An imperial edict arrived in the barren domain of Praha in the North.
“Hear this, Grand Duke of Praha! Guardian of the North and Sword of the Empire, His Imperial Majesty commands you: the moment the new Hero of the North, Louis Berg, returns to the northern territories, you shall depart for the Demonic Realm!”
It was an imperial command to return to the Demonic Realm and proceed with the expedition.
It was questionable why Louis Berg was suddenly the new Hero of the North, but regardless, that fellow wouldn’t take long to arrive.
...I’ll need to leave this place within a month.
The Grand Duke nodded with a troubled expression, replying, “I shall obey His Majesty’s command.”
The messenger—an imperial officer who had come to deliver the imperial edict—breathed a sigh of relief and tucked the rustling scroll away.
The imperial officer glanced around nervously, muttering under his breath. “Good grief, they all look ready to devour me whole.”
He sighed at the sight of the northern retainers glaring at him with obvious hostility.
The imperial officer seemed desperate to escape this place as quickly as possible, hastily climbing aboard the carriage he’d arrived in. Then he departed the way he came without so much as a backward glance.
After the imperial officer vanished, the Grand Duke straightened from his genuflecting position, rising to his feet.
The knights around him approached with worried expressions.
“Your Grace, do you truly intend to return?”
“Surely you know why those central bastards want to send you to the Demonic Realm!”
“Why not request a direct audience with His Majesty instead? Otherwise—”
Swoosh.
“Enough,” the Grand Duke uttered, raising his hand and quelling his knights’ complaints. “It is His Majesty’s command. What intentions lie behind it are not for me to determine. Would it be fitting for the head of the Royalists to act so lightly?”
“...Even so.”
“I appreciate your concern. However, it’s presumptuous worry. Who am I, exactly?” the Grand Duke asked.
The knights beside him sighed weakly.
“...You are Grand Duke Praha, Your Grace,” one of them answered.
“Right. Isn’t that sufficient?” The Grand Duke grinned.
Grand Duke Praha. That name alone was enough to dispel all worries, wasn’t it?
He was right, of course.
He was one of the three Grand Masters and head of House Praha. That alone was reason enough not to worry about him.
“So look after my daughters instead. They’re all such worrisome creatures.”
The Grand Duke patted a knight’s shoulder.
The knight said nothing and bowed his head deeply.
“I’m tired, so I’ll head inside first. You lot do some more training before coming in.”
With those words, the Grand Duke headed for his study.
An uninvited guest awaited him there.
“Oh, there you are at last, Patriarch.”
“...High Elder.”
“Haha… You may call me by name. We’re family, after all, are we not?”
The Grand Duke sat in his study chair with a creak. He said, “I have no such intention, so explain why you entered a room without its master present.”
It was a thorough dismissal, but the High Elder continued grinning as if nothing was amiss. “A room without its master? Then we’d never be able to enter this place for the rest of our lives.”
“...What?”
“I heard just now. His Majesty’s edict arrived, didn’t it? Heh… Once you depart for the Demonic Realm, who knows when you’ll return?”
“It won’t take long,” the Grand Duke answered, frowning.
Honestly, the man sounded like he was already preparing funeral rites.
Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile.
“And worry not. I won’t be departing immediately.”
“Ah yes, I heard that too. Louis Berg—that little boy must arrive first. Heheh… Truly peculiar indeed. Him, the Hero of the North?”
“It shows that he did well to fulfill what you agreed upon.”
“Pffft… You mean the Council’s recognition? How naive of you. Do you truly believe such a thing is possible?” the High Elder asked with a sneer.
“It’ll be possible. That’s the sort of fellow he is.”
“You seem to trust him quite a bit.”
“I do trust him more than you, at least. He’s certainly better than an old fool like yourself.”
“Heheh… My, it would be quite troublesome if that fellow met with an unfortunate accident, wouldn’t it?”
“...What?” The Grand Duke snorted, then ran his hand through his hair. “Listen here, High Elder.”
“What might be the matter?”
“You seem to find me amusing. Is that right?”
RUMMMMMMMBLE—!
The Grand Duke released his Aura, aiming it at the High Elder.
He activated Crushing Presence—the Aura technique Louis often used.
“Gah!” The High Elder hastily summoned his own Aura.
“As if that will be enough.”
But it was inadequate to block a Grand Master’s Crushing Presence.
Thud!
The High Elder dropped to one knee, grinding his teeth. He looked like a vassal bowing before his king.
The Grand Duke gazed down at the High Elder with naked killing intent.
“If not for His Majesty’s command, you would have been torn apart long ago. But keep pushing your luck, and command or no command, I might just kill you anyway.”
“Do you think... your daughters could... endure the political pressure... alone?” the High Elder asked with a twisted smile. Though his lips were curved in amusement, his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
But the Grand Duke replied as if it were of no consequence. “They’re not alone anymore. Not with that lad at their side.”
“Keh… What difference... do you think... that will make?”
“Oh it will make a difference. He keeps his promises well.”
Louis Berg had become the Hero of the North recognized by the Imperial Family itself.
The Grand Duke didn’t know how, but it seemed the fellow had resolved something yet again. He, of all people, was sure to find a way to protect Lea somehow.
And if he had the luxury, the lad would look after his other daughters too.
Well, he does have his scattered moments. But I can trust him with this.
All things considered, at least while he remained here, he had to crush the High Elder’s spirit. That would buy his future son-in-law the breathing room he needed to grow stronger.
Really, he’s quite high-maintenance.
The Grand Duke chuckled quietly and channeled Aura into his sword.
Crack. Crackle.
The surrounding air grew cold as the Grand Duke stepped forward, radiating an unmistakable killing intent.
Only then did the High Elder grasp the gravity of the moment. He bit his lip.
...Is he serious?
This was no longer the playful banter they’d shared so far. Now, he was seriously considering whether to reveal his hidden card.
But the Grand Duke’s voice cut through his thoughts. “This is the last time. Cross the line again, and you’ll see me defy His Majesty’s command for the first time.”
With those words, the Grand Duke let his Aura dissipate.
He then summoned the chamberlain and ordered him to escort the High Elder away.
The High Elder shoved away the chamberlain’s assistance and glared at the Grand Duke with his unsteady body.
“...May you fare well in the Demonic Realm, Patriarch.”
With that, the High Elder left the study with visible irritation.
Alone in his study, the Grand Duke sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“...It’ll be a busy month.”
He’d need to normalize this family to some degree… at least until his son-in-law arrived.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
I sat in my carriage with a blank expression, remarking, “How peaceful.”
After leaving the Imperial Palace, I had settled all the dealings regarding the Barony of Harris.
I’d established the merchant guild, and preparations were finished for the miners personally selected by the Emperor to extract Mithril.
Trade routes, escort details—everything was settled.
Now all that remained was receiving money in my personal account like clockwork.
I should stop by the central bank once.
I needed to confirm the money was flowing in properly to feel at ease.
Though well, I had no doubt it was coming in just fine.
“Hah...” I sighed faintly and gazed out the window.
After resolving one crisis after another without respite, it seemed I’d developed burnout. I swore to rest up once I returned to the family estate.
But just as I had that thought, I heard the whinny of a horse as Hans brought the carriage to a halt. He announced, “We’ve arrived, sir.”
Ah, already?
I exhaled softly and stretched.
Truthfully, heading straight to the Duchy of Praha would have been proper, but there was somewhere I needed to stop.
A place where I could gather information about everything that had happened, and where I could obtain the secret history of House Artezia.
“This is the only place for that,” I muttered as I stepped down from the carriage.
In front of me stood a lavish tavern with an ornate façade: Al Fortia de Glori.
It was the intelligence agency operated by House Artezia.
* * *
“Would you wait here for a moment?”
The proprietor stepped forward to attend to me and my men.
However, while he guided the others to the central hall on the second floor, I was treated differently.
“This way.” The proprietor bowed to me and gestured deeper inside. He probably still thought I was a First-Class Scribe.
“Very well.” I followed the manager’s guidance into the depths of Al Fortia de Glori.
Along the way, I remarked, “No assassins this time, I see.”
“...We apologize for that incident.”
“Think nothing of it. People make mistakes in life.” I chuckled and continued walking.
A few minutes later, the proprietor bowed and opened the door to a private room.
“You may enter, sir,” he said.
The door creaked as I stepped inside.
There sat the woman, smoking as before. Thick cigarette smoke curled around her, carrying a sharp scent that made my head spin.
Second-Class Scribe Lexa sighed when she saw me.
“So, you’ve come,” she muttered.
“It’s been a while.” I smirked and sat in the chair across from Lexa. Then I lit a cigarette and placed it between my lips.
Hiss.
“May I smoke?”
“...You’re already smoking.”
“At least mine isn’t laced with narcotics like yours, so don’t worry.”
“...Yes, do as you please.” Lexa sighed with hollow eyes.
Observing the state she was in, I began, “How much information has been gathered?”
“...You told us to make nightly reports, then disappeared like that. What exactly did you expect us to do?”
“That’s why I made this personal visit,” I retorted shamelessly, exhaling smoke.
Perhaps finding me exasperating, Lexa let out a long sigh and pulled a stack of documents from her drawer.
Thump.
“All of this is information about the Elder Council.”
“Quite a lot.”
“It’s several months’ worth of data. Originally, the financial records go back decades.”
“Hmm.”
I began reading through the materials Lexa had given me, one by one.
Rustle. Rustle. The sound of turning pages echoed through the private room.
...Not bad.
The materials Lexa had brought contained quite a lot of quality information.
It detailed the current Elder Council’s corruption and weaknesses, including some things I didn’t remember.
Particularly the High Elder. Information about this individual was recorded in considerable detail, most of it related to the Duchy of Artezia.
“You certainly are... capable.” I complimented Lexa while turning the pages.
But then, I tilted my head upon seeing one piece of information related to the High Elder.
“...Hmm?”
Why... was this connected to the High Elder?
This should have been information related to the Emperor.
Just in case, I asked Lexa. “Is this confirmed intel? This seems... like it should be Imperial intelligence.”
“Which one... Oh, you mean this?”
Lexa read the document I showed her and explained with her usual bored expression. “We verified it ourselves, and it was true. Quite unusual. Who would have thought the North had connections to the Imperial Family.”
...This was actually true?
If Lexa was confident enough to assert it, it had to be fact.
“...This could be useful.”
I carefully folded the document about the High Elder and tucked it into my jacket.
Someday, it would serve as an excellent card for pressuring the High Elder.