Deep within the palace of the northern Kingdom of Bertram, a long, crimson-carpeted hallway stretched toward a distant throne.
Seated upon it was Queen Silvia, a woman of chilling beauty. Known as the Ice Queen for her perpetual lack of expression, her mere presence radiated an almost suffocating pressure.
"I am glad you could make it, Princes of Saloom. You are most welcome."
Her voice was frigid, devoid of even a trace of warmth. Beside me, Albert dropped to one knee, and I followed suit.
A few days prior, an envoy from the Queen of Bertram had arrived at my doorstep. The message had been simple: I was to present myself at the royal palace at my earliest convenience. Panicked by the sudden summons, I was relieved when Albert offered to accompany me. A dependable older brother is truly a blessing.
Still, I couldn't help but wonder why she had called for me specifically.
Well... I actually had several theories.
Was it the collateral damage from the large-scale magic I’d used to level parts of the city? Perhaps she’d discovered I was sheltering Ido after his rampage? Or maybe word had gotten out that I’d dabbled in the taboo art of creating a homunculus?
The possibilities were endless, and every single one of them spelled trouble. I didn't think she knew everything, but Silvia’s sharp, almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on me. Her piercing gaze felt as though it were stripping away my secrets, peering into the very depths of my soul.
"...Lloyd di Saloom. You have caused quite a stir, haven't you?" Silvia said, letting out a heavy sigh.
I winced. I knew it—I’d definitely messed up.
Just as I was about to resign myself to my fate and Silvia opened her mouth to continue, someone spoke up.
"If I may, Your Majesty."
Albert took a step forward, interjecting himself into the conversation. He didn't flinch under Silvia's sharp stare.
"Lloyd is still far too young for matters of this magnitude. I ask that you overlook his actions for my sake."
"...Hmph. To think the cleverest man in Saloom would go so far to protect him... I suppose my assessment was correct after all."
"You jest... I would never dream of attempting to deceive Queen Silvia."
"I should hope not. Otherwise, a man as busy as you would have no reason to be here."
The two of them were speaking in riddles, dancing around whatever the actual topic was. I didn't quite follow, but I assumed Albert was covering for me.
"That said, I never intended for things to get quite this flashy. Ha ha ha."
"So, he is an outlier who exceeded even your expectations? Fu fu fu."
Then, for some reason, they both started laughing.
I wasn't sure what was happening, but I must have caused an even bigger disaster than I'd realized. I was starting to get terrified of what they might say next. When things get this tense, it’s best to just distract myself. Escapism, I think they call it.
"Just as I suspected, Queen Silvia's goal is to recruit Lloyd. She likely wants to use an 'international study' program as a front to put him to work in her research labs. I'm sure the terms she’d offer would be generous, but they could never match Lloyd's true value. Good grief, I'm glad I came. Lloyd is still a child; he might have been lured away if left to his own devices."
"This year's festival reached heights far beyond previous years. Despite that, this boy won with overwhelming strength and even brought down that massive golem. As a nation built on technology, he is exactly the kind of talent we crave. I’d hoped to woo him and bring his expertise to our country... but I suppose it won't be that easy. I’d heard the King of Saloom boasting of his Seventh Prince’s brilliance, but the boy is truly formidable. It’s a pity, but I suppose I can’t blame them for wanting to keep him close to home."
The two of them were whispering to each other with incredibly serious expressions. I couldn't catch everything they were saying, but it was clearly some sort of high-level information war.
Really, I was lucky to have Albert with me. I was hopeless when it came to these political maneuvers. For now, I decided the best course of action was to just smile and nod politely. Ha ha... ha ha ha.
"Phew. We managed to navigate that somehow."
Albert let out a long breath as we finally left the palace behind us.
"Thank you so much, Albert-niisan. I don't know what I would have done if I were alone..."
"Don't mention it. I did it for my own benefit as much as yours," Albert replied with a refreshing smile.
Even his personality was perfect. Having a capable older brother was truly wonderful.
"Still, while I’d initially planned to use this festival to flex our national strength and keep other countries in check, the results were far better than I’d hoped. Our victory drew so much attention that alchemists from all over are flooding into Saloom for 'technical training,' and Father has significantly increased our research budget. Being targeted by Queen Silvia was a bit of a surprise, but... as a bonus, Zerof's personality has improved quite a bit, and fighting that mysterious giant golem let us see the Unit Limit Value for Diguardia. Everything turned out better than expected. This is all thanks to you, Lloyd. Truly, an accomplished younger brother is someone worth having."
Albert started walking ahead, still mumbling to himself.
"Hey, wait up! You're going too fast!"
He had much longer legs than I did, after all.
"Wait for me, Albert-niisan!"
"Haha! If you can catch me, I'll buy you some ice cream."
"Really!? All right, here I come!"
I broke into a run, chasing after my older brother's laughing silhouette.