold thread.

Upon entering, a kingdom flag as tall as a man captured my gaze. Before it stood a rosewood desk. Seated there was a man in his mid-forties. Standing beside him was an old man.

For the king's office, it was simpler than I had expected, but it certainly had an air about it. Every single object seemed to exert a palpable pressure. Even for someone with no interest in such things, the atmosphere they emanated was somehow palpable.

The two knights who had been flanking me disappeared behind the door at the Chancellor's signal. That left the king and the Chancellor on their side. On my side, well, Euphillia, Fulsy, and Noel, who Fulsy had dragged along as his assistant, were made to wait in an antechamber, so I was all by myself.

Oh, well. This is nothing more than a skirmish before the skirmish. If I get tense now, I won't last. The men before me are tools for my objective. And to them, I'm probably a tool as well. So, subjectively speaking, we're on equal footing.

"Thank you for granting me your time," I said, since the meeting was, strictly speaking, for my convenience.

"It has been some time since the dragon subjugation... no, you were present at that conference as well, were you not," the king said. His tone could be called magnanimous for someone whose office had just been brazenly entered by an upstart. His words, at least. The king spread three letters across the thick tabletop of his desk.

" 'I guarantee with all my honor that this man's plan is essential to defeating the Empire.' All three have the exact same wording. The Sage's adds an abrupt note that he is considering retirement, as he can no longer fight the ravages of time. Furthermore, a message has arrived from the Oracle Princess through the Grand Cathedral. To summarize, she cannot be held responsible for the prophesied calamity if you are not involved..."

I hadn't heard the contents of the letters of introduction, but they were far more extreme than I'd imagined. Hey, now. This makes it look like I'm using three royals and the Grand Sage as leverage to pressure him. No wonder Euphillia and Fulsy were made to wait in the antechamber.

"As we are troubling Your Majesty, I believe we must ensure certain victory," I declared.

The Chancellor's eyes narrowed for a moment at my words. Using a phrase like "certain victory" was the height of regret. I felt like a con man.

Ah, was it because I spoke of the king's departure for the front as if it were a foregone conclusion? This is bad. Am I flustered? I'm getting way ahead of myself.

"The Imperial army in Kurtheite is intensifying its offensive. The other day, a county to the north of Grynisias fell. Time is of the essence, Ricardo Vinder. Explain your plan at once," the Chancellor said.

"The Empire's greatest advantage is its sorcery, which allows them to attack with precision from a far greater distance than the Kingdom. However, with the tactics we have prepared for this occasion, we can neutralize the enemy's sorcery before we even enter their range."

"..."

"Continue," the king was silent. I couldn't read his reaction from his expression. The Chancellor prompted me to go on.

"First, for our attack, we will use catapults, which have a longer range than bows. This will overturn our disadvantage in range. And the projectiles launched by the catapults will contain a substance that acts on magic, developed under the direction of Grand Sage Fulsy, who waits in the antechamber. This will inhibit the activation of the Empire's sorcery. Once we crush their advantage, the rest should be a matter of morale and troop numbers."

"..."

"On the battlefield, are catapults truly accurate enough to hit their targets with such precision?"

"In that regard, Sir Fabius, the man in charge of the catapults, will provide a demonstration."

I pointed toward the balcony. The calculations Mia had left in the director's office had been interrupted by the man's son who was here now, but she had finished them just in time. As for the contents of the projectiles, Vinaldira and I had gone through much trial and error.

From the office, we could look down upon the First Knight Order's training grounds, where two catapults had been prepared. When I gave the signal from the balcony, the old knight Fabius and his subordinates, who had been readying the catapults, turned to face us. When the king raised his hand, Fabius led them in a deep, unified bow.

"Indeed. It is quite impressive," the king remarked. The ordinary stone shots and the pots filled with oil all landed within the target, a circle ten meters in diameter, four hundred meters away.

"This is the fruit of the labors of Sir Fabius, who has faithfully served his duty for many long years. And, if I may be so bold, it is also the result of mathematical calculations devised by a member of my company. The contents of the projectiles were developed with the cooperation of the Natoas Company. Upon our victory, I humbly request that they might receive Your Majesty's words of praise directly."

I bowed my head deeply to the king, who had finally shown a reaction. It was also to hide my own expression. Incidentally, Natoas was Vinaldira's family company.

"Of course. Merit will be rewarded."

"Thank you. It shall be the honor of a lifetime. Now, regarding the actual effect of those projectiles, an explanation from the Grand Sage himself would be more appropriate."

I requested that Fulsy be summoned. I, who could not use magic, couldn't give a demonstration, and Fulsy himself had insisted on doing it.

"...And that is all. The formulaic density of the Empire's sorcery is overwhelming. But that, conversely, enhances the effectiveness of this method," Fulsy said after entering the room. He had barely offered a greeting before taking out a simple magic circuit made by Noel from sorcery gold. Incidentally, though only Fulsy was supposed to have been summoned, Noel and even Euphillia had walked in with him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You seem quite hale and hearty. It appears too soon for you to retire," the king said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Not at all. I am only able to manage thanks to my excellent young assistants. One is Noel, here with me, but I would very much like you to praise the other one as well."

Fulsy countered the king's sarcasm with a demand of his own. Between the threat of retirement in the letter and this, is this old man even more audacious than I am? Please stay calm.

"However, to use this strategy, we must lure the Imperial army to a location that is optimal for us," I added. In other words, we need you as a decoy.

"...I see. I understand the plan. Indeed..." The king finally looked at me properly. "It is worthy of the unanimous endorsement of our kingdom's most influential figures."

Our presentation was over. Still, the king did not speak of leading the army himself.

"Grynisias, what are your thoughts? Your policy was to wait for the Empire's magic supply to reach its limit, was it not?"

"Yes. Based on our past trade, I have made an albeit imprecise estimate of the Empire's magic crystal production capacity. I have also confirmed that the frequency of their supply runs to Kurtheite is trending downward. In time, the Imperial army's magic reserves will dwindle. I believed we should hold out until then. However, the Empire's recent offensive deviates significantly from these figures. According to Tembelg's report, the enemy has assigned a large number of defenders to Tuvil Mountain. Furthermore, a re-analysis of the Empire's coded documents suggests traces of their interest in Tuvil Mountain, even more so than in Kurtheite. We must conclude that the Imperial army has some other means of supply."

Their targeting of Kurtheite wasn't just for a surprise attack, they had another objective. Considering Dagobard's fixation when the dragon attacked Kurtheite, they must have been aiming for it for quite some time.

I didn't know what it was. Fulsy predicted it was highly likely to be related to the Empire's special magic crystals.

"In other words, the Empire plans to occupy Kurtheite for the long term and continue its encroachment upon the kingdom," the king said.

"I am forced to conclude that the danger of that is high."

"Hmm." The king struck a thoughtful pose.

"With all due respect, Grynisias is my domain. I shall accompany Your Majesty as well," the Chancellor offered.

"If you leave as well, Grynisias, who will defend the Royal Capital? Should the enemy have forces to spare, they could strike at the capital directly next."

"Indeed. We have the Grand Duke of Kurtheite, who was suspected of treason..." Euphillia began to speak. I glanced at the king's face. No change.

"...residing in the capital. If I may be so bold, please entrust the defense of the Royal Capital to me, Euphillia."

Euphillia finished. The king tilted his head.

"With Imperial forces in Caselle, the Grand Duchess, the cornerstone of the west, will be in the Royal Capital for an extended period?"

"You need not worry. Prince Craig is also holding Caselle. Furthermore, I have taken every measure to unify the western lords. I promise you, the west will not waver even if I leave Bertold. From the Royal Capital, I shall guard against not only a surprise attack from the Empire, but also keep a close watch on the discontented remnants of the Grand Duke of Kurtheite's faction."

I needed someone to keep a close watch on the "remnants" of the Grand Duke of Kurtheite while I was away. It was all according to our plan, but her choice of words was more extreme than I'd expected. Even for the Grand Duchess of the west, who, unlike her eastern counterpart, had successfully defended her own lands, wasn't that going a bit too far?

"...I see."

A silence fell over the office. The already heavy air grew even heavier with pressure. The king's expression remained unchanged. He looked from his trusted confidant to his sister, and back again.

"Very well. I shall personally lead the army and drive the Empire out."

Everyone bowed their heads deeply. Staring at the carpet, I finally let out a breath. I couldn't afford to relax after clearing just one preliminary battle, but I had overcome this hurdle.

◇◇

"Thank you for your cooperation," I said, bowing to Fulsy and Euphillia once we returned to the antechamber. I wanted to thank Noel as well, but for some reason, she had rushed to the lavatory.

"Are you sure it was alright to be so forceful?" I asked. Both of them made complicated faces.

"...We thought it would be better if we acted a little unreasonably," Euphillia said.

"Indeed," Fulsy agreed.

What was that about? I didn't get it. I was calm, wasn't I? I made an effort to see the king as nothing but a tool from start to finish. It was an application of modern knowledge. "Think of the customer as a potato."

Well, when I considered whether that was appropriate for an audience of one, I suppose it might have been questionable.