Let's Woo the Mother and Daughter of the Duke's Family
Let's Woo the Mother and Daughter of the Duke's Family
I somehow managed to get my hands on a grimoire containing the essence of the magic Mirea Denius had mastered, and it's already been two days since I started learning magic.
During that time, without any interference, I spent nearly 12 hours out of every 24 just immersed in magic, and I was already able to vaguely grasp what mana was.
"A power that is visible yet invisible, untouchable yet tangible, and capable of creating anything if you have the will."
Putting it into words makes me sound like some chuunibyou kid, and it's hard to understand, so to explain it as simply as possible, it's just transparent clay?
The conclusion Mirea, the Archmage, reached about what mana is, was that if you manipulate such things in your head like this and that, it becomes magic.
And I succeeded in perfectly understanding that theory.
'Hmm... am I simple-minded, or is Mirea's explanation just that perfect... that is the question.'
Anyway, having finished all my afternoon training, I realized that the confirmation of the Cheinders' illegal activities was almost complete.
I vaguely confirmed this through the situation in the Ducal House, where the atmosphere was changing little by little.
Then, I started organizing my plan to prepare for the next step.
"Well then, now I should probably strengthen the Ducal House's own military power, right?"
Some might ask what I, a mere commoner, could possibly do as a Duke of the Empire.
But, just in case of an unforeseen situation.
No, I knew that the original story contained the fact that the Denius Ducal House was defeated by the Marquess, so I absolutely had to reinforce our forces.
Of course, if you look at it simply with common sense, even if they are both top-tier nobles, a Duke should normally be superior in influence, power, wealth, and even military strength compared to a Marquess, whose basic rank is different.
However, this Denius Ducal House had a slightly unique structure according to the original setting.
You can tell just by looking at the current head, Mirea Denius, or her daughter, Rihel Denius.
The bloodline of this family was born with tremendous talent for magic for generations.
They became the Empire's greatest magic family, holding onto immense influence and power not through martial arts, but through the distribution of magic tools within the Empire and magic itself.
On the other hand, the Valetier Marquess of the West bordered five countries.
They were a practical, combat-hardened warlord family that had been fighting bloody territorial wars for hundreds of years.
Furthermore, the Marquess possessed military power on the level of a legion, with a whopping 40,000 troops, including 10,000 monster-like elite knights who could freely wield aura.
Considering that the total number of knights serving the Imperial family was 70,000, that's a truly absurd ratio.
In contrast, the knights currently stationed at the Denius Ducal House didn't even reach 10,000 if you scraped them all together, and the main force, the mages, amounted to a mere 3,000 or so.
The reason Denius collapsed so helplessly when the two forces engaged in an all-out war in the original story was precisely because of this overwhelming difference in troop numbers and the compatibility issue.
'Of course, if I manage to sweet-talk the villainesses well enough to keep them from tormenting the female lead, there wouldn't even be a reason to go to war with the Marquess in the first place.'
If that happens, one might wonder if there's a need to stir up trouble and build up military strength even while risking the Imperial family's displeasure.
But human emotions are not chess pieces that I can control perfectly at will.
Moreover, if I recall the clichés of the countless genre novels I read before possessing this body.
In this kind of worldview, there always exists the damn inevitability of the story.
It means that no matter how much I struggle to avoid the incident, the wheels of fate might turn forcibly, leaving the possibility of a war with the Marquess breaking out for some other excuse wide open.
'Therefore, to survive, I absolutely need insurance assuming the worst-case scenario.'
I pulled a large sheet of paper lying on the table and started scribbling with a quill.
First, I racked my brain to recall one by one how the Denius Ducal House was defeated by the Valetier Marquess in the original story, and which parts were particularly lacking tactically.
"The biggest problem was how to efficiently deploy the mages, right?"
The destructive power of the mages was certainly overwhelming, but they were too vulnerable without someone to protect them.
As soon as the Ducal House's knights, who were at a numerical disadvantage, couldn't stop the Marquess's 3,000 heavy cavalry and the defensive line was breached.
The mages in the rear lost the knights who were supposed to protect them and were slaughtered helplessly.
'Yeah, there was definitely a lack of solid tanks.'
Even so, increasing the number of knights in a short period, and to 40,000 at that, is impossible as it's a perfect setup to be accused of treason.
That means I need something to act as a sturdy defensive wall....
"Hmm."
While I was deep in thought, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
Once Mirea crushes the Cheinders family soon.
The massive iron mine they illegally owned would come into the Ducal House's hands through legal procedures.
Because there was a rule that the winner could take all spoils of war except for 10% in territorial wars conducted with the Imperial family's permission.
What if we combined that massive iron ore with Mirea's 6th-circle magic and the Ducal House's capital?
We could create a large-scale golem legion made of steel instead of people, or mass-produce and supply magic armor that could allow even a small number of knights to have the efficiency of one man against a thousand.
In short, what if I packaged the troop reinforcement as a new defense industry business model utilizing the Cheinders' iron mine and proposed it to Mirea?
And if I managed to pass her strict standards?
The Duke would take care of getting permission from the Imperial family on her own.
"Alright, I've got the plan roughly mapped out like this...."
I praised myself for having such an outstanding brain that I couldn't easily believe it myself, and tried to scan the plans written on the paper one last time as if organizing them.
At that moment, a small doubt that had been lingering in a corner of my mind raised its head.
'Come to think of it... it's been a long time since the letter was delivered to Princess Ilusia, right?'
Thanks to the Imperial Post Office's frustratingly fast processing, it was delivered directly to Mirea and Rihel on the same day, but.
I had sent a secret letter to the Princess through the Golden Hand, the continent's merchant giant.
Even if the information verification process was delayed, it was enough time for it to have arrived at the Imperial Palace by that day or the next.
But during the few days I had been staying at the Ducal House, not a single ant had come from the Imperial Palace, and I hadn't heard of any rumors or movements to track me down.
'Don't tell me... did that old man Pedger of the Golden Hand open my letter and dispose of it arbitrarily?'
Certainly, the possibility wasn't zero.
Pedger had sworn loyalty to the Princess for nearly 10 years, and Ilusia also trusted that old man more than her own family.
The reaction of a strict old man who opened the secret letter expecting it to contain the fatal weakness of Crown Prince Cherndea, only to find it filled with disgusting confession lines that would only appear in some third-rate romance novel, was obvious without even seeing it.
'He might have just ripped it up right there and thrown it into the fireplace, saying he couldn't possibly deliver such trashy nonsense to the noble Princess of the Empire, right?'
Yeah, that was a perfectly plausible inference.
No, I was desperately spinning my hope circuit, wishing that was the case.
Honestly speaking, just walking on thin ice while trying to please the terrifying villainess mother and daughter inside this Ducal House was making my blood run cold and my lifespan shorten day by day.
But if even the Princess, who will become the real ruler and the power of the Empire, comes looking for me, bringing up the love letter?
That would surely be a disaster on a scale that my measly three-inch tongue couldn't handle.
... Just imagining it makes me shudder.
"Hmm, hmm!! No news is good news. Surely the old man disposed of it on his own. Yeah, that must be it."
I nodded repeatedly, brainwashing myself as if to shake off the anxiety.
Please, let this sweet hope circuit of mine be reality!
Around 3 AM, when everyone in the Imperial Palace was asleep.
Princess Ilusia Rodpen was listening to the report from Kailok, the leader of Lunos, under the bright moonlight.
"So... you mean that after searching the entire city of Alden for five days, you found four men suspected of being the culprit?"
At her question, Kailok bowed his head quietly.
"Yes, Your Highness. All four were seen loitering near the Golden Hand branch and acting suspiciously. It has been confirmed that three of them left Alden two days ago, four days ago, and one day ago, respectively."
"Then what about the remaining one?"
"... That man is the most suspicious one. Six days ago, traces of him directly touching the Golden Hand's external request box were captured. He left Alden immediately after, and he has been identified as a commoner who is currently being chased by Gors' gang, the most notorious loan sharks in the area."
"A commoner chased by loan sharks...."
That means, a lowly rat who is only being chased by loan sharks in the back alleys.
Does that mean there's the highest possibility that he dared to toy with me, the Princess of the Empire?
"Then that man who even touched the request box must be that insolent sinner who dared to insult me. Why are you hesitating instead of catching him immediately and bringing him to my feet?"
Kailok, who hadn't moved a muscle at the Princess's question posed once again, shifted his body slightly.
As an excellent assassin and informant, he would normally have brought the guy's head before the order was even given.
But the current Kailok was hesitating, unable to even open his mouth in front of his master's anger.
Just as the Princess was about to open her mouth, questioning this.
Finally, very laboriously, he spoke first.
"That is... the final destination where the most likely suspect fled was confirmed to be Veldert, the capital of the Denius Duchy...."
"What did you say?"
At the mention of a completely unexpected place, Ilusia's brow furrowed slightly.
The Denius Ducal House.
A magic family with immense power and military strength that could compete with the Imperial family alone within the Empire.
Among them, the head, Mirea Denius, was a 6th-circle Archmage of the continent whom even the Emperor couldn't treat carelessly.
That meant that no matter how much Lunos was a secret shadow group that avoided the Emperor's eyes and ears.
It was nearly impossible to infiltrate the middle of Mirea Denius's front yard, cause a disturbance, and drag someone out.
Rather, if the tail was caught and it reached the Emperor's ears.
It was even a sensitive issue that could escalate beyond a simple disturbance into a huge political problem between the Imperial family and the Ducal House.
Therefore, Ilusia, who had perfectly grasped the whole situation, took her hand off the window frame she was holding and clicked her tongue shortly.
"Haa...."
A sigh mixed with heavy resignation.
I want to twist the guy's neck right now, but there's no room to poke the nose of the sleeping lion called Denius just because of one cheeky rat.
"I understand. Anyway, I'm planning to stay at the Imperial Academy for about three months in time for the upcoming semester, so I will check with Lady Rihel, who will be returning to school then, myself. You may return now."
"As you command."
Watching Kailok's figure slowly fade away like black mist, Ilusia turned her head again and looked down at the silent Imperial Palace garden outside the window.
In her blue eyes reflected in the glass window, anger and strange interest in the mysterious man were swirling together.
I wonder how long that audacious man who dared to crawl into the Denius territory will be able to keep his life.
"I hope I can face that shameless face as soon as possible."
She took her hand off the window frame, headed to the bed, and let out a chuckle.
"Besides, these days, I've been desperately needing a target to vent my anger on, which boils up every time I see the face of that incompetent Cherndea oppa."