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"Hmm?"
I couldn't hide my surprise after reading today’s newspaper.
There was an article saying that a powerful wind had blown through the location where the Aubawth Church’s Grand Assembly was held, uprooting three hundred-year-old trees.
"The Grand Assembly?"
That was the event Dad and Theon had attended two days ago.
I hadn’t gone because it overlapped with our schedule to visit the Dwarf village.
I read the article again carefully.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
It was belatedly revealed that a mysterious strong wind blew at the Aubawth Church’s Grand Assembly.
Though the culprit hasn’t been caught, officials speculate it was an artificial wind.
Present at the scene was Lucian Alexis of the Kingdom of Edencia...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
An artificial wind strong enough to uproot massive trees?
"...Wyndis?"
Dad doesn’t use his power carelessly.
So if this was caused by Wyndis’s ability, that meant something must have happened at the Grand Assembly.
"Dad, will His Majesty the Emperor be at the Grand Assembly too? So if we go, will we be greeting the Emperor with you and Theon?"
"No. It’s not a formal greeting event, and there will be so many people there. We’ll come back right after it’s over."
I’d felt relieved hearing Theon wouldn’t be facing the Emperor.
But now this article suddenly comes out of nowhere?
"I should check this out."
I grabbed the newspaper and stepped out of my room.
Just in time, Theon was coming up the stairs.
"Theon! Theon!"
"Yeah?"
"Did you know about this? This happened at the Grand Assembly. They say the wind was so strong, it could uproot trees. It wasn’t Wyndis who did it, right?"
I showed Theon the article as I spoke.
After reading through it carefully, he shook his head.
"It wasn’t Wyndis. When Teacher left the assembly hall, there was a loud noise behind the building. That’s when the wind started blowing, apparently."
"Really? Besides you and Dad, was anyone else there with you at the time?"
"Investigator Chief Damian."
"Oh! Mr. Damian! Then that’s reassuring~!"
There was a trustworthy witness to prove Dad had nothing to do with the incident.
I was finally relieved enough to move on to interrogating Theon.
Because.
"Theon! What was the Grand Assembly like? Tell me all about it~!"
"...We just sat and clapped when the Grand Priest and His Majesty came out."
"Huh. That’s it?"
"Yeah."
That’s all Theon had said when I asked him about it two days ago.
"Sir Theon."
"...Sir?"
"Let’s step into the Chamber of Truth for a moment."
***
The testimony I got from grilling Theon went like this.
Nothing happened during the event itself, but after it ended, a royal from the Kingdom of Edencia came to the second floor to speak with Dad.
"It ended with just an exchange of greetings, but Teacher didn’t look very pleased."
"Dad did?"
"Yeah. He was holding onto Wyndis with one hand the whole time. That’s what he does when he’s not in a good mood."
"Oh! I know that! To stop the Holy Sword from reacting to his emotions and unleashing its ability, he pours aura into it, right?"
"That’s right. How did you know?"
"Hehe. Someone told me~"
I’d learned it from the other me, from Crown Prince Theon, to be exact.
Anyway, Dad’s mood had turned sour because of a royal from Edencia?
I went back to my room and sat in thought.
"Lucian Alexis, huh?"
Lucian was the nephew of the King of Edencia and a royal diplomat.
A few years from now, he’d be appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Despite his young age, he was competent enough to handle major international issues with ease. And with his deer-like good looks, he was quite popular even in the Hayshal Empire.
When he attended an international conference with Crown Prince Theon, a photo featuring both of their faces side by side ended up on the front page of every newspaper…
"Wait. Could that be related to the article from earlier?"
I recalled the newspaper.
Lucian Alexis had been present at the site of the powerful wind.
And he was someone who could’ve made Dad struggle to contain his temper.
"Hmm… suspicious."
Tap. Tap.
Just then, I heard tapping at the window.
When I hurried over and opened it, Jackjack leapt in through the window and immediately delivered a message from Jena.
"Jena delivered the letter to Chief Baltar. He said he’ll need time before sending a reply."
"Oh? Well, it’s not something he can decide right away."
"That’s all for now. Any other business?"
Jackjack, flapping his tiny finger-sized wings, tapped the floor as he spoke. He was clearly an impatient little bird-person.
Come to think of it, Jena and Jackjack’s homeland was the Kingdom of Edencia.
"Actually, yes!"
"Go on."
"Jackjack, do you know anything about someone named Lucian Alexis from the Kingdom of Edencia?"
"Who?"
"He’s the son of the king’s younger brother."
At my explanation, Jackjack tilted his head in confusion.
"Never met him. I haven’t had dealings with royalty. But Jena would know more about them."
"Miss Jena?"
"She used to work in the royal palace of Edencia. Lucian Alexis… you’re going to ask her about him?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Any other business?"
"No, sir!"
Jackjack turned his body at my response. Right before taking off, he shot me a sharp look with his black eyes.
"I really like you these days."
"Huh?"
"Twice. Don’t forget that."
***
Marshall, the skilled herbalist, had arrived in the Dwarf village.
She had come because recently, there’d been word that Chief Baltar of the Dwarves might be ill.
As soon as she arrived at the village entrance, a dwarf came running to greet her.
"You’ve come! Marshall, please hurry and check on the chief’s condition!"
"What kind of symptoms is he showing?"
"He mutters while staring into empty space, then suddenly laughs to himself, then starts muttering again..."
The dwarf’s explanation trailed off.
Marshall clicked her tongue.
"He’s senile."
"What?! Senile?!"
The dwarf was shocked.
They had thought something was strange these past few days, but the idea that Chief Baltar was becoming senile was a serious matter.
This was bad. A senile dwarf was like a titanium spring, stubborn, unpredictable, and inclined to solve everything with brute force.
"Then... do we have to choose a new chief?"
"Why?"
"Because Chief Baltar is senile, right?"
The dwarf gave her a look that said, "Isn’t that obvious?"
At this rate, today might turn into Baltar’s retirement ceremony.
Marshall quickly waved her hands.
"I was joking. Who diagnoses a patient without even checking on them?"
Still, the symptoms didn’t sound mild.
Keeping Baltar’s possible retirement in mind, Marshall opened the door to his house.
There, sitting at a table across from the entrance, was Baltar with bloodshot eyes and a crooked smile. Seeing that twisted grin, Marshall muttered without thinking.
"Senile."
"What?! I’ll go fetch the next chief candidate immediately!"
Before Marshall could stop him, the dwarf stomped out of the house.
"Wait-"
Too late.
Oh well, nothing she could do now.
Marshall sighed and sat in the seat across from her aging kinsman.
"Old man Baltar, what’s gotten into you?"
"Heh heh..."
"Right, I get it. I mean, you’ve lived 130 years..."
"Baron Oldman."
Baltar muttered.
At those words, Marshall peered over her glasses and looked more closely at Baltar.
Her eyes were focused.
"He’s not senile."
"Who said I was senile?! A successor?! That brat, I saw everything clearly myself!"
Baltar slammed the table as he shouted.
Marshall calmly asked him.
"Did you get a message from Baron Oldman? What did he say?"
Marshall was one of Baron Oldman’s collaborators. She couldn’t help but be curious.
Baltar shoved the letter he had received a few days ago from the baron’s representative across the table. It slid perfectly to a stop right in front of Marshall, who picked it up.
"...Huh."
As she read it, a disbelieving chuckle escaped Marshall’s lips. Baltar gripped his head with both hands, his posture showing just how much mental anguish he’d been under.
"Worse than the damn Travel bastards."
Why hadn’t he wanted the Travel group to find out about the adamantite?
Money. That damned money.
He hadn’t wanted the legendary ore he’d chased all his life to be cheapened by their profiteering schemes.
But now.
"In exchange for overlooking the looting, he wants you to take responsibility for managing the Crest Mine? The wages would be based on the industry average, and any rare minerals found would belong to the mine owner. No plans to sell them, but if the dwarves wish to refine them, the rare minerals may be provided, and profits from crafted items would be split 50/50...?"
Marshall reread the conditions aloud, and Baltar groaned in frustration.
Baron Oldman was even more cunning than the Travel people.
'No sales plan' but 'if you want to refine them, they’ll be provided'?
That meant he wanted the dwarves to mine and process the adamantite, and then give him half the profits.
Even though the price difference between the raw ore and the final product could be dozens, even hundreds, of times greater!
Even though dwarves were the only race capable of refining adamantite!
"Damn it. I actually had hope in someone who just sees my adamantite as a money-making scheme."
"...We believe only the great Chief Baltar, the world’s finest blacksmith, can truly bring out the value of adamantite."
Grin.
As Marshall read the final sentence, Baltar’s scowling face relaxed. Marshall clicked her tongue when she saw it.
He’ll probably sign the contract with glee soon.
That little chick of ours might be even worse than his father.
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