Chapter 153

The Insider

The upper echelons of the imperial court were moving busily.

A strategy team composed solely of dozens of legal advisers and strategists was in the middle of organizing materials to be used at the public hearing.

Alexander, the one whose feet were actually being held to the fire, merely watched them at his leisure.

From the experts’ perspective, that was preferable. If Alexander tried to involve himself, he would obviously do nothing but hinder the strategy team.

The only things he could do were observe the proceedings as closely as possible and use his current position to gather as many capable people as he could.

Even so, as though to prove that he had not merely been sitting around doing nothing, he had managed to produce one result of his own.

“Are you certain this information is accurate?”

Alexander read through the copied plan and called a name into the communication crystal.

“Baron Guillot?”

Baron Guillot.

He was a nobleman who ruled a territory in the Far East.

—Y-Yes, it is!

“Relax. It is not as though I intend to eat you. Why are you so nervous?”

—M-My apologies! In any case, the scenario I sent you is a summary of the strategies Regent Ferda intends to use at the upcoming hearing, compiled during their brainstorming sessions.

“Regent Ferda?”

—Ah, yes. The regent. Regent Ferda.

Alexander’s oversensitivity cowed Baron Guillot even further.

The sound of breathing from beyond the crystal faltered awkwardly before he finally spoke again.

—Um… Your Highness.

“What is it?”

—If this all goes well, you will keep your promise, won’t you?

“How absurd… Are you doubting me?”

—N-No! Of course not! I spoke out of turn and said something foolish again—

Alexander sighed at him as though he were pathetic.

“Do not worry. I will ensure your personal safety. I will also prepare an official post for you within the inner walls.”

—I cannot thank you enough for reassuring me once again! Thank you!

“Since you have chosen to play the traitor, make sure you spy on them thoroughly.”

—Understood! Please remember that I, Guillot, have always remained loyal to the Empire!

The communication through the crystal ended.

A position could always be created for him.

And if one could not?

Then he could simply be discarded.

The man had already become a traitor. Whether Alexander kept his promise or not meant nothing to him.

People were merely expendable goods to the Empire, objects that could be thrown away once their usefulness had run out.

Nobles were no different.

‘Besides, I even secured a promise of help from old man Golt…’

There was virtually no chance that the situation would turn against Alexander.

Moreover, did he not also possess the “helper” whom everyone desired?

The mere thought filled him with such satisfaction that he expressed his gratitude to the man once more.

“To think that you would offer me your wisdom. I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude.”

The middle-aged man seated nearby answered with dignified composure.

“Not at all. Those who carry golden blood are the pillars of the Empire. How could I possibly refuse to aid you, Your Majesty?”

“Your Majesty? I am still only the crown prince.”

“You will eventually ascend the throne and rule. What difference does it make if I address you that way now?”

“Haha! Have you seen a future in which I become emperor?”

“Of course.”

Hearing that filled Alexander with baseless confidence.

Alexander was already the sort whose ears perked up at even the cheapest flattery, but praise from this man carried an entirely different weight.

After all, this man was none other than—

“Thank you for cooperating with me, Sage of Water.”

Helus Phobidas, renowned throughout the world as the Sage of Water.

“Not at all. It is I who am honored to cooperate with Your Highness.”

Laughter brimming with certainty of victory spread throughout the crown prince’s office.

***

—That concludes my report on the crown prince’s current strategy.

“I see.”

Ferda gave a brief reply after receiving a copy of the document.

As he silently read through it, an anxious voice rang irritatingly in his ears.

—Um… Must I remain here the entire time?

Helus asked cautiously.

Ferda questioned him as though the very idea were absurd.

“Can you not do everything you need to do from there?”

—O-Of course I can… If anything, the treatment is so excessive that it makes me uncomfortable.

No matter how grandly Helus lived while calling himself a sage, a poor mage still lingered inside him.

The extravagance of the imperial family existed on an entirely different level.

When Helus indulged in what he considered luxury, members of the imperial court reacted by saying, “How frugal, as expected of a sage.”

The realization that he had merely been a frog in a well came as a tremendous shock.

“Enjoy it while you can. Even ordinary nobles rarely have the chance to experience the imperial court’s finest luxuries.”

—Enjoying it is all well and good, but… I have a request.

“I will hear it.”

—Could you help me use my wisdom a little more often?

It was a request Ferda had expected.

He answered it plainly.

“Three questions should be more than enough for a sage.”

—Three is far too few. People ask me about all sorts of things. How am I supposed to answer all of them?

“Isn’t the very idea that you must answer every question foolish?”

—I cannot even tell which questions are important.

“Use that to your advantage.”

—H-How?”

“Occasionally answer a question that appears unimportant. Make them believe it must be significant. That is one of the reasons I sent you there.”

On the surface, Helus appeared to have infiltrated the imperial court to resolve the situation.

In truth, however, he was merely a tool for creating confusion.

Olivia had immediately understood that purpose and sent him to Alexander.

—I will use my ability as best I can, but… I would still appreciate it if you increased the number of questions I may ask.

“…”

“…”

Helus pleaded with him repeatedly.

Ferda openly sighed.

‘I thought he would be difficult to use properly, but…’

The man was even more frustrating than he had imagined.

Still, since Helus was considered one of the foremost sages on the continent, Ferda decided to adjust the restriction to better suit his capabilities.

“Very well. I will allow you to ask up to five questions per day. That is two more than before, so think more carefully about what truly matters before using them.”

—Th-Thank you!

“Report regularly on everything that happens while you are assisting Alexander, and prioritize the princess’s orders. Understood?”

—Y-Yes! Of course!

There was no doubt that Helus would remain loyal.

When he had seen Olivia, he had worn the expression of a man utterly enthralled by a demon of lust.

“Come to think of it, what is the princess doing?”

Curious about Olivia’s recent activities, Ferda asked him.

—She has been visiting the Church of Altesin frequently lately. From what I have heard, she intends to receive training as a saintess.

After reaching the fourth circle, Olivia had begun seriously studying the magic taught to priests.

Since she had attained the difficult fourth stage of spiritual enlightenment, the Church of Altesin would surely welcome her enthusiastically.

Whether they made her a nun or used her as a connection through which the church could link its power to the imperial family, either outcome would benefit them.

‘The Red Circle, said to be formed through profound faith…’

Ferda still could not understand it.

He remembered Olivia suddenly attaining enlightenment and forming her circle in a cramped room at a cheap inn.

Why had Olivia achieved enlightenment at that moment?

Religious enlightenment was strange by nature.

Some might awaken two circle stages at once after enduring an excruciating period of meditation beneath a bodhi tree.

Others might awaken after sensing indomitable spirit in the sight of a flowing river.

Olivia herself might not have known what she had seen or how it had made her feel.

Enlightenment was something that could not be put into words, and the memory of it naturally faded once the circle took form.

‘In any case, she has secured a foothold on the path to becoming a saintess.’

She still needed to reach the fifth circle, but she had already overcome the greatest hurdle—the fourth circle. Ferda believed that someone like Olivia could manage the rest.

He examined the information Helus had prepared for him.

“…”

It was a complete mess.

The contents were scattered all over the place without the slightest sense of organization.

Ferda wondered whether he should be angry, but Helus had probably decided, in his own way, that giving him the raw information would be better than attempting to organize it himself.

“Mori.”

Mori, whom he had summoned earlier, turned her head.

The expressionless girl waited for his instructions.

“Organize this for me.”

Nod, nod.

Mori quickly skimmed through the material and began extracting its key points.

As Garnet watched the process, she asked Ferda in amazement,

“Is this girl the source of the Sage of Water’s knowledge?”

“She is.”

“She is even more impressive than I imagined.”

“Mori’s abilities?”

“Those too, but the source of his knowledge was often underestimated because of Helus. It appears he simply never knew how to make proper use of it.”

Ferda nodded in agreement.

Garnet leaned toward Mori, trying to see the words she was writing.

“Chief of Intelligence.”

“Yes?”

“I apologize, but please refrain from approaching Miss Mori so carelessly.”

Isabella glared at her.

Her eyes contained an emotion that was rarely visible beneath her usual composure.

“My apologies, Administrator.”

Feeling a chill, Garnet obediently stepped back.

Isabella had a perfectly reasonable justification.

‘She is a valuable asset to the Far East. We should still handle her with caution.’

However, Ferda, who knew Isabella well, saw things a little differently.

‘Does she consider even Garnet a rival?’

Mori was certainly a valuable asset, but Garnet alone failed to realize that Isabella’s motives were entirely personal.

Meanwhile, Mori neatly completed her task and presented the organized document.

The chaotic mass of text had been transformed into a clear, easy-to-read summary.

Ferda read through it and extracted the information he needed.

“It appears Grand Duke Valdemar Golt is assisting Alexander.”

“If Grand Duke Golt has agreed to support him… then the game is already nearly decided.”

Valdemar Golt.

At the mention of that name, Garnet’s expression darkened.

That alone showed how troublesome a man he was to deal with.

Ferda also knew what kind of person he was.

‘The emperor’s closest confidant…’

Whether he was truly loyal to the emperor was impossible to say, but the two undoubtedly shared a mutually beneficial relationship.

His reputation and popularity were so immense that he was known as the Hero of the People.

“There are five supreme commissioners on the Crisis Response Council. Grand Duke Golt already has two of the others in his pocket.”

The list of supreme commissioners was as follows:

Valdemar Golt, Grand Duke and Hero of the People.

Marquis Akad Dvelung, Conqueror of the Plague of Arrows.

Count Oldin Rooster, the Battle-Hardened Hero.

Erdes Roton, the Mad Archmage.

Joseph Faust, leader of the Church of Altesin.

Someone else had originally been chosen to occupy Erdes’s seat, but by coincidence, that man had ignored Alexander’s order to deploy and had been beheaded.

The vacant position had then been given to Erdes, who had made the greatest contribution during the recent assault.

Normally, he would have found the entire affair too bothersome to attend, but the moment he learned Ferda was involved, he had undoubtedly appeared like a ghost.

“So the key is how we persuade Valdemar.”

“That is correct.”

Ferda recalled the last time he had seen Grand Duke Golt.

He was an old man covered in age spots, yet his back had always remained perfectly straight.

Ferda had always wondered where his extraordinary popularity came from.

Those loved by the common people were usually hated by the nobility, while those loved by the nobility were usually hated by the common people.

Yet Golt was loved by both.

“Grand Duke Golt should be an old man with one foot in the grave. How is he still so vigorous?”

“That is because of the greenhouse.”

“The greenhouse?”

“There is a dome-shaped greenhouse in Grand Duke Golt’s territory.”

Ferda had no memory of it.

It had probably seemed too trivial for him to pay attention to.

“What kind of greenhouse is it?”

“It can preserve the warmth of spring even in the coldest winter, and the coolness of autumn even during summer.”

Ferda understood why he did not remember it.

It was less impressive than he had expected.

After all, the castle he currently occupied came equipped with that sort of magic as a standard feature.

“Any fourth-circle mage should be capable of something like that.”

“You are correct.”

Had that been all there was to it, Garnet would not have bothered mentioning it.

“However, the greenhouse can also regulate the concentration of mana within it.”

“Even the mana concentration?”

That caught Ferda’s interest.

“To what extent can it be adjusted?”

“I do not know how high the concentration can be raised, but at the very least, it can create a completely mana-free zone.”

A mana-free zone?

Now Ferda was genuinely intrigued.

Climate-adjustment magic could be cast repeatedly, provided one could handle the consequences.

However, using magic to create an area entirely devoid of mana was inherently contradictory.

It was similar to using air itself to remove every trace of air from an area.

It might be possible in a small enclosed space, but applying it across an entire vast dome would be impossible for an ordinary mage.

“If he can create a mana-free zone… then cultivating rare medicinal ingredients would not be difficult.”

“Precisely.”

Some materials with mystical properties required extreme environments in order to grow.

One of the most troublesome conditions was mana concentration, which was almost impossible to maintain without constantly exhausting human labor.

“Do you know what kind of spell formula is being used?”

“We have attempted to infiltrate the estate with our agents several times to uncover it, but on each occasion, we nearly had our own network traced in return.”

A place secured so thoroughly that even a secret intelligence organization could not uncover its secrets.

Ferda found that fascinating.

Grand Duke Golt did not come from a family of mages, so how had he obtained such technology?

‘Most likely, he stole it from some mage or scholar.’

But that alone was not enough to explain it.

If a non-mage could simply steal the technique and claim it as his own, then other mages should have been able to reproduce it with ease.

That meant Valdemar understood the core principles of the formula—something that could not be obtained through theft alone.

It also suggested that he possessed considerable talent for magic.

‘If he uses that as leverage to gather nobles beneath him, Burnell could become one of his targets.’

Just as Alexander had, Valdemar might also set his sights on Burnell.

Burnell had already raised expectations tremendously during the presentation in Halim, yet the results now pouring out were so extraordinary that they made even those expectations seem modest.

‘There are four projects currently underway in the Princeps’s territory.’

The improvement of magitech rifles by the territory’s engineers.

The development of new waterways through a water-purification project conducted in cooperation with Blue Eye.

The mana-powered automobile being developed jointly by Escholeia and the merchant association.

The fourth project was the foundational work necessary for all three to succeed: improving the efficiency of mana stones.

That research was still ongoing.

At present, they had achieved the groundbreaking result of increasing total efficiency by thirty percent.

With every project now gaining momentum, it would be disastrous if they were seized or obstructed.

“The Empire will use this incident as an excuse to demand our magitech technology, won’t it?”

“That is correct.”

It was the very technology they might have lost had Ferda submitted to Alexander.

Even if the present crisis was resolved, the possibility that it could still be taken from them remained a constant source of trouble.

They truly were relentless.

“It would be nice if there were an easy way through this…”

Ferda muttered the words.

Nothing in the world was ever easy, but the wish itself was proof that he was still human.

“There is, in fact, an easy solution.”

Garnet did not let the remark pass and immediately answered.