Holy Amelia Kingdom, First Conference Chamber.
"Huh? Explain that again!"
The King of Amelia—Edward Loto Amelia—demanded of the intelligence agent, Kusa, who had just delivered his report.
"Count Kusar hired Snake Blood to attack the Akinashi Domain where Her Highness Rosemary was staying, but they were thwarted by the Three Great Underground Powers—"
"Not that part! Well, yes, that part too, but what came after that!"
As Kusa moved to repeat the report, Edward's fury flared, his index finger tapping irritably against the armrest of his throne.
"Under the command of Her Highness Princess Felice, the Three Great Underground Powers—the Tao Family, the Lost Forest, and the Akegarasu—challenged and subjugated the revived evil dragon Deboa.
"An unidentified dragon from another world then manifested using Deboa as a vessel, but it was slaughtered like an insect crushed underfoot by Her Highness Rosemary's Royal Guard, Kai Heinemann.
"Thereafter, the Three Great Underground Powers and Princess Felice, representing the Wind Cats, have pledged their allegiance to Her Highness Rosemary."
A tumultuous uproar swept through the previously frozen conference chamber. Rather than sheer astonishment, none of them could fathom why Kusa, who was notoriously and frustratingly accurate, would utter such an absurd joke. Everyone seemed at a loss trying to divine the motive behind it.
However, Edward had no patience to indulge the bewildered ministers. Just as he opened his mouth to roar for silence—
"You are being far too noisy. Quiet down."
The hulking, black-haired man standing at attention beside the king—the Prime Minister of the Holy Amelia Kingdom, Johannes Roosevelt—spoke up to quell the room.
Though the volume of his voice was not particularly loud, it carried throughout the chamber with uncanny clarity, plunging the room into instant silence.
"Kusa, I trust you. Or at least, I have until now. I will ask you once more. Is this report truly the truth?"
It was none other than Edward who had dispatched Kusa to the Akinashi Domain. The reason was to protect Rose. Rose was detested by the traditional high nobility of this Holy Amelia Kingdom. It was entirely conceivable that someone oblivious to their own station, like Fracton, might act rashly. That was why he had not only sent Kusa, but had also stationed guards for Rose in the neighboring towns.
In truth, considering the danger, sending Arnold would have been the best course of action. Unfortunately, he was currently absent, dispatched to the neutral city—the World Mage Academy Babel—alongside the Minister of War as Edward's proxy for the World Strategy Conference Against the Demon Race. For that reason, Edward had entrusted Rose's protection in an emergency to the kingdom's strongest force, the Holy King Mage Knights.
Kai Heinemann was a powerhouse who surpassed Geralt. If so, he should have been able to hold out until the Holy King Mage Knights arrived.
Even so, this situation was simply too preposterous by any standard.
"Yes. I swear upon heaven and earth that it is the absolute truth!"
Kusa showed no signs of lying. Above all, speaking a falsehood was the greatest taboo for an intelligence operative. There was no reason for him to risk running that danger.
"Johannes, what do you think? Do you think this is possible?"
"Your Majesty, this is not a matter of whether it is possible or impossible; it is an event that has already occurred."
"But this is the revival of a legendary evil dragon sealed in Akinashi for three hundred years, you know?! And that tomboy daughter of mine just happened to be visiting Akinashi right when it happened. There's no way in hell such a coincidence exists!"
"Indeed. Therefore, it was likely all part of the Rosemary faction's plan."
"Are you telling me that the very revival of the evil dragon that once nearly destroyed the kingdom was planned?!"
"The only potential subjects for Eastend are the Wind Cats. However, they have repeatedly raided the House of Kusar to pillage food and valuables. If they were to be officially exonerated, it would require the House of Kusar to commit high treason against the kingdom, and for Her Highness Felice to perform a military feat immense enough to wipe away her past folly. You see? The current situation is precisely that, is it not?"
Certainly, if Ketzer Kusar attempted to murder Rose, it would become a matter warranting government intervention. His domain was filthy with secrets that would come to light if investigated anyway. If they brought forth the plausible justification of protesting that crime, the various lords would have nothing to say. On top of that, the achievement of slaying a legendary evil dragon was extraordinarily vast. It was undeniably more than enough reason for an exoneration.
However, that relied entirely on the premise that Felice and the others could defeat the evil dragon. As a plan, it was fundamentally reckless from the very start.
"I can hardly believe anyone sane came up with this."
"To whoever devised this plan, it simply means the legendary evil dragon was nothing more than a common lizard."
"Kai Heinemann, huh..."
"Yes. Though it may sound utterly disrespectful, Her Highness Rose does not yet possess the ability to formulate and execute such a magnificent scheme."
"Of course she doesn't! That is a legendary evil dragon that once brought the kingdom to the brink of ruin! Who in their right mind would ever think to pit the notorious Three Great Underground Powers against an evil dragon like that?!"
"Your Majesty, that is a misconception. The Three Great Powers are still only human. Defeating the evil dragon Deboa would have been impossible for them alone. To Kai Heinemann, they were merely cheap trinkets bought from a street stall. They served no greater purpose than securing personnel for Her Highness Rose's future domain management."
"So the core of the plan was Felice's Titan. But that spirit was supposed to be remarkably difficult to control. How on earth did Felice agree to use Titan?"
One of the Four Great Spirit Kings—the Earth Spirit King, Titan. While possessing immense power, controlling him required a vast amount of human life force. In the past, during a power struggle within the kingdom, a maid who had served Felice since childhood had offered most of her mana to Titan and hovered on the brink of life and death; since then, Felice had stubbornly refused to use Titan. It was hard to believe she would use him merely because Kai Heinemann persuaded her.
Edward turned his gaze toward Kusa.
"Speaking from personal observation, I did not sense any aversion from Lady Felice regarding the control of Titan."
Kusa stated this plainly and without hesitation.
"Reports indicate that Kai Heinemann is also a first-rate summoner. Does that mean the price he provided was just that substantial?"
To employ a high-ranking entity, offering a suitable price was indispensable. In a sense, this was an absolute truth of summoning magic.
"No, that is not it. Rather than employing him through a price... how should I put it..."
"If it was not a price, then what was it?! Answer quickly, fool!"
The elderly Head Court Mage clad in a navy robe leaned forward, abandoning his usual composure, and questioned Kusa with sharp intensity.
The old man was normally mild-mannered, not the type of person to scold others like this. Yet summoning was said to hold profound significance for mages. In a sense, this touched upon the ultimate secrets of the craft, so his reaction was understandable.
"It felt as though... Titan was terrified of Kai Heinemann. That was the impression I received."
At Kusa's words, a buzz swept through the chamber like a stirred birdcage.
"Preposterous! Being favored by a Spirit King is one thing! But terrifying one, you say?! There is no way such a human could possibly exist!"
As the Head Court Mage shouted in disgust, Kusa fired back in a firm tone:
"You can only say that because you do not know the entity known as Kai Heinemann. That being is no longer human. If you had seen that spectacle, you would find Titan's attitude perfectly natural and understandable."
Another uproar broke out, but Johannes, the Prime Minister, glared across the room, silencing them instantly.
"The conversation has strayed somewhat. Now then, Your Majesty, how shall we proceed?"
Johannes forcefully steered the topic back on track.
"What proof is there of the evil dragon's subjugation?"
"The torso was used as a vessel and vanished, but by good fortune, Deboa's severed head remains."
If the head remained, there was no room for doubt.
"Then, with the existence of Deboa's head, we have no choice but to acknowledge the achievement of the evil dragon's subjugation."
"Then, will you permit the Wind Cats and the Three Great Underground Powers to become citizens of Eastend?"
"Yeah. It was the subjugation of a calamitous evil dragon, after all. We have no choice but to grant a certain level of accommodation."
Honestly, the integration of the Three Great Powers—each said to rival an entire military division—into the domain was a complete bolt from the blue. Ordinarily, it was a matter significant enough to throw the entire nation into utter turmoil. Yet, under the shadow of the evil dragon Deboa's defeat, it was completely obscured.
Don't tell me Kai Heinemann foresaw even this...
"However, how do we prove Ketzer Kusar's involvement in the attempted murder of Rose? Even if the ones Ketzer hired readily confess, if Ketzer himself feigns complete ignorance, punishing him will be difficult, won't it?"
"Regarding that matter, I have received a secret letter from Kai Heinemann."
Johannes drew a letter from his breast pocket and handed it to Edward.
An exceptionally sinister smile was plastered across the face of a man who usually wore an expression like a Noh mask. For this iron-willed monster of a prime minister to be driven to such dark delight, whatever ruinous scheme was written inside had to be deeply sickening.
(Honestly, I'd rather not look at this.)
Edward could now declare with utter certainty that Johannes and Kai Heinemann were fundamentally cut from the same cloth when it came to loving these utterly tasteful conspiracies more than their three daily meals.
Bracing himself, he broke the seal, opened the letter, and read through its contents.
"Is this... the truth?"
Edward asked Johannes, keenly aware that he was on the verge of losing himself to a maddening fury.
"In his letter to me, Kai Heinemann stated that he wished for Your Majesty to verify it."
"Understood."
That was all Edward managed to force out. Of course he would. He would verify every last bit of it.
For a mere count to look down on the throne like this... If this was true, he would make Ketzer Kusar understand the meaning of overstepping his bounds down to the depths of his soul.
Damn it. He couldn't suppress his rage in the slightest.
"Johannes. Tell Kai Heinemann this: I accept his invitation to this game."
"Understood!"
Johannes pressed a hand to his chest and bowed deeply with profound reverence.
This might be the first time in the history of the kingdom that someone had spat upon royalty to such an extent. Very well. If the contents of this letter were true, he wouldn't forgive whoever was responsible, no matter who they were. Even if other princes or princesses were involved, he would ensure every single one of them was severely punished.
(No, this won't do. I have to get a hold of myself somehow.)
Only Edward's closest confidants were present in this conference room, and this conversation would never leak outside. Even so, nothing was absolute. It would be disastrous if those utterly treasonous traitors caught wind of it and exercised restraint. He had to act as he always did.
Managing to force his expression back to normal, he cast a glance at Johannes beside him.
"We shall now begin state affairs."
At Johannes's command, government business resumed.