Chapter 263: Sign it! The World Tree is... (1)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 263: Sign it! The World Tree is... (1)[R-18]
A few days later, in Laplace’s private imperial quarters.
“....”
“....”
“....”
Fine black tea sat atop the marble table, but neither Evelyn, Estelle, nor Laplace reached for their cups.
Creeeeak—
With the heavy sound of the door swinging open, the final guest finally made her appearance.
“...You’re late, Helen,” Laplace said from the head of the table, her voice cold.
“Ah~ yes, I’m a bit late. My apologies.”
Helen shrugged, her face showing not a hint of remorse as she took an empty seat.
“I had a lot on my plate. I didn't expect to suddenly be stuck with that... I mean, ‘Hayangi.’ Anyway, Yuris and Poporing are looking after her in the salon... So, is this everyone?”
“....”
Laplace’s expression stiffened for a moment at the casual mention of the name ‘Hayangi.’
The terror of the ‘White Husk’—a fear she had forcibly suppressed through her faith in Ian—seemed to rear its head again just by hearing that name.
“Right. It would have been better if Yuris could have joined us, but... it can’t be helped, since those two are the least affected by ‘Hayangi’ among us.”
Conversely, the one most strongly affected was Laplace herself.
“To be precise, Poporing is the one who’s less affected. Yuris is just repeatedly casting ‘Healing’ and ‘Purification’ on herself before she loses her mind. So...”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Helen tapped her finger lightly against the table and spoke.
“What brings the Second Imperial Princess to gather us all like this?”
“What else could it be? It’s because of Ian and Elfriede.”
“Wasn't that discussion already over? The man already left for Elvenheim with Elfriede,” Helen said, looking puzzled.
“Yes. To burn down the World Tree.”
“....”
“....”
“....”
A suffocating silence descended at Laplace’s words.
It was all too easy to predict the consequences of burning down the World Tree.
“First, let’s discuss the possibility of the mission's failure. Ian’s course of action is simple. He is to deny any relationship with Elfriede and escape. Elfriede has already agreed to take sole responsibility for the arson. And... those of us remaining here will send a rescue team for Ian while simultaneously ‘disposing’ of Hayangi, whose chances of recovery will have vanished.”
“Ha! As if. There’s no way that man would run away alone just because he failed.”
“...Yeah, absolutely not.”
Helen snorted, and Estelle nodded in agreement.
They couldn't even imagine Ian abandoning Elfriede to save his own skin.
If anything, he would stay there with her and...
Just as a gloomy atmosphere was about to settle over the room once more—
Slam—!
“Tsk! We already knew we’d be fucked if they failed, didn't we? We agreed to save Ian by any means necessary if that happens. So let’s just focus on what happens if they succeed. Isn't that why you called us here, Princess?”
At Evelyn’s blunt question, Laplace answered.
“Correct. Elfriede burns the World Tree as planned and crosses the imperial border with Ian. If they succeed... the moment she enters, Elfriede will apply for naturalization. I, who will be ‘coincidentally’ staying near the border, will grant immediate approval and accept her as a citizen of the Empire. That is my proposal.”
“...Isn't that just a transparent trick? The elves aren't idiots; do you think they’ll just stop because of that?”
“They likely will. If the mission succeeds, the World Tree will have lost its power and become nothing more than a large tree. It’s safe to assume Elvenheim’s military strength will drop by more than half. They were already lagging behind the Empire; they won't dare provoke us in that state.”
“...Then wouldn't it be fine even without the naturalization? You said they can't provoke the Empire anyway,” Estelle asked cautiously.
Laplace shook her head.
“The one they can't attack is the ‘Empire,’ not a ‘lone elf.’ Elves attacking an imperial citizen inside the Empire is a completely different matter from them attacking a runaway kin. Furthermore, the Empire and Elvenheim have an extradition treaty. If the elves were to somehow seize Elfriede, there would be no legal way to stop them under imperial law.”
“So, in the end, naturalizing Elfriede is the only solution.”
Having said that, Laplace pressed the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache.
“Yes. However, Evelyn... the problem is that under current imperial law, I cannot authorize Elfriede’s naturalization.”
“Why not? It’s not like she lacks talent; she’s a girl who commands the Four Great High Spirits. There’s more than enough justification to accept her application.”
“Because imperial law does not permit the naturalization of criminals. We cannot accept a high traitor guilty of arson against the World Tree.”
“...Then, what if we just pretend we don't know about the crime and accept her?”
“That is also impossible. No matter how fast Ian and Elfriede return, they won't be faster than information. It’s not something that can be hidden, so Elvenheim will likely send an official dispatch to the Empire first.”
“Wait, then can't we just accept her now, while she isn't a criminal?”
“That’s also pointless. Under current law, naturalization is revoked if a serious crime committed prior is discovered within ten years, or if a new serious crime is committed.”
“...That’s damn picky. So you’re saying this won't work, that won't work, and there’s just no way.”
“Correct. As the law stands, there is no way for Elfriede to naturalize.”
“...Then what are we even doing here? This was your own proposal, Princess.”
At Evelyn’s grumbling, Laplace’s eyes narrowed.
“Therefore, if the law is the problem, we must change the law.”
“Hmm... So that’s why you called us. Because of the upcoming ‘100-Man Council’?”
“Exactly, Helen. You’re quick on the uptake.”
“Reading the flow is my specialty, after all.”
The 100-Man Council.
A gathering of one hundred nobles who decided the major affairs of the Empire.
The reason the Three Primary Colors Families received such exceptional treatment was precisely because they shared the seats of this council with the Imperial Family.
“Currently, the seats in the 100-Man Council are distributed as follows: Blue Tulip has 41 seats, the Mapleflower Imperial Family has 24, Yellow Pansy has 20, and Red Rose has 15.”
“What? Red Rose has the fewest?”
At Evelyn’s remark, Helen clicked her tongue.
“Tsk, we couldn't help it because Blue Tulip kept checking us. Politics is Blue Tulip’s stage to begin with! Getting fifteen seats was an achievement in itself, okay?”
Red Rose had tried numerous methods to secure even one more seat...
But the laws related to the 100-Man Council were intricately woven like a spiderweb—touching one would trigger another—making it impossible to move easily unless one intended to cut them all at once.
“To amend a law in the 100-Man Council, a majority vote is required.”
“...Even if we combine the Imperial Family and Red Rose, that’s only 39 seats. It doesn't even match Blue Tulip’s numbers. In the end, it means we have to persuade either Yellow Pansy or Blue Tulip,” Estelle summarized calmly.
Helen toyed with her lips as she spoke.
“Isn't the First Princess’s husband the second son of Blue Tulip? Can't we get something done through pillow talk?”
“...Blue Tulip is a family that rose to the rank of the Three Primary Colors through politics alone. And Solif, the head of Blue Tulip, is a man who seized his position through political maneuvering even within such a family. Do you think he would even blink at a request from a brother that offers no profit?”
“...Tsk, if he’s a wolf, I suppose not. Then again, considering how much Blue Tulip has extorted from Red Rose every time they lent us a single council seat, there’s no way they’d do it for free.”
“What about Yellow Pansy?”
“...Yellow Pansy has always been neutral. Especially regarding diplomatic issues like this.”
The Yellow Pansy Family.
They were not as wealthy as Red Rose, nor as politically adept as Blue Tulip.
However, as the oldest of the Three Primary Colors Families, they possessed immense legitimacy and held a vast territory located far from the Imperial Family.
In fact, they were so independent that they could be considered a separate country within the Empire, save for the lack of a standing army.
Their attitude was always consistent:
Yellow Pansy will not interfere with the Empire, so the Empire must not interfere with Yellow Pansy.
“...Persuading either side seems difficult,” Estelle said with a hint of bitterness.
Perhaps it would have been different during the heyday of the Black Dahlia family, when they were treated as just below the Three Primary Colors...
But now, they were merely a family with a name and a bit of wealth left.
If there was anything someone like her could do...
It would be to be the first to get her hands dirty when the worst-case scenario arrived.
“Princess. You have to pick one so I can at least try something. Trying to grab both will result in nothing. Besides, I’m already out of money from the reinforcement work on the room protecting ‘Hayangi’ in the salon basement,” Helen complained.
Her claim of being broke wasn't a lie.
She was currently pouring massive donations into the Church to rent sacred relics, forcibly suppressing the ‘Malevolence’ radiating from the girl.
Additionally, Nine Tail—who was absent from the meeting—had drastically increased her activity, specifically plundering treasures with ‘Sealing’ and ‘Purification’ abilities.
“What’s there to think about? We just do both. You try to persuade Blue Tulip. I’ll try to persuade Yellow Pansy. We only need one of them to bite.”
“...Oh? You’re stepping up, Evelyn? That’s unexpected.”
Helen’s eyes widened in surprise at Evelyn’s words.
“Hmph! What’s so unexpected about it?”
“Honestly, I thought you’d be the most against this. All you’ve been pushing lately is the childhood friend angle... Since you’ve suddenly become a ‘childhood friend pretender,’ I thought you wouldn't be able to stand it and would shout something like, ‘We have to get rid of Hayangi right now!! Then Ian will come back!’”
“Fuck!! Who are you calling a childhood friend pretender!?! I’m a real childhood friend too! No! If anything, I’m the real one and Hayangi is the pretender!! I’ve known Ian longer than she has! I’ve known him the longest!!”
Evelyn jumped to her feet, gritted her teeth, and crossed her arms.
“Fine! Yeah! Honestly, I hate it! I hate that the number of women around Ian keeps growing! I hate that that idiot gets hurt because of women other than me! I hate that there’s some ch-childhood friend he met before me! I hate all of it! But...”
Recalling Ian’s face, Evelyn continued with a small smile.
“...I’ve never fallen for a man who stands still because he’s afraid.”
Just like the Ian of that day, who had risked his life to save her during the fire at the Marigold residence.
Evelyn had fallen for the Ian who could stake everything for someone else.