The news that mercenaries had attacked the Birth Tower had, naturally, reached Daskar's ears.
No—rather, it would be more accurate to say he had been informed of it as a matter of highest priority.
For Daskar, as the lord of Gilm, the existence of the Birth Tower carried tremendous significance.
If such a place had been attacked by mercenaries, he would naturally set out to identify the mastermind who had orchestrated it—the one who had hired them.
"And? Did they spill what they know?"
While sorting through documents in his office, an irritated voice escaped Daskar's lips.
This incident would undoubtedly be counted as his own failing.
Should it come to negotiating with the Gran Dragonia Empire, the attack on the Birth Tower would become a card the other side could play against them.
That could no longer be avoided.
If that was the case, he needed to act to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Specifically, by making it appear that the one who had orchestrated the attack had already been captured and dealt with.
That was precisely why he needed to apprehend the mastermind of this incident as quickly as possible.
"Yes."
At his subordinate's words, Daskar's stern expression softened, if only slightly.
Among the reports coming in since last night, this was undeniably a welcome one.
However, the expression on the man who had brought the report was not bright.
No—it would be fair to say it was grim.
Noticing his subordinate's demeanor, Daskar paused his reading and turned his gaze toward him.
"What is it? You've identified the mastermind, haven't you? Then all that's left is to capture him."
"We can't. The merchant who was the mastermind had already departed from Gilm by yesterday."
"So that's how it went."
Understanding why his subordinate wore such an expression, Daskar's own face turned bitter.
If the mercenaries' attack succeeded, all was well.
Even if it failed, by the time that became apparent, the mastermind would no longer be in Gilm—so there was no worry of being caught.
"That said, I can't just give up at this point. Send letters to members of the Neutral Faction… and to friendly contacts within the Noble's Faction as well. Request that they capture him."
"Yes, sir!"
"Hmph. Fleeing Gilm in this situation is fine, but don't think you'll get away with it."
Daskar spoke in a displeased tone, but immediately shifted to a new—and more urgent—matter.
"So, do we know where that merchant who attacked the Birth Tower got his information? At the time the mercenaries attacked, there shouldn't have been many people who knew about the Birth Tower. If so, figuring out who leaked the information should be straightforward, shouldn't it?"
"The investigation is currently underway. The mercenaries apparently didn't know anything about that either. To learn the details, I believe we'll need to capture the merchant."
"I see. Then hurry it up."
Even as he said this, Daskar's judgment was that identifying the person who had leaked the information would likely prove difficult.
Once they learned they were being investigated, anyone with something to hide would naturally make up some excuse and flee.
If the merchant mastermind was captured, whoever leaked the information would be in danger as well.
Reasoning that way, there was no reason for them to remain in Gilm.
Moreover, Gilm was currently in the midst of the expansion construction, meaning there was an extremely high volume of people coming and going.
If so, slipping away would not be difficult.
Watching his subordinate leave the office, Daskar drank water as if to extinguish the flames of anger burning within him.
But that did not entirely dispel his irritation.
"Tch. They pulled a troublesome stunt. If they wanted to hinder us, was it the King's Faction's doing? The possibility isn't exactly low, but…"
The Cobolt incident from a few months ago.
No, even going back to the Red Cloth incident before that, there was no doubt the King's Faction had been involved.
If so, it would not be surprising if the King's Faction had been behind an incident like this one as well.
However, according to the intelligence reaching Daskar, there were no reports of nobles within the King's Faction in the Royal Capital making any particularly notable moves.
To be precise, there was no shortage of nobles plotting various schemes, but among them, there was no indication of anyone preparing to launch any kind of attack on Gilm—at least based on what the personnel he had dispatched to the Royal Capital reported.
"Then was it some hotheaded faction within the King's Faction after all? It's not as if the possibility doesn't exist."
He murmured and took another sip of water.
Spring was growing warmer, but it was not yet hot.
Even so, the fact that his throat was dry like this was likely because Gilm's current situation was extremely unstable, and Daskar felt intense stress because of it.
"One wrong move, and it won't just be Gilm's expansion—it could mean the annihilation of Gilm itself, huh. I won't let that happen. I absolutely will not let that happen."
Murmuring as if to convince himself, Daskar racked his brain for strategies to somehow turn the current situation around.
"Oh? Then you're saying the Lizardmen are friendly toward us?"
At the noble's words during their meeting, Elena took a sip of tea before nodding.
"Indeed. I believe you already know this, but the Lizardmen who were transported here appear to have formed a nation. That alone makes it clear they possess high intelligence. Do you think such Lizardmen, having been transported to an unfamiliar place, would take a hostile attitude toward those they encounter there?"
Elena spoke with overflowing confidence, but in reality, there had been some Lizardmen who took a hostile attitude from the start, and more importantly, there were those who had attacked the Green People.
Taking those circumstances into account, Elena's words were quite a stretch.
That said, since friendly Lizardmen like Zozo and Gaga did exist, it wasn't an outright lie either.
"I see. In that case, is it possible to negotiate with those Lizardmen?"
"It is."
Elena nodded immediately, without a moment's hesitation.
This was by no means a lie. Gaga, for instance, had engaged in a mock battle with Rei and, having lost, swore not to attack the Green People while on this land.
Even if it wasn't so grand and weighty a promise, the fact that a proper agreement could be made with the Lizardmen was significant.
Of course, if it came to "We made an agreement, but they had no intention of honoring it whatsoever," it would be meaningless.
The fact that properly exchanged agreements would be kept—the fact that promises could be made—was welcome news for a noble.
Though there was a certain disbelief in the thought of Lizardmen, who are monsters, keeping promises.
"In that case, shouldn't the Noble's Faction also take some action? Allowing the Neutral Faction alone to possess such beings will become a problem going forward."
"I understand the sentiment, but if we clumsily reach out in the current situation, it could cause friction with Lord Daskar. At the very least, rather than extending our hand first, it would be better to wait for them to come to us asking for assistance."
"But wouldn't that take too much time?"
"Perhaps. However, beings like Gaga and Zozo are extremely valuable. Rather than rushing in blindly and failing, it would be better to proceed with caution."
The noble looked somewhat dissatisfied, but having been told as much by Elena, he could not press the matter any further.
If he did something like that, his standing within the Noble's Faction would suffer.
Elena—the symbol of the Noble's Faction and holder of the alias Princess General—wielded exactly that much influence.
That was why he needed to quietly withdraw for now.
"Understood. If you say so, Lady Elena, I have nothing further to add."
"Good. I appreciate it."
Elena understood full well what the noble before her was thinking when he made those statements.
But since having him quietly withdraw was the preferable outcome, she had no intention of complaining about his attitude.
If anything, the fact that he backed down so docilely was the best possible result.
After about ten more minutes of small talk, the noble eventually took his leave.
"Phew. Honestly, this sort of thing isn't really to my liking."
Carrying the lukewarm tea to her lips, Elena murmured languidly.
The reason she had to endure this distasteful task was that she understood it would benefit Rei.
He had become entangled with the Lizardmen Zozo and Gaga, and furthermore, Zozo had sworn loyalty to Rei.
Rei said all sorts of things and often made bold decisions, but he was kind to those who became his allies.
And Zozo was becoming something close to an ally to Rei.
That was why she could not allow Noble Faction nobles to act rashly and meddle with the Lizardmen, which would in turn create a rift with Daskar, who was protecting them.
If that happened, it could also cause problems in the currently friendly relationship between the Neutral Faction and the Noble's Faction.
Elena could not allow that, either as a public figure or as a private individual—though her private feelings on the matter were stronger.
"Lady Elena, would you like some fresh tea?"
Ara, having seen the noble out, returned to the room and asked.
Elena shook her head and savored the now-lukewarm tea.
"The tea you brew remains delicious even when it's gone a bit cold."
Praised for her tea-making skill, Ara smiled happily.
She had been complimented on it many times before, but being praised by her beloved Elena still brought her joy.
"Thank you. I'll keep doing my best. But more importantly, we have some time before the next visitor arrives. What shall we do?"
"Hmm, let's see. How is Ielo doing?"
"Ielo is playing in the courtyard."
Its friend Set wasn't around, yet Ielo was still flying about the courtyard, playing.
Seeing this, Ara had wondered what it found so entertaining, but judged that playing in the courtyard posed no problem and left it alone.
"I see. With Ielo, I was sure it would have gone outside by now."
"It must be because it's Lady Elena's familiar—it's so full of curiosity."
"Does that have anything to do with me?"
"Wasn't it through Dragon Language Magic? Since you created it with that, surely there's a connection?"
When Ara put it that way, Elena had no choice but to agree.
Elena was well aware that she possessed strong curiosity herself, and it was natural to think that it had carried over to Ielo.
"At any rate, as long as it's in the courtyard, it's fine. There are some unsavory characters in Gilm right now, after all."
Elena had heard from Rei that mercenaries had attacked the Birth Tower.
What they had been thinking in doing such a thing was unclear, but she could at least guess at their motive.
If they recognized the Birth Tower for what it was—a place where Lizardmen hatched and were raised—then they were likely after the Lizardman children or eggs.
What would such people do if they found Ielo, a Child of the Black Dragon?
The answer was obvious without needing to think about it.
With its tough skin and ability to turn invisible, Ielo wouldn't be easily caught by someone with malicious intent.
But even so, capturing it was not impossible.
It was strong in terms of defense, but the fact that it had virtually no habit of attacking those who tried to catch it was a painful weakness.
(In my case, I'm actually better at attacking. If it truly was influenced by me, it could have inherited that quality as well.)
But things never quite worked out the way one hoped.
Thinking that, Elena brought the last of her tea to her lips.
The tea was no longer merely lukewarm but outright cold, yet strangely it still didn't taste bad.
As a rule, tea brewed with hot water turned unpleasant once it cooled.
"Lady Elena, what would you like for lunch today?"
"Hmm? Marina prepared something for us, didn't she?"
To be precise, she had done the prep work, so all that remained was to heat it—which was the more accurate description.
Both Elena and Ara could manage that much without difficulty.
And soup could simply be reheated from breakfast's leftovers with no issue.
If so, there was no particular need to worry about lunch.
At Elena's words, Ara shook her head.
"No, I just thought it might be nice to eat in town for a change. I'm sure Ielo would like that too."
"Hmm. Outside, huh."
Murmuring, Elena turned her gaze toward the window.
Soft, springlike sunlight was streaming down outside, and the thought of having lunch while basking in it didn't seem bad at all.
They had eaten breakfast in the garden while taking in the morning sun, but a meal beneath the midday sun would be pleasant too.
"Very well. Once I've finished the remaining morning appointments, we shall do just that."
It might be interesting to go visit Rei at the Birth Tower as well.
Thinking that, Elena allowed herself a small smile.