kscans

Chapter 268 - Prosperity at My Back

A wide road, a restored version of an ancient path from the old kingdom, stretched to the northeast. There was no trace of the uninhabited land it had been just a few years ago. Now, it was an artery connecting the economic activities of the Kingdom and the Empire. I had already passed several carriages today alone.

Two post towns had already sprung up along the road. They were once bases for the war against the Magic Insects. Incidentally, one belonged to the Empire, and the other to the Kingdom.

Things certainly have changed. Of course, getting to this point was no easy task...

I murmured to myself from the window of the horse-dragon carriage as it ran smoothly over the stone pavement. I glanced to the left and right of the carriage. Imperial knights from the consulate and knights dispatched from the Kingdom's Central Garden rode alongside us.

Hee hee, I wonder if the Kingdom's horses are struggling to keep up with this horse-dragon carriage, fitted with ball bearings as it is. The extravagant joint military escort indicated that someone of equal stature to me, an Imperial Princess, was riding inside.

I wonder what would happen if I told them, "You can go home now." The person they were guarding technically held a position in the Empire as well. Once we entered Imperial territory, it wouldn't be strange for us to take responsibility for security. Well, not that the Kingdom would ever allow such a thing. As for the person in question...

My fellow passenger was gazing out the rear window at the banks of the great river, just barely visible in the distance thanks to the ascending road toward the Imperial border. It was a little irritating.

"What, are you already missing it over there? It's only been two days since we left."

"Well, yeah."

His reply was listless. How rude, when he finally had me all to himself. With that thought, I moved closer to Ricardo to see what he was looking at. He was someone I couldn't take my eyes off of, no matter what. Not as an Imperial consul, not as a researcher of magic, and...

Far to the south, I could see the great river and the city on the cape that jutted out into it. It was a town that originally served as a rear base in the uninhabited lands, created for both nations to fight the great swarm of Magic Insects that were supposed to destroy humanity.

"Even from here, its growth is just absurd, isn't it?"

I said, amazed. It was the busiest city in this world. The city undergoing the most rapid change. And above all, the forefront of magical research, including the magic veins. In that sense, I felt a pull to go back myself.

I had several unfinished research projects in the university laboratory. For me, the title of visiting professor there had become far more important than that of Imperial consul or Imperial Princess.

"Well, yeah..."

Ricardo nodded vaguely at my words. His expression was a bit dark. He was never the most expressive person to begin with, always seeming a bit detached...

I wonder what his eyes were seeing. After all, he and I could look at the same thing and think completely different thoughts. Back when I was trying to master Sorcery in the Empire, I never thought I would find someone who could see the world the same way I did.

"You were the one who said you'd accompany me on my temporary return home, Ricardo. I even got my hopes up a little, but the woman you're after is someone else."

I thought of the lord of the nearest Imperial territory we were headed for, what should have been a rural village on the easternmost fringe. She was a distant relative with little aptitude for Sorcery for a royal, and her domain was in the most remote of frontiers.

"That's more than a misunderstanding. Please refrain from making comments that could cause an international incident. We're about to enter the Empire."

"Oh, you needn't worry so much. You're the Empire's Lord of Calamity, after all. Besides, considering the increase in Imperial Magic Crystal exports thanks to that winter box, no one will complain. In fact, it's this leash around your neck that I'm worried is too loose."

I personally enjoyed developing the "winter box." The joint research with Noel and the others, and seeing something we created bring joy to so many people, was a fresh sensation.

I had always thought Sorcery was for fighting. Perhaps this, too, was a new way of seeing the world. The man next to me was the one who had invited me into that kind of world. It was a shame he wouldn't make a move on me, but I was grateful to him, and there was no way I could leave his side.

"What part of what you just said gives me any reason not to worry? You're talking about hanging me. What about my self-preservation?"

Oblivious to my feelings, Ricardo looked troubled. His actions proved he was far from timid, yet his current demeanor made him seem like a mere commoner, which was a problem. Well, I suppose I've been told part of the reason for that.

Are you really telling me that a nation of ordinary people like this exists in another world? Well, I don't believe that part, anyway.

"Once we're in Imperial territory, you'll be mine to command. That's a joke, of course, but you should really consider your own position, Ricardo."

"And you, are you sure you can get away with just a temporary return? You're an important figure in the Empire. Now that the Magic Insect attacks are settling down, you must have all sorts of things to deal with."

"The position of Imperial consul in Central Garden is still a top priority. It's worth stationing a powerful member of the imperial family there. Besides, you're the one who created a city like that, aren't you. Your Grace, the Grand Duke of Central Garden."

Both the Kingdom and the Empire could no longer imagine that city disappearing. And yet...

"Please stop using that chilling nickname. That city is under the direct control of the Kingdom, and its peacetime administration is handled by three esteemed counts. And the Kingdom has only one Grand Duke. Well, another one will be added eventually, but it won't be me."

"A cabinet minister of both nations and the king's brother-in-law isn't even a baron. Anyone with a bit of sense would find that terrifying. They'd wonder just how much power you must wield to hold such a position. And what's more..."

I looked at the distant city once more.

"The contents of that city, its economic importance, will only grow from now on. And you're the one orchestrating it all."

"..."

"And so, to stabilize your position, Ricardo. And to share the burden of the cross-national work you're handling, I think having another wife would be convenient. From a political balance perspective, it would have to be an Imperial princess, of course."

I took the opportunity to promote my own value.

"I'd rather ask, why are you so fixated on me?"

"Let's see. First and most importantly, you wouldn't make me quit my current job, would you, Ricardo? My presence in that city, the heart of magical research, would be guaranteed, and I could distance myself from things like Imperial ceremonies. In other words, it's the optimal position for me to devote myself to the study of magic."

"Hearing you say that, I kind of feel like I'm being used as a pretext for you, Maytyl."

"Oh, isn't that basically what marriage is? If anything, you and Alfina are the abnormal ones."

I said, a little exasperated. True, my words were full of calculated elements, but a union based solely on mutual feelings, like Ricardo and Alfina's, could only be described as bizarre.

"Besides, it's not a bad deal for you either, Ricardo. Look..."

I struck a pose with my arms spread wide in front of him. I remembered Crenne advising me to appeal with this sort of thing, not just with my position and calculations.

"You can do as you please with this body. I have no intention of neglecting my nightly duties, even if I'm busy during the day."

Ah, he covered his face with his hands. What's with that? I may not be as slender as Alfina, but my overall proportions are...

"What are we going to do about relations with the Empire? You talk about balance, but it's bound to get messy."

"That's why I can handle that sort of thing skillfully. Better than Alfina, even. Ricardo, this is a warning. No matter how you struggle, you're a political entity now. Far more so than someone like me. No one... not the new king of the Kingdom, nor Dagobard who will ascend the Imperial throne next year, can ignore you. Which means you have no choice but to maintain the status quo, with the Kingdom and the Empire balanced on a scale. If you don't like that..."

Out of a sense of duty ingrained in me as a princess, I hesitated for a moment before uttering the words.

"Then you have no choice but to rule both the Kingdom and the Empire yourself."

It was half a joke, half serious. After all, I had a feeling the man before me could pull off something like that. The remaining consciousness I had as an Imperial princess forced a sense of tension upon me.

"That's a problem. I don't have time for something like that right now."

Ricardo scratched his head. His response was wonderfully off-kilter. It made me want to cover my face again. By "something like that," he meant ruling both nations, right?

But then, seeing his expression, I realized. This was the same look he had when he was gazing at Central Garden earlier. What floated there was, in a word, sorrow.

It was true there was still great uncertainty about what would happen with the magic veins. But for now, things were going relatively well. Well enough for me to make jokes that were only half in jest.

Does that mean what he's about to do is that important? He said it was just a small business venture...

"...Hmm, then let me ask you a different way. What are you going to use that for?"

I switched my line of attack. I looked at the box loaded onto the carriage, carefully packed with thick cloth cushions. Next to it was an icebox. Inside, besides the wine that was supposedly a souvenir for Lisabet, were water of some unknown purpose and bee pupae.

"I'm very curious to see what you're going to pull off this time."

That sorrow from before. Something more important than ruling the world. I'll use this opportunity to understand what's reflected in his eyes. It's too big for him to do alone, anyway.

"No, it's really not a big deal. You'll be disappointed if you get your hopes up."

"Hee hee, that's what I wanted to hear. And you're not certain it will succeed, are you?"

"...That's true, but you're clearly misunderstanding something."

"I'm not misunderstanding anything. Besides, there's this too."

I took out a tube of sorcerous metal from my pocket. It was about the length of his ballpoint pen, but twice as thick. A smaller version of that battering ram. Inside was a spiral structure made with Noel's alchemy.

"You delayed the research that was supposed to be finished before I returned home with your sudden request."

I said, leaning my lips toward Ricardo.

"Weren't you told by the new king to hold off on research using the battering ram's function?"

"It's for a different purpose. We use it for centrifugal separation in the lab, right? It's the same as that. It doesn't have enough power to move a carriage, or even a single pot."

"True, something this size can't do much, but..."

"It's purely for business. Even with the Magic Crystal trade restored, the imbalance with the Empire isn't small, is it? So, I'm developing a new product. I'm a merchant, after all."

Ricardo said. That part was probably true. But...

"I see. I was waiting for those words, too. This is getting more and more exciting."

"I've told you over and over, it's not going to be on a large scale. It's not a daily necessity or military-related. If anything, it's in the realm of a hobby."

I peered into Ricardo's eyes as he spoke, as if making an excuse, and smiled.

"Considering everything you've done up until now, I think you can imagine how those words sound to me."

Alright. During this trip, I'll come to know what lies in the depths of your eyes better than ever before. Even better than those girls do.