Windsor Knights Bankruptcy (3)
Liannen Empire, Imperial Palace.
Lydia stared blankly at the news that the Windsor Knights were on the brink of bankruptcy.
"......They blew through that massive budget in just a week?"
It was an astonishing feat—a 17-year-old girl had accomplished something unprecedented in Lydia's reign. Squandering an entire knight order's budget—especially the Windsor Knights'—in a single week was worthy of awe.
"Your Majesty, surely we should reclaim it."
Even Erterion, who was exceedingly favorable toward Sisilia, invoked the "this is too much" clause with his advice.
But Lydia slowly shook her head.
"......This is Sisilia's reward. I can't take away the compensation from a knight who returned victorious."
From the start, the Windsor Knights had always been a hotbed of troublemakers. Any knight with a normal personality who faced demons would have died long ago. Only the profoundly abnormal or the overwhelmingly powerful could survive in the Windsor Knights.
Jerryway was a prime example. A knight with records of drunken brawls, gambling, and even assaults. Yet he remained a full-fledged member of Windsor because his overwhelming value crushed all those sins.
Jerryway was one of the few knights who could instill fear in demons.
"Even if Sisilia killed a few innocent humans, I wouldn't hold her accountable. ......This is the same. The value she's brought to Liannen can't be measured by any treasure."
"That's true, but—do you have a plan? If the Windsor Knights go bankrupt, it won't end with minor chaos."
"......I have a plan."
Lydia clutched the tiara atop her head, her hands trembling.
"Wh-what if we sell this?"
For reference, even the clothes Lydia wore now were quite shabby. She had been scrimping on her own attire and meals to prepare for any contingency.
Erterion wiped away a tear.
The empire was becoming the poorest in the world.
"Your Majesty's sacrifice—I, Erterion, will never forget it."
"......If you're my guardian knight, at least pretend to stop me."
"But there's no other way, is there?"
Lydia suddenly had a bright idea and grinned awkwardly.
"You, go hit the gambling tables. With your blessing, it'd be a sure win every time."
"Telling your guardian knight to go gamble makes you the worse one, Your Majesty!"
After a brief commotion, Lydia sighed and sat at her desk in the office.
Though she spoke that way, the imperial family wasn't that destitute. Especially now, with the massive reward from the empire incoming.
......Of course, it was all about to slip away.
"......She knows there's no such thing as a free lunch, right, our little Sis?"
But it wasn't just a loss. In exchange for clearing all of the Windsor Knights' debts—
The Imperial Family shall settle all debts of the Windsor Knights. In return, command authority over Windsor Knights Vice-Captain Sisilia Windsor is delegated to the Imperial Family.
Of course, Lydia could already issue commands to Sisilia. But if Captain Edward invoked his veto, even an imperial decree could be blocked.
This contract sealed that loophole.
Just as Lydia was about to stamp the seal—
"......Huh?"
She froze. Lifting her head, an intense instinct hit her.
The instinct that she must not stamp this seal.
......It was different from five seconds ago.
Moments earlier, stamping the seal hadn't triggered any foreboding.
Which meant—
"......Sisilia, you're scheming something again."
For some reason feeling uneasy, Lydia glanced out the window.
**
"Including Sisilia's emergency pocket money just in case, we've scraped together about 13,000 gold remaining."
Beatrice and Edward were pooling funds to avert the knight order's bankruptcy. Fortunately, most of it came from Chiron's willingness to cover it, saving the day.
Beatrice let out a sigh of relief. She'd truly thought it was over.
"This should be safe. With 13,000 gold and the Windsor Knights' credit, we can borrow from other nobles."
"......That's the problem."
But things weren't that simple.
Edward fixed Beatrice with a murderous glare.
"The rumors have spread."
"Rumors?"
"That since Sisilia's handling finances, the Windsor Knights will go bankrupt soon."
Beatrice fell silent for a long moment before asking again.
"......You're joking, right?"
"Unfortunately, it's becoming reality. Right now, no noble will lend to the Windsor Knights."
But it was strange. That Sisilia was a few screws loose was internal knowledge to the Windsor Knights.
To the outside, she was known as a diligent vice-captain. So Edward suspected foul play.
"This sequence of events might be a plot by nobles to bankrupt us."
"......!"
"If so, it's the worst case. Even scraping 13,000 gold won't help if they demand more."
Beatrice stammered in panic.
"Wh-why would they do that? Bankruptcy helps no one."
"......To saddle the knight order with debt."
If bankruptcy pushed them to the brink of dissolution, nobles would step in with "generous" aid.
Of course, it wouldn't be free. They'd make demands, and the Windsor Knights couldn't refuse.
For the first time, the order might move for private noble interests.
"Th-then request aid from the palace! Her Majesty will surely help!"
"No."
Edward cut her off firmly.
"The palace won't give money for free. They'd use it to strip our authority."
He knew his mother Lydia's mind better than anyone—her eagerness to make excessive demands on the Windsor Knights, especially Sisilia.
Edward smirked faintly.
"And this news has surely reached the palace. No movement means one thing: they won't help. Whatever the reason, it's for the best."
Edward stood.
Preparing to head out, he told Beatrice,
"Cover the rest by selling Sisilia's vast weapon collection. If she has any shred of humanity left, she'll cough it up."
"Vast weapons? ......Did she have those?"
Smoothing his clothes, Edward sighed.
"Despite appearances, Sisilia's a knight with over ten years of achievements. Where do you think all those incentives went?"
"......Cakes?"
"......Collecting expensive weapons is her long-time hobby. She's taken a few from me too—some worth thousands of gold."
Once ready, Edward asked,
"Adjutant Beatrice. Where's Sisilia now?"
"......"
Beatrice sweated profusely.
"S-Sisilia went to make...... dragon merch."
"......"
Edward had reached enlightenment. But a thought crossed his mind.
'With what money? Beatrice's holding her pocket money.'
"N-no way."
Right then, the door burst open. An officer.
"Captain! Disaster! Vice-Captain Sisilia took tens of thousands of gold to start a merchant guild for dragon merch!"
Beatrice gulped, glancing at Edward. Unlike his darkening face, the air around was heating up.
"C-Captain. It's h-hot."
Just as Edward's rage targeted Sisilia—
Someone else entered. Edward's adjutant.
"Captain! Emergency!"
"What now!"
"A dragon......"
"Damn it all! Why is she so obsessed with that dragon merch!"
"N-no!"
The adjutant was flustered too. It was an impossible event.
Because—
"It's not merch—a real dragon fossil was found. And it's incredibly fresh, like it died just moments ago—"
**
The massive rumor of a dragon discovery rocked Terezia.
"N-no way."
"Dragons are just fairy tales, right?"
Dragon.
A story from ancient lore, like something out of a picture book.
Hard to believe it was real—but impossible to deny.
Anyone in the slums could see it.
"Pull it up carefully!"
"Don't drop a single scale!"
It started around 2 PM. A magic stone excavation team, depressed from failure, got advice from Windsor Knights Vice-Captain Sisilia Windsor: "What if we dig a bit more?"
Orders from above—they dug deeper.
"M-my god! Guys! There's something here!"
3 PM. What seemed like wings of some creature found.
4 PM. Judging by appearance, possibly a dragon.
5 PM. Mages dispatched urgently from the Magic Tower. Investigation: Likely crashed underground due to failed teleport coordinates. Protected by barrier magic, preserving the body—but suffocated to death.
Confirmed: A dragon.
"......This thing actually exists?"
Edward gaped at the majestic dragon corpse, speechless for a long time.
"Heh, I didn't believe it at first either. But see that massive barrier? The intricate magic structure persisting after the user's death. No human could craft this—it's from a superior being."
Magic Tower Lord Rieman smacked his lips.
"If only it belonged to the Tower."
"......Who owns it?"
"Obviously—the Windsor Knights. Didn't you hear the rumors they'd finally lost it?"
Rieman shook his head.
The Windsor Knights suddenly digging a huge hole in the slums was absurd beyond belief. Their contract was so sloppy—no standard clause like "yield X% on discoveries"—they even paid massive gold upfront.
Nobles had mocked their foolishness.
Who'd have thought it'd pay off like this.
"No ownership disputes expected. Unless someone seizes it by force—and no group in this country could subdue the Windsor Knights anyway."
"......"
-I'm making dragon merch.
-You know? Dragons actually exist.
Dragon merch wasn't the issue. Discovering a dragon no one knew existed was beyond petty concerns.
"......Just to ask—what's its value in gold?"
"Heh, valuing a dragon in coin is folly. But if pressed—hundreds of millions?"
"!"
"No group could pay upfront, so installments. Heh, your budget worries are over."
Edward clutched his forehead, staggering. The shock was too much to walk straight.
Then, something bizarre appeared before him.
"Dragon plushies for sale. 30 gold each. Oh, wind versions are 100 gold—'cause my blessing's infused."
Sisilia had set up a shabby stall before the colossal dragon corpse, hawking dolls. A long line of customers snaked ahead.
A vice-captain selling plushies was one thing—but people buying junk at mansion prices? Absurd.
"Haha."
Edward just laughed.
"......The world must be deceiving me."
And the scriptwriter was undoubtedly Sisilia.