kscans

Chapter 188 - Episode 6: Part 1, The Problem of Self-Preservation

"What's wrong, Ricardo. You seem unusually tense. My mansion is practically your home now, isn't it?"

Euphillia said, covering her mouth with her feather fan.

"Haha, perhaps I'm tense because it's been a while since I was in the guest room."

I glanced left and right. It was the same room where I was summoned after the first prophecy. The only difference was that Alfina was not beside me, and on her side, it was only Euphillia, without her usual butler or maids.

Wow, to be trusted this much. A cold sweat ran down my back.

After all, there was that night. How much did Alfina's guardians know about me pinning Alfina down then?

"Is that so. As someone who feels like she's gained a new 'nephew,' I find that quite lonely."

"To be spoken of in such a way, it's rather, well, daunting. Hahaha."

"Indeed. I certainly don't look old enough to have such a grown-up nephew like you."

Euphillia said. She was trying to lighten the mood with a joke, wasn't she? If I challenged it, that would be the end of it. Besides, with nobility, it's not uncommon for a nephew to be older than an aunt, is it?

"Now, regarding why I summoned you. First,"

"Yes."

Euphillia's expression changed. Her feather fan was placed on the table. What would come from her lips? I waited tensely.

"It's about Bertold. Both the carriages and the expansion of apiculture are progressing smoothly."

Euphillia's expression softened. I, who had been tense, felt deflated. Of course, there was nothing strange about it. She was a major shareholder of Vinder Company, and both the new carriages and the apiculture business were significant ventures for her territory.

Rather, this wasn't a topic to ease tension. It was a matter that directly impacted the rise and fall of trading companies, plain and simple.

Euphillia showed me the documents that had arrived from her territory. Not only had they managed to modify existing carriages, but they had also started producing new models. Moreover, apiculture was expanding into the surrounding farming villages, and transportation routes to Bertold, as a collection point, were also being established.

Even though prices had fallen, by piggybacking on the transportation of a luxury product like honey, the logistics costs between the farming villages and Bertold naturally decreased. This, in turn, stimulated demand for carriages.

The flow of people in and out of Bertold had already increased by 20, no, 40 percent. A positive cycle was beginning to turn. It would surely have a significant impact on next year's tax revenue. I could understand why Euphillia, as the territorial lord, was in such a good mood.

"That's good, isn't it. If honey production now gets into full swing, and land improvement using Project Renge also progresses."

"Indeed. Even the villagers who were starting to become idle have been absorbed by the new ventures in Bertold and the farming villages. We might even be short on people. Before long, Bertold itself will likely need to expand in size."

"That would be another grand undertaking."

Remarkable. The money gathered by the Grand Ducal House would further circulate through public works.

"Thanks to the carriages, interactions with the Royal Capital and the East have also been made more efficient. This makes it easier to implement policies. Indeed, it's exactly as Ricardo intended when he first focused on expanding transportation capacity."

"Well, transportation affects all activities, after all."

Originally, production capacity was on an upward trend. It was inevitable that transportation capacity would become the next bottleneck. Communication would be next. I would need to consider those aspects too. It would be especially important when doing business across rivers. No, if this economic expansion continued, we would need to consider the amount of currency, or things could get bad.

There was also a concept for credit creation through bond issuance in a new city. No, that was too hasty. It was still a city without form.

"So, things are going well here. If there's any problem, it's that things are going too well. As the Grand Duchess and as the lord of Bertold, I want to maintain this momentum. However."

Euphillia's expression tightened.

"The calamity of the prophecy, then."

I said. Indeed, the rosy future we had envisioned now would be meaningless unless we overcame the calamity.

My sense was that it concerned the Crystal of Prophecy, and its calamity. Euphillia must have her own thoughts, but as long as she wore her politician's face, I had no choice but to go along with it. It wasn't that I was afraid of stirring up a hornet's nest. This was hardly a situation that allowed for such leeway.

"Now, let's hear what Ricardo has to say. You mentioned wanting to start something new in the laboratory. You went out of your way to mention 'laying the groundwork' and such. It must be something quite significant."

"Eh, no, I haven't been acting on my own initiative, have I? I pride myself on having been thorough with reporting, contacting, and consulting."

"One moment I hear a report of 'one,' and the next I'm presented with a result of 'ten.' Before I know it, that 'ten' has become 'one hundred.' If you call that reporting or consulting, then I suppose so."

When I tried to object, Euphillia raised her feather fan, urging me to continue. Well, fine, time was certainly of the essence.

"There are two things the lab can do regarding the prophecy. One is to conduct a more detailed analysis of the fluctuations in the magic veins that are likely to cause the calamity, as per our prior policy. In other words, it's a spectrum analysis of the current and past magic veins. Under the director's instructions, measurements of the current East-West magic veins are being carried out. The problem lies in comparing them with past records. Analyzing the magic veins remaining in the tree rings at a spectrum level will still take some time, but if the next prophecy is different from previous ones, something might emerge. Although, it might be best if nothing at all turns up."

"This prophecy is different from previous ones, you see. Hmm, the first one is proceeding as planned. What about the other one?"

Euphillia's expression seemed to stiffen slightly.

"It's the development of power to counter the calamity of the prophecy."

Euphillia frowned, but there was no point in hiding it.

"The magical by-products discovered through the spectrum analysis of magic crystals. Simply put, it's like noise within the magic power. By removing this, there's a possibility of increasing the efficiency of magic circuits, in other words, magic tools. This is Princess Maytyl's idea."

"Of all people."

"Yes. Incidentally, what's particularly effective is the Empire's sorcery, which uses more advanced and complex circuits than the Kingdom's magic. Specifically, things like the magic tools that produce the sorcery known as 'Spiral Flame.'"

I said. Euphillia sighed slowly.

"I somewhat expected this, but you, as always, delve into the most troublesome issues. Isn't it premature?"

Euphillia's eyes narrowed sharply. I felt a surge of panic.

"Th-the situation is, you see."

"That situation, yes. There are those who view the current situation from a different perspective than us, or rather, who cannot help but view it that way."

Euphillia cut me off.

"The calamity is still an uncertain situation. And the war with the Empire has ended. You understand what kind of impact seeking power in this situation would have, do you not? For example, while claiming to be power to counter the calamity, is it not actually a way to gain your own power?"

"Certainly, it is a necessary power for the construction of the new city as well."

"It's not just that. The Empire's sorcery is a military force not only against monsters, but against people too."

"But, but, it's a power I myself cannot use."

"Across the river, where the Royal Capital's surveillance does not easily reach, it would be a problem solved if Ricardo were to join forces with the Empire through this research with the Imperial Princess and other means."

Euphillia had said something outrageous.

"It's precisely because I, who know your achievements, can see this. Frankly, if that were to happen, the Kingdom would have no way to stop it."

"No, that's absolutely not."

"Ricardo's intentions are not the problem. The problem is the structure itself, where the Kingdom would be cornered if such a thing were to happen."

Silence covered the table. Was I being treated as a Black Swan? If anything, I was an ugly duckling. A real duckling, one that wouldn't become a swan.

"Don't make that face. That was just a hypothesis."

Euphillia said that, then looked at me. Her gaze held no humor.

"When we consider that the next calamity will be on a larger scale than before, the quickest countermeasure was the strengthening of sorcery, was it not?"

I felt relieved at her words. It seemed she remembered my arguments. Yes, I had properly reported, contacted, and consulted in advance.

"Do you have any concrete measures to get this current proposal approved?"

"Yes, I do. First, it's not about creating new magic tools, but aiming to operationalize the magic staves captured from the Empire, which are currently under the Kingdom's control."

"The magic staves that the Crown Prince is testing with the First Knight Order, then. However, so far, the results have not been very good. Only those with suitable aptitudes can barely use them imperfectly. The ratio seems to be about one in a hundred."

"So it is an issue of aptitude, after all."

In the Empire, to eliminate individual differences, magic seals were drawn on human bodies and operated in combination with magic staves. However, I had a certain degree of confidence regarding that. What a practitioner does with a magic tool is draw out magic power and channel it into the circuit. And control the switches within the circuit.

If the quality of the magic power flowing into the magic circuit could be made uniform, then controlling the switches would, in terms of timing, be expected to become easier. In other words, the range of aptitudes capable of handling it could broaden.

In that battle fought between Grynisias and Kurtheite, approximately 50 magic staves must have been seized from the Empire. At most, we would only need that many individuals.

Once they become usable, analyzing the circuits on our side would also become easier.

"If we use weapons under the Royal Palace's control and present it as a strengthening of the Knight Orders, it might be easier to get approved."

"I understand. However, what if the technology leaks to the Empire? At this stage, we must consider the possibility of a unilateral shift in balance."

"To be honest, I believe that's correct. There are two countermeasures. One is the signing of a formal agreement with the Empire regarding anti-monster measures and resource development in the Blood Mountains."

"Envoys have been dispatched to the Empire. We are awaiting their reply."

"I see."

That aspect also seemed to be progressing. Their reaction was unpredictable, but it would likely take more time from here on.

"The other is, depending on the properties of the catalyst for purifying magic wavelengths, I'm considering making it a consumable cartridge. In other words, even if it were to fall into their hands, they wouldn't be able to use it unless the Kingdom continued to supply the magic catalyst."

We would hold a part of the mechanism here. It was a concept used even in my previous life, such as with overseas production through factory relocation.

Of course, if the Empire were to Reverse Engineer it and develop something similar, we would be helpless. But this would buy us time to refine our circuit designs.

If successful, a division of labor could be established, with the Kingdom handling magic catalysts and the Empire handling magic crystals and sorcery gold, for example.

"So, you would insert it between the magic crystal and the magic tool. And it's also a mechanism to prevent Ricardo from monopolizing the power. I understand your proposal."

Euphillia said. Good, good, my self-preservation strategy is working, isn't it? The tension immediately drained from me. I leaned back against the chair's backrest.

"However, there's no doubt that you're rushing too much. Haa, honestly. You've made that an even more difficult problem, too. I had made arrangements for it to be settled within the scope of the Oracle Princess's duties before it came to this."

"Huh? The Oracle Princess?"

I reacted to Euphillia's words, which could also be taken as a grumble.

"There's one more important matter. What do you intend to do about Alfie?"

What was thrown at me then was, in a sense, the most difficult problem of all.