Return
Return
A vintage building in the Empire.
As always, a white bird flew into the office deep inside the building.
The master of the office retrieved the note from the bird's leg and read it. In the end, he frowned.
"To think things would go so terribly wrong..."
The personnel who had attempted to kidnap the Grand Archduchess had been completely wiped out, and the Organization's leaders stationed in the Duchy had all been arrested. It was difficult to even call it an organization anymore.
They had tried to exert pressure using the name of the Tsar Empire, but according to the message that had just arrived, Grand Prince Julian seemed to be ignoring it completely.
The Chief Steward, who had read the note handed to him, also sighed.
"The entire contact network in the Duchy has been ruined. If we can't get them out of prison, it'll be difficult to keep Grand Prince Julian under our control for quite some time."
"At this rate, we have to assume we won't be able to get them out for a long time. The line in the Duchy is important, so staging a jailbreak would be absurd."
In the end, they had no choice but to take their time and secure their proper release.
"More than half of the Kingdom's line is ruined, and now it's the Duchy... How does everything keep getting tangled up over there?"
Was it because the Prophet could no longer see the future of the Kingdom, or had it started about ten years ago, when her foresight began to go awry?
The plans carried out in the Empire and other countries had encountered minor issues, but so far, they had all been fulfilled according to the prophecy.
But in the Carlos Kingdom, whose future could no longer be seen, all the prepared plans had gone awry, and the established organizations had been ruined.
And now, on top of that, the Duchy.
"Should we redirect personnel from other branches to the Duchy?"
He shook his head at the Chief Steward's words.
"No, the other places are important too. We can't pour more resources into a ruined place unless we're fools."
Both the Kingdom and the Duchy had seen their established organizations and information networks ruined. To rebuild them, they might have to start over from scratch.
They couldn't send members from other well-functioning areas to a place where they didn't even know what would happen next.
"Furthermore, this matter going wrong has become a headache for the Empire, too."
Complaints were arising even within the Empire because of this incident. Those who didn't know much about the Organization were also criticizing him for overstepping his authority.
"Well, compared to the Duchy and the Carlos Kingdom, it's not a big deal."
The imperial palace Chief Steward agreed with him.
Even without the Organization, there were few in the Empire who could lay a hand on his master.
But the imperial palace Chief Steward was worried about another issue.
"More than that, how is the Prophet..."
"As always, she's entered another period of fasting and prayer."
At his words, the Chief Steward sighed again.
"The Prophet must know this isn't something that can be solved with prayer. Her ability was inherited, not bestowed by a god, wasn't it?"
At the Chief Steward's words, he replied in a slightly mocking tone.
"When the future that used to be visible can no longer be seen, and there's no way to fix it, in the end, one has no choice but to beg even a god."
"But it's not as though everything is invisible, is it? It's just one Kingdom—no, the Duchy too—that's invisible."
Although only the Carlos Kingdom was invisible, it wasn't a situation they could dismiss as just one Kingdom.
He replied with a serious expression.
"For now, it's only the Carlos Kingdom and the Julian Duchy, but we don't know how many more regions will become invisible. And even now, the foresight seems to be wavering when it comes to matters involving the Kingdom and the Duchy..."
The phenomenon of the prophecy constantly changing, which had occurred in the Carlos Kingdom a few years ago, was now happening little by little in other places as well.
It was related to the Kingdom and the Duchy, and fortunately, they could manage it well enough for now. But there was no guarantee it would stay that way forever.
"To be honest, I don't think the Prophet is the problem..."
The Organization had tried various methods before she finally resorted to prayer.
If all those methods had failed, there was a good chance the problem wasn't hers after all.
"We've investigated this and that for several years, but it's been of little use. And now the Organization has been ruined before we could even receive proper reports..."
With the Organization ruined, it had ultimately become difficult to obtain information.
"But we can't just give up here..."
"Then, shall we send someone?"
Since the internal organization had been ruined, they had no choice but to send someone.
"We must. Since we're not trying to cause trouble, send someone who can properly gather information."
The Chief Steward blinked, mentally sifting through the candidates.
"And package them as official personnel, so it'll be easy to find out if a problem arises."
They were merely gathering information. It was perfectly fine to operate openly.
That way, if a problem arose, they could at least find out who had ruined things and when.
"Understood. I'll send personnel through arrangements like official postings or studying abroad."
"I hope you find the cause. It would be troublesome if we had to erase an ancient kingdom just because we couldn't find it."
After the Chief Steward left, he tapped his desk, lost in thought.
The future was drawing near, and there was too little time to prepare.
Though he had resolved to shed blood, the burden only grew heavier as more of the future became invisible.
"Should I also resort to prayer?"
He felt as though he understood why the Prophet kept fleeing into prayer.
But he couldn't do that.
As long as he had resolved to protect humanity and defend the Empire, he couldn't flee even a single step.
After suffering a round of attacks and reorganizing ourselves in a nearby village, we set off for the Kingdom once again.
Since the guarding knights had died and the Grand Archduchess had also been in danger, it would have made sense to turn back, but the schedule remained unchanged.
The deceased knights were replaced, but the maids and servants all continued on with the Grand Archduchess.
Fortunately, none of the Kingdom's knights had died.
They had survived by running alongside the carriage as they escorted the Princess.
The knights who had died were all from the Duchy Knights who had stayed behind to fight.
It seemed several soldiers had died as well, but I had no way of knowing who else had perished.
Among the Kingdom's people who had come to the Duchy, only one person had died.
It was Viscount Daniel, who had secretly snuck into the carriage carrying the Princess and the Grand Archduchess.
Sneaking into the carriage of noble ladies was already disgraceful, and his death was absurd too—he had fallen from the carriage after being struck by an unidentified attack—so various rumors were bound to circulate among the group.
But they couldn't make a laughingstock of the death of a viscount who had been dispatched to the Duchy as the Princess's attendant.
In the end, the Viscount's death was presented as a noble sacrifice: he had died fighting to protect the Princess.
In any case, because someone they had traveled with had died, everyone mourned him.
I also prayed for his peaceful rest when I heard he would receive a medal after returning to his homeland.
As the aftermath was dealt with here and there, our comfortable journey resumed.
As we crossed the Duchy's border and passed through the Kingdom's various territories, there were no more attacks or special incidents.
The Princess's return and the Grand Archduchess's study abroad were not yet known in the other territories, and the main road between the Duchy and the Kingdom was wide and safe enough for us to pass through without interference from the local fiefs.
We were able to reach the Kingdom's capital without receiving an invitation from any of the territories.
As we passed through the various territories, the Grand Archduchess was fully absorbed in enjoying the surrounding scenery.
To my eyes, it wasn't much different from the Duchy, but to the Grand Archduchess, who had been sick for a long time, it seemed different.
It was a pleasant journey for everyone, but for me, it was a little unsatisfying.
That was because I hadn't received the reward the Grand Archduchess had promised me by the time we reached the capital.
After we arrived in front of the royal castle, our 'dispatch class' came to an end.
The person in charge had died, many incidents unsuitable for a dispatch class had occurred, and a high-status international student had tagged along, but regardless, the official class was over.
"By the way, what happens to our grades?"
At Senior Benjamin's words, everyone looked troubled.
The person who was supposed to grade the dispatch class had died.
They felt sorry for the deceased, but grades were the most important thing to the students.
"I'll speak up to make sure everyone gets good grades. The knights and scribes who accompanied us will surely help."
Even without the Princess saying so, everyone had suffered through it together, so they would surely put in a good word for us. Surely, right?
"Since all of you helped the Duchy, I'll help you as well."
On top of that, with the Grand Archduchess offering to help, the seniors' expressions brightened.
Grades were one thing, but they seemed even more pleased to have caught the eye of the Princess and the Grand Archduchess.
With that final conversation, we parted ways.
The Princess headed to the royal palace where the Queen resided, while the Grand Archduchess headed to the mansion where the ball had previously been held.
The seniors also returned to their respective homes,
"It seems I'll have to impose on your household, Young Lord."
For the week leading up to the start of the second semester, Balea would stay at the Duke of Gracia's mansion in the capital.
In any case, she wasn't my guest, but Manuel's guest—no, the Duchess's guest.
Although the Baron had died, his son remained, so the connection to the Duchess's family had not yet been severed.
"It really is a precarious day-to-day existence. I need to become independent as soon as possible before my younger brother—no, the acting baron—cuts ties with me."
As we headed home in the carriage the Princess had lent us, Balea grumbled while looking at me.
What did she expect me to do about it? It wasn't as if we were getting married.
It was probably just an aimless complaint, but it was a topic that made my seat feel incredibly uncomfortable.
After returning home, I finally had some leisure for the first time in a long while.
Reading books, training,
To others, it might not look like rest, but to me, this was rest.
Reading books was enjoyable, and training was enjoyable too.
My experiences in the Duchy were helping me grow.
Even when reading books or swinging my sword, I could clearly feel my past experiences sinking into my body.
After spending a few days like that, Brother Manuel, who had gone on a dispatch class to the 'Gracia Territory,' returned to the capital.
When Brother arrived and came into the house, I was just about to leave, dressed formally for the first time in a while.
"You arrived first. Nothing special happened in the Duchy?"
He looked at me and gave me a formal greeting.
It still felt out of character.
Normally, he would have started with a sarcastic remark, but it seemed the Duchess had thoroughly disciplined him back home.
But Brother didn't seem to have heard what had happened in the Duchy. Well, he had only just arrived in the capital, so there was no way he could have heard.
The butler and servants, who vaguely knew the story, kept stealing glances at me, but Manuel failed to notice the atmosphere.
'Tsk-tsk, looks like he only came back after being thoroughly disciplined. His quick-wittedness is still nonexistent.'
I clicked my tongue quietly, bowed my head to him, and tried to leave the house.
"Where are you going again? Classes start in a few days. Is it okay for you to wander around all dressed up like that? It's not as if the Princess is calling for you, and if you get your hopes up for nothing, you'll only suffer later."
It was incredibly hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or genuinely worried.
Should I take it positively and assume he was looking out for his younger brother in his own way?
I decided to reassure him, taking his words in the best possible light.
"I received an invitation from the Grand Archduchess. She said she would give me a gift."
At my words, Brother Manuel's mouth fell wide open.
Hmm, to my eyes, his current expression suited Manuel much better.
"What? The Grand Archduchess? The Grand Archduchess is in the capital? Why is she calling you? And what do you mean, a gift?"
Questions kept pouring in, but to avoid being late for my appointment with the Grand Archduchess, I quickly walked away.
Finally, the time had come to repair the broken artifact.
It wasn't the artifact I had in mind, but I firmly believed that if we grew closer, she would repair not only the dagger but the orb as well.