The Duke's Sly Smile (Part 4)

p>“Silly fool.”

p>Francis, Duke of Riberdale, gave a single remark while looking at the trembling candidate lineup still left.

p>His expression was one of understanding, yet his tone was dripping with mockery.

p>He had once been someone who tried to harm Ibril.

p>But back then, it was before the trial began, and she hadn’t even been officially named a candidate.

p>Once the Saintess candidate was decided and the trial commenced, the church would have no choice but to intervene.

p>They would need the Mirror of Truth.

p>How could someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that, a commoner girl, be standing here with the ruling powers?

p>As a duke, it was incomprehensible to him.

p>“From the Prius Republic, Prime Minister Trino Aust and Saintess candidate Miss Miel Aust.

p>They are present.”

p>The candidate hailed from the Prius Republic, which was currently in turmoil due to the war with the Brigham Empire.

p>“Not coming out?

p>Then we may consider the two of you the culprits?”

p>Miel Aust ranked sixth in the Saintess candidate standings, trailing closely behind the leaders.

p>Despite her being pointed out as the culprit, no one pitied her or stepped forward.

p>It was only natural.

p>After all, without the support of eight billion people in a powerful nation like the Prius Republic, she wouldn’t even be eligible to stand here.

p>She was neither elegant nor compassionate.

p>She didn’t possess the holy power that Ibril or Judy Esther had.

p>In fact, her father was the epitome of a corrupt politician.

p>Most people simply couldn’t understand why she ranked so high.

p>“No.

p>We aren’t.”

p>They weren’t even fools.

p>To their claims of innocence, sympathy was out of the question.

p>All they got was cold shoulders.

p>“This is your final warning.

p>Step before the Mirror of Truth.”

p>“I… I…”

p>“You don’t want to?

p>Too bad.”

p>A full of tension, the Saint and the knights, Adrian, let out a sigh and removed his hands from his weapons.

p>Unlike Francis, Prime Minister Aust had nothing left but politics.

p>“I hereby arrest the two of you on charges of kidnapping and attempted murder of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Saintess candidate Ibril Barnet!”

p>With the declaration of the Saintess, the two were surrounded by the knights.

p>It was a comedic ending that would leave the church leadership, Adrian, and the world watching the trial utterly bewildered.

p>* * *

p>“What a delightful windfall.”

p>Francis Duke approached me with a satisfied but displeased expression and spoke.

p>“I see.

p>Congratulations.

p>The Prius Republic’s government will be shaken greatly by this.”

p>Attempting murder during the Saintess trial was an undeniable act of betrayal.

p>Prime Minister Aust and his daughter had participated in the Saintess trial on behalf of the republic.

p>It would be impossible to avoid public backlash.

p>Even if the Prius Republic had a different political system, it still believed in the Sepia Church.

p>“Surprising.

p>You were supposed to hate it?”

p>“What I hate is the duke, not the Brigham Empire.

p>Among mages, almost none hate the Brigham Empire.”

p>“Is that so?”

p>I had no need to explain why I hated him.

p>The reason was obvious.

p>He flashed a smile that seemed pleased and said,

p>“We think alike.

p>I don’t hate the Lheinhatz Kingdom either.

p>I merely find you quite bothersome.”

p>As a duke of the Brigham Empire, he had probably never seen someone like me charge in fearlessly.

p>It was natural for him to feel unpleasant.

p>But it didn’t matter.

p>After all, our gap was one he couldn’t bridge.

p>With that, he turned his back and left the arena.

p>But.

p>“Nice to see you again.”

p>For some reason, Duchess Evelyn blew a kiss in my direction.

p>What?

p>Why is she doing that?

p>I glanced at Arsia beside me.

p>She gave an extremely serious expression and said,

p>“Isn’t that a declaration of war?”

p>“Why?”

p>“It looks like she’s challenging you to a fight.”

p>Arsia sometimes said strange things.

p>As a homunculus, she was only one year old, so she had a childlike side to her thinking.

p>“Is Miss Ibril able to participate in the trial right away?”

p>At that moment, the Saintess asked me from behind, and I wondered when she had approached.

p>Thankfully, Ibril had been drugged, so she didn’t remember the kidnapping process accurately.

p>Even that they had tried to kill her.

p>Thanks to that, Ibril’s psychological trauma was minimal.

p>‘The lord saved me.

p>It’s over.’

p>And the kidnapping incident only increased her trust in me.

p>With my current orders, she would probably charge into flames if there was a reason.

p>“No problem.”

p>“Good.

p>She can rest assured.”

p>She swept her chest and asked for my permission.

p>“We will handle the culprit.

p>Please understand.”

p>“Since the republic’s prime minister is too large a target for me to deal with anyway.

p>Punish them thoroughly.”

p>“Of course.”

p>This incident was an unexpected gain for the Brigham Empire while they were at war with the Prius Republic.

p>But it would serve as an opportunity for the people I know.

p>Namely, the revolutionary forces of the republic.

p>It was their immediate task to amplify the public’s distrust of the corrupt government.

p>* * *

p>[Prime Minister Aust’s betrayal act, which ignited the public’s anger over the war.]

p>[The government attempted to control the media to block information, but it began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to spread rapidly through online diaries (SNS).]

p>[Is it getting old to make people fools with press plays?

p>Small media companies using online diaries have emerged within the Prius Republic, and the number of users for independent media has exploded.]

p>[While forcing donations for the war, the wealthy companies and politicians are washing their mouths clean.]

p>[Rumors that Lucas the Archduke’s Lucky Encounter Holder, Louis Fairmont, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on ladies at a bar in the capital in one day.

p>Is the person who forced donations on the people this kind of betrayal?]

p>[The appearance of activists fighting against corruption.]

p>I once again felt the great power of the Sepia Church.

p>Until now, no matter what corruption politicians committed, the public, who seemed to have melted brains from press plays, reacted vehemently to what happened at the Saintess trial.

p>It seems the old saying that religious beliefs are scarier than political ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ones isn’t unfounded.

p>“It seems the revolutionary forces are doing well.”

p>I was cleverly linking this incident to the government, politicians, and corporate corruption to amplify the situation.

p>It was highly organized and meticulous.

p>The activists had begun to awaken the apathetic public to corruption.

p>Their efforts led to the spread of protest movements.

p>Of course, it was still hard to say they held a majority in the entire country.

p>But cracks had appeared where none existed.

p>If they wanted to change the country, the revolutionary forces had to ride this momentum.

p>A democratic nation dismissed by a feudal country.

p>How terrifying.

p>I was firmly on the side of cheering for the revolutionary forces of the Prius Republic.

p>“What are you so happy about?”

p>“Your Highness.”

p>Sitting in the reception room reading the news on the terminal, I stood up immediately at the heavy voice and bowed my head.

p>“Long time no see, Duke Lawrence.”

p>“I committed a rudeness before.”

p>“It’s fine.

p>It’s a past event already.”

p>When I looked up, what I saw was none other than King Calitz Van Reinharts of the Lheinhatz Kingdom.

p>Beside him were Mihael, the crown prince, and Luke, the second prince, who were splitting the kingdom’s power.

p>After greeting the king, I also greeted the two princes.

p>I sat facing the three of them.

p>Next to me was the deputy tower lord of the Lawrence Tower, formed by merging the five companies I had acquired after becoming a lord.

p>The magic tower, artifact manufacturing plant, steel company, and military supply company.

p>His expression was tense.

p>The market capitalization of the five companies was only around 5 trillion.

p>But as the magic tower lord who had dominated the military-type magic tower, the market capitalization had nearly doubled.

p>The market called it a bubble, but that would be old news soon.

p>“So, what’s the matter?”

p>“I requested an audience with Your Highness today to obtain permission for this matter.”

p>I handed him the holographic document.

p>A neatly organized plan appeared.

p>[Lawrence Tower Vanguard Force Equipment Production and Distribution Plan]

p>“What?”

p>The king and the two princes looked surprised.

p>Especially Prince Luke.

p>His expression was one of why didn’t you consult us beforehand.

p>But I bowed my head with a sorry expression.

p>I’m sorry, but as allies, you should at least give some notice for such a plan.

p>By the way, I had given a slight hint to the crown prince.

p>It seemed he hadn’t expected it to start so quickly.

p>“Seeing you pull out plans like this means the product is already complete, right?”

p>As expected, the king, who couldn’t ignore political savvy, smoothly managed his emotions and asked.

p>I immediately took out the Vanguard equipment from the spatial pocket.

p>It was the prototype Force Armor made by the project team according to my design.

p>“It looks quite comfortable.

p>Quite plausible.”

p>In the Vanguard’s Force Armor, the Force Sword was no different from a normal sword.

p>But the Force Armor took the form of a breastplate in standby mode.

p>When fully armed, it wrapped the entire body like a superhero movie’s Iron Suit.

p>Here, the technical prowess of each magic tower was on display.

p>Fully armed forms were almost the same, but the smaller the breastplate in standby mode, the easier it was for knights to infiltrate enemy lines or conduct stealth activities.

p>In that regard, the equipment I took out was extremely compact.

p>Only the chest and back were covered in metal, with the sides and shoulders hollow.

p>That was why the king gave a positive reaction.

p>“The problem is performance, isn’t it?”

p>“Your Highness, can you lend me one of your knights for a moment?”

p>At my request, the king waved his hand and summoned a royal guard.

p>Since he had listened to our conversation, he immediately put on the Force Armor I handed over.

p>The process was quite brief, which showed he had considered the knights’ convenience.

p>“Then I shall arm it.”

p>The king nodded at the royal guard’s words.

p>Soon, the metal began to cover the entire body with the unique light of the Force Armor.

p>“Oh?”

p>It worked without a hitch.

p>Moreover, the design after wearing it was quite stylish.

p>“It seems you’ve shaped a black panther.”

p>“Correct.”

p>A Force Converter that emitted blue light was installed on the chest, embodying the black panther from superhero movies.

p>Earthlings would see it as a Black X+ X-Man hybrid.

p>But if it was a hybrid, so what?

p>If it was cool, then it was cool.

p>The two princes and the king showed great interest in the Force Armor, which had a fluid curve design.

p>“How does it move?”

p>[It’s quite comfortable.

p>It has simple internal UI for communication, exploration, and long-range vision as well.]

p>“How is the output?”

p>[It seems almost identical to the second-generation model from the royal magic tower.

p>I don’t feel much difference.

p>The output of the Force Converter also feels stable.]

p>“Good.

p>That’s enough.

p>Disable it.”

p>[Yes.]

p>Next, after the royal guard deactivated the equipment, the king honestly asked for his impression.

p>“I was surprised.

p>If I were in the position of directly purchasing Force Equipment at the same price, I would prefer this model.

p>It’s a bit more flexible, and easy to move even in standby mode.”

p>As expected, the evaluation of someone who had experienced everything directly was accurate.

p>I nodded in satisfaction.

p>The king expressed surprise frankly.

p>“With the performance of this prototype Force Equipment being this good, how is that possible?”

p>At the king’s question, I used my all-purpose cheat.

p>“My teacher is the Riberdale Duchess.”

p>“You mean the knowledge of the Riberdale Tower?”

p>“Correct.

p>If Duchess Olivia Riberdale knew, she wouldn’t be happy about it.”

p>The Riberdale Tower was one of the three largest magic towers in the world.

p>From civilian flying cars to military Force Equipment and Sky Fortresses.

p>There was nothing they couldn’t make.

p>The king nodded in understanding.

p>Soon, he fell into thought.

p>I watched the prince examine the prototype with curiosity and said,

p>“If mass production begins, the performance will be slightly lower than this prototype.

p>So, it can be considered a very special product.”

p>“Is that so?”

p>“That’s why I want to present this product as a treasure of the kingdom and a gift to Crown Prince Luke.

p>Will you accept it?”

p>I was about to be whiny like a child again.

p>To appease him a little later, I quickly greased him and handed over the Force Equipment.

p>“Haha! I won’t refuse!

p>The wild design is quite to my liking!”

p>At my words, the prince laughed boisterously as if he hadn’t been displeased at all.

p>He quickly took the Force Equipment.

p>Next, the king asked me.

p>“The mass-produced version will have lower performance?”

p>“Yes.

p>I think it will have about 5% lower performance compared to the products currently being produced by the Royal Magic Tower.”

p>I knew what he was worried about.

p>If I suddenly sold high-performance Force Equipment, the market position of the Royal Magic Tower would be shaken.

p>In that regard, a 5% performance difference was not a bad compromise.

p>“Price?”

p>“Since the performance is lower, it should be a bit cheaper.

p>I plan to sell it at a price that matches the performance exactly.”

p>Selling 5% cheaper than the market price of general Force Equipment because the performance is 5% lower?

p>That didn’t even register.

p>In the defense weapons market, people poured in huge sums for a 1-2% performance improvement or slight convenience.

p>The king judged that if the performance was 5% lower, it should be sold at 10% cheaper to appeal to customers.

p>“Then, if you promise to maintain a price within 5% of the Royal Magic Tower’s Force Equipment, I will accept your request and permit the sale of Force Equipment.”

p>I let out a low laugh inwardly.

p>On the surface, I bowed with an expression of extreme gratitude.

p>With this, the Lawrence Duke family’s purse strings were secured.