They're All Clearly Crazy (1)
They're All Clearly Crazy (1)
The clumsy act had been a success.
As expected, Melina had mistaken the poor performance for "an attempt to hide the fact that she had regressed."
With this, even if Melina discovered that I knew the future, I would not be suspected, and at the same time, it had given Melina a reason to stay close to me.
'And she can't follow me when I leave the north, either.'
On the surface, we were unrelated strangers now. If I told her not to follow, Melina had no grounds to do so.
That day, one more bed appeared in Glacia's lair.
"Sleep well."
"...Okay."
The bright, gleaming gaze I felt from beside me made me lose several nights of sleep. I could honestly say it was lucky she hadn't invaded my bed.
In the end, Olivia, having spent the night wide awake, thought,
'I need to settle the titles first.'
For starters, "Master" was out of the question.
She was mulling over a suitable form of address when she abruptly realized that her surroundings had become far too quiet.
"...Hm?"
The beds were all empty. With a bewildered expression, Olivia stepped outside the lair.
"Again. Your mana is scattered."
"The most important element in lightning magic is speed. First, visualize lightning in your mind, and fire it exactly as you see it."
"Now, when one speaks of cold energy..."
Watching Melina instructing her disciples in the distance, Olivia let out a hollow laugh.
Well, from Melina's perspective, they were her grand-disciples.
She could not simply ignore them, no matter how hard she tried.
'...Hmm.'
Melina stood with her arms crossed, observing the disciples.
Talent or the lack of it did not matter. The single fact that they were Olivia's disciples was more than enough reason for them to receive instruction.
But still...
'To think she took a dragon as a disciple.'
Though the creature had only just shed its hatchling form, it was still a dragon.
'She really is my disciple.'
How on earth she had captured the heart of that proud race was nothing short of astonishing.
'I'm sure Olivia's generous heart won them over.'
It was obvious without even looking.
To be honest, except for the one named Aramis, the other children merely possessed talent on the level of an upper-ranking Tower Lord.
Of course, to anyone else's eyes, that would be overflowing talent, but Melina's standards were far higher than the world's.
However, Olivia's disciples were second to none in sheer tenacity alone.
So much so that one could mistakenly think she had selected them for their tenacity.
It was desperate. It looked less like training and more like actual combat. The murderous glint in their eyes was certainly not normal.
'As expected of Libi.'
To think her eye for people was this excellent.
"...What are you doing?"
"As you can see, I was instructing your disciples."
"Why?"
'Well, because they're my grand-disciples.'
Melina swallowed those words in her heart.
"If you dislike it, I shall stop."
"...I don't dislike it."
Watching Olivia pretend to be shy, her disciples furrowed their brows deeply.
"That, that goddamn..."
"Hsss."
"...?"
Melina tilted her head.
"Is something the matter?"
Instead of answering, the disciples only gulped. Olivia had lifted a finger and was drawing it across her throat.
"Ha, haha. It's nothing at all!"
"P-please, talk comfortably, both of you! We'll make ourselves scarce!"
"We'll be going nowwww!"
Olivia stared blankly at her disciples backpedaling away, then handed over potions.
Eighty of them, no less.
"M-Master? This is more than twice the usual amount..."
Instead of answering, Olivia smiled brightly. Then, at an angle Melina couldn't see, she mouthed silently,
'Twenty each. Do it or you're dead.'
The disciples' bodies trembled violently.
"...Yes."
The moment her disciples vanished over the hill, Olivia put on her clumsy expression again.
Melina did not notice.
*****
"So, have you found her?"
"...My apologies."
"I thought as much..."
The Emperor sighed softly and stroked his chin.
"Red Tower Lord."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"At this rate, a clash with the Eastern Coalition will become unavoidable."
Which meant your neck was first on the line.
A hidden blade lurked within the calm tone. Galdur could not bring himself to raise his head.
A month. It had not been a week but a full month since Melina had disappeared. Had the Eastern Coalition not quieted down for unknown reasons, they would have already been on a war footing and then some.
"Your Majesty, here are the results of the analysis of the Eastern Coalition's military strength."
"Anything of note?"
"Ashe Baltar is said to have descended from the Atila Mountains."
At Calliope's words, the Emperor's brow furrowed.
Ashe Baltar.
The world called him the Martial King. The very fact that he was called a king in a free city where money was status vouched for his martial power.
The free city of Mikavel was surrounded by the natural fortress of the Atila Mountains. It was not by chance that a basin lay in the middle of the mountains. Until fifty years ago, the site where Mikavel stood had been notorious for its rugged terrain.
That was, until Ashe Baltar pounded the mountains flat with his two fists.
The meaning of the self-proclaimed protector of Mikavel descending from the mountain was one thing.
It meant war had reached their doorstep.
"...What of Ikail's Wave Catcher?"
"She is not showing any particular movement."
"Ensure reports can be made at any time."
"Yes."
The Emperor could not take his eyes off the continental map. The recent continental situation had been unusual.
On all fronts except the north, that was.
'There wasn't a single sign.'
Just a few months ago, who could have predicted things would come to this?
'As if they had been waiting.'
The movements of the powerful figures representing each nation were abnormal.
The Dark Lord of the west was madly hoarding funds, while the south, once ruled by demons, was suspiciously quiet.
The east went without saying.
'...Is the north the only option?'
Literally, a wasteland with nothing. A land so barren that even barbarians had given up on living there.
The Emperor drew lines on the continental map. The east, the south, and the west as well.
A three-sided front.
If it came to that, the Empire would be swept up in the flames of war.
No matter how strong the greatest nation on the continent was, sustaining a three-sided front was impossible.
The one fortunate thing was that the Wood Demon Realm blocked the path between the Empire and the West.
'And the south still lacks the capacity.'
With demon servants strutting openly through the desert, they had no energy to spare for a conflict with the Empire.
Thus, only one path remained for the Empire. Before the situations in the south and west stabilized, they had to reach a settlement with the Eastern Coalition by any means.
Originally, they had considered all-out war, but without Melina, an all-out war would be far too costly.
If Ikail's Wave Catcher blockaded the port, seaborne supply would be impossible.
So they had to negotiate. They would have to cede some degree of control over eastern trade, but that was better than losing it entirely.
'At least Duke Kiel has returned, thank goodness.'
Kiel, who had come back from his wanderings, had entered secluded training. The reason was that his strength was insufficient.
When a knight declared that he would raise his level, what grounds could they possibly have had to stop him?
In practice, it was a loss of military strength, but it was still far better than not having him at all.
There was an enormous difference between expending thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers to stop Ashe Baltar and stopping him with Kiel alone.
The very fact that negotiations were possible now was thanks to Duke Kiel's presence.
"Red Tower Lord. I wish to settle this matter peacefully."
"You mean..."
"Go to the east as the head of the delegation. I will attach capable officials to you, so you need not worry."
"..."
Galdur pressed his lips tightly shut.
Had this been a diplomatic mission between normal horizontal relations, it would be one thing, but in the current situation, it was unmistakably the Empire going to bow its head.
The meaning of going as the head of such a delegation was clear.
'...You damned old man.'
Had the Gold Tower Lord been here, he would never have suffered such humiliation.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then you are dismissed."
The moment the doors closed, Galdur opened his mouth.
"...You truly haven't found her?"
"I don't know what you mean."
The face of Calliope as she said that was most certainly not the face of someone who knew nothing.
"How strange. Did I refuse to assist? Did I obstruct the search?"
She meant that he had no right to blame others when he himself had failed to find her due to his own incompetence.
"...You wretch!"
Mana flickered in Galdur's enraged hand. But Calliope did not so much as flinch.
"There are many eyes watching. If you wish to lose your temper, at least do so outside the Imperial Palace."
"...!"
Calliope ignored Galdur, who was trembling with fury, and walked away.
After leaving the Imperial Palace and walking for quite some time, Calliope leaned her back against a secluded alley.
'This incident will significantly diminish the mages' standing. That stupid old man.'
Could the head of the Second Prince Faction really be of any use if he fell for such a shallow provocation?
She understood why his judgment had clouded. He was about to take the blame for something he hadn't even done.
But that was none of Calliope's concern.
'Anyway, the north has been quiet lately as well.'
How shocked she had been when she heard that the eldest daughter of House Crouch, one of the Four Great Dukedoms, was a witch. Though the girl had fled beyond the border before the knight order could be dispatched, that hardly mattered.
After all, House Crouch had been part of the Second Prince Faction.
The moment they were branded with the infamy of having raised a witch, House Crouch was as good as ruined.
Perhaps thanks to having crushed one pillar of the Second Prince Faction, the Night Crows' standing had risen incomparably compared to before.
Perhaps because of that, Calliope's perception of Olivia had also changed.
She now saw her as a very useful witch, with room for coexistence.
- Tap!
Just as she was reviewing everything she had accomplished, a presence was felt at the end of the alley.
A masked figure in black robes knelt and spoke.
"Commander, I have the periodic report from the Holy Kingdom."
Calliope, after scanning her surroundings with Ki Sense and confirming that no one else was present, replied.
"Report."
"The final two Saintess candidates have been decided."
"...Two? Who was eliminated?"
"It is Saintess Candidate Rebekah."
Calliope frowned. Rebekah had been the most promising candidate. Both the quantity of her divine power and her achievements were on a level incomparable to the other candidates.
And yet she was eliminated?
"What is the reason?"
"That is... she voluntarily withdrew. She stated that she was not qualified to become the Saintess..."
Calliope's brow twisted viciously.
Had everyone collectively gone mad these days?