Selling the Gibraltar Canyon
Atop Gate 3 of the Gibraltar Canyon.
"It's been a long time since I've come up here like this."
"Yes. Not since White carried Lord Grey and jumped down from here."
Naria rode the lift up to the ramparts with me, smoothing back her wind-tossed hair.
"Lord Grey."
"Yes."
"Do you have any guess what I want to say?"
"If Naria Geo Nostrum harbored any rational affection for Grey Gibraltar."
A true hypothetical, but still.
"Naria, you would have asked me about my relationship with Astasia."
"......"
"Am I wrong?"
"No. Spot on. But..."
"Under that 'if' assumption."
The causal chain of my guess fits perfectly, but Naria's true feelings aren't that.
"Princess Naria. You hold no romantic affection for me."
"......"
"As we've discussed before, you judge me solely through logic and political interests."
"......"
Naria fell silent, but that silence was answer enough.
"You came to Gibraltar to protect your life from the threat of Saint Geo Nostrum."
"Yes, that's right."
"But if you had the power to protect yourself, you never would have come here."
"...Yes."
Naria nodded lightly.
"My time here has certainly brought me many gains. I've learned the true state of Gibraltar, uncovered the secret pact with Morgania, and discovered the ties to the Empire's Iferia Group."
Through her life here, Naria had uncovered all sorts of things unknown in the previous timeline.
"Naria. Let me ask you one thing."
But this one was certain.
"Do you remember 'midnight on November 12th'?"
"......No."
"That's answer enough."
Naria had no knowledge or experience from the previous regression. She wasn't lying or hiding memories—far from it. Because that 'midnight on November 12th' was an unforgettable moment for both her and me.
"I can only guess at your intent in asking, Lord Grey, but it's probably not what you hope for."
Even Naria seemed reluctant to voice it carelessly.
"But if my guess is right, let me ask one thing."
Naria took a deep breath.
"In your view, could Naria Geo Nostrum lead the kingdom on the right path without Grey Gibraltar's help?"
"No."
"...Even if she struggled with all her might?"
"Maybe a hundred years ago, but at this point, all the struggling in the world..."
I walked to the canyon's edge and lightly brushed the wall with my hand.
"...would amount to nothing more than a handful of dust."
"......"
"No matter how much Naria Geo Nostrum thrashes about, it would all come to a handful in the end."
There are no heroes. I, returned from the past, have no intention of becoming one, nor of seeking them out to hand Nostrum its glory.
"No matter how much you struggle, right now you're just a powerless 13-year-old girl."
"Isn't that the same for you, Lord Grey?"
"Yes, exactly. You and I are in the same boat, Princess Naria."
I drew an imaginary blade across my throat.
"Unable to resist even when my drunkard father tries to cut my throat, powerless against the Empire's assassins—a weakling through and through."
"In seven years—"
"Too late."
Waiting until adulthood to act is far too late.
"Princess Naria. For the past three years, you've assisted Queen Carmen with administrative duties, correct?"
"Yes."
"Did she ever entrust you with major responsibilities?"
Naria is a genius. Carmen knows it.
"Has she ever discussed the kingdom's annual national budget, drafting expenditure and revenue plans, or reorganizing the knight orders to bolster military strength?"
"...No."
Naria clenched her fist tight.
"But you—"
"Yes. Compared to you, Princess Naria, I have a bit more room to maneuver. I've been thrashing about to widen that margin ever since."
Naria doesn't know.
"Even with the orphanage issue, Father didn't truly believe in its purpose at first. He just thought it was a child's act of pity for poor orphans and pushed it forward."
He pretended to understand outwardly, but inwardly, that's what he thought.
"The same went for Seirene Territory."
"When the crown prince visited."
"I spoke to Queen Carmen and Grand Duke Winchester about the casino, but their reactions were predictable without saying."
"...They nodded along in front, then dismissed it as a child's game behind closed doors."
Our interests align, Naria's and mine.
"Because we're 13."
"We're too young for the adult world. That gaze lingers. And we can't deny it."
Our current situation proves it plainly.
"Naria. We're weak. Compared to the entrenched adults, we have little to wield."
"Time is..."
"Impartial, but what do you think will happen the day Naria Geo Nostrum turns 20 and becomes an adult?"
In the previous timeline, the Empire waged war against the kingdom.
"At 17, you'll enter the academy. Even graduating top of your class and making a name won't change how the ruling class sees us—as 'smart students.'"
Before Naria can make a move, the continent will plunge into chaos. Seven years from now is when we become adults, bursting with youthful vigor—but for a middle-aged conqueror, it's the point where forties turn to fifties.
"That's why I'm using it. While they see me as a child, a fool, and later a student."
If they view us as 'weaklings.'
"I'll sharpen my blade in the shadows while the enemy lets their guard down. In the end, I'll be the one—the ones—who survive."
We must exploit that gaze. Even if we aspire to become adults like them, time flows equally for all.
"And what will you do from there? If you're one of the 'adults'?"
"Of course, build power. In their ways, or better."
We must change.
"First, become a master myself."
One. Grow strong personally.
"Even if not masters, gather advanced knights as my left and right hands."
Two. Recruit 'my people' like Robert or Mente.
"And build my own organization."
Three. Form a loyal force like the Shadows, fully under my control.
"On top of that."
And.
"I need a way to amass overwhelming funds as the foundation."
All of it rests on 'capital.'
"Normal methods to earn funds are too slow. So I'll reach into the dark paths of the kingdom or the Empire."
"As the wayward eldest son stripped of his inheritance."
"I'll create a ghost trading company to gather funds, steal assets from those selling out the country to the Empire, collect tangible and intangible assets flowing from the Empire, and stockpile them as Gibraltar's resources."
"...And the result?"
"Secure enough funds for Gibraltar to survive against either the kingdom or the Empire."
On the scale of a national budget.
"Grand words, but in the end, that plan sounds like—"
"The empty ravings of a deluded child, just like everyone else thinks."
I've thought it a thousand times myself.
"You can't scrape together the Empire's wealth with dragonlings or whatever."
"You knew that and still said it on purpose?"
"To fool the enemy, you must fool your allies too. Thanks to that, Morgania sees me as just a clever kid."
"...Even fooling your mother and the grand duke—what are you planning behind their backs?"
"Hmm... nationwide treason?"
This is.
"Agreeing with me makes you complicit, and telling anyone else makes you my enemy. Sure about that?"
Something no one in the previous life dared.
"That serious?"
"Yes. So secret even Father doesn't know, and no one else grasps the plan's true nature."
Not even Hapsburg von Tersian attempted it after purging me.
"Want to hear? No turning back once you do."
"...Whether siding with the Empire or trying to change the dynasty."
Naria placed a hand on her chest and asked.
"Is the blade you aim at me?"
"No."
"Then what am I to you, Lord Grey?"
"The next king. The one who'll ascend Nostrum's throne after Saint Geo vanishes."
"...Relief."
Princess Naria smiled faintly.
"Knowing you're not my enemy is enough to ease my mind."
"......"
"At least around you, Lord Grey, and in Gibraltar, I've never felt my life threatened."
Naria stepped slowly toward me.
"After hearing your plan, as long as I don't betray you, you won't betray me, right?"
"Who knows."
"Who knows?"
Naria frowned.
"You're a knight, aren't you?"
"I'll do my utmost and pledge loyalty to make you queen, but I'm warning you upfront: if things go awry, I might betray you."
"...Fine. It's awful to hear, but..."
Naria grinned fiercely.
"If I still share that secret with you, it means we can form a partnership as equals."
"Where'd you pick up that word?"
"Empire newspaper crossword. Great for vocabulary."
True enough.
"Alright. Then what follows is the real secret?"
The ultimate plan of the traitor Grey, unspoken to anyone for three years.
"I'll sell the land."
"......Land?"
"Yes. I'll sell this Gibraltar Canyon."
The ultimate act of treason.
"I'll collapse this canyon so Gibraltar is no longer the kingdom's slave guardian."
"That means..."
"Whether the Empire marches through the ruins into the kingdom or not, I'll erase this canyon."
Creating a turning point in history that predates even 500 years.
"Because of this canyon, Gibraltar has played the self-proclaimed guardian, the watchdog called margrave of the border."
"......"
"500 years of guarding is enough. Collapse it, and future Gibraltars can live free without being suckers."
"Gibraltar's authority..."
"Sword in the left hand. Gold in the right. 500 years as a house-guarding mongrel? Force and capital will bury that history."
The master's might will endure.
And overwhelming capital piled in the castle vaults.
"The canyon has no place in our future."
I will collapse this canyon.
"Then how will you sell it? You'll need massive funds."
"Those funds..."
"Princess Naria. While assisting Queen Carmen with admin, where did the biggest budgets flow?"
"......Land."
Naria tapped the ground lightly with her foot.
"Civil engineering, architecture, construction."
"Yes. Playing with land means trillions—not billions—in gold flowing through land-related projects."
"Gathering that much budget will take time."
"Yes. My own money won't cut it."
"......?"
I'm not crazy enough to destroy the canyon with my own funds. Dragonlings, gambling, photo books—those are slush funds for when Gibraltar settles somewhere far across the continent.
"Conveniently, there are people who tremble at the word 'canyon,' right?"
I turned Naria's body, pointing west.
"Western pioneer era. Canyon Development Company. East-Nostrum-Company. Gibraltar Barrier Collapse."
Trillions in capital will naturally flow into Gibraltar Territory.
We'll spend not a penny—or the minimum—and let the Empire collapse the canyon itself.
"I'll hand this canyon to the Imperials. Specifically, sell the development rights."
"...What do they think is in the canyon?"
"Who cares. Spread a rumor like 'Nostrum's guardian dragon, the gold dragon's lair, is buried in the canyon.'"
Make up a pretext, done.
"Whether anything's really there doesn't matter to the Empire. What matters is the chance to collapse the canyon and gates, thanks to the idiot Grey."
"For that...?"
"Yes."
Humans wary and bow to those smarter and stronger.
"What if I became like Crimson Gibraltar, Margrave? Even if frustrating, I'd have to act like Saint Geo Nostrum."
"...Not completely incompetent, just incompetent enough to exploit."
"Yes."
Once they judge someone stupider and dumber, they move to exploit.
"They see me, Grey Gibraltar, as a moron who thinks he's clever, or a traitor serious about selling the country. That's the key to collapsing the canyon."
"......"
"Tell them to mock me freely. Ignore me freely."
Even if the whole continent calls me a fool, fooling just Hapsburg alone makes enduring the humiliation worthwhile.
"The moment they buy the canyon land, they'll swarm it, digging like mad."
While they see me as weak, I'll grow stronger in the shadows.
They'll dig and dig, unaware they're being exploited in turn.
And so.
If I can get a shot at killing Hapsburg, I can give up the canyon a hundred, a thousand times.
"Personally curious too. What's really in this canyon?"
Even if not, I'll make it so.
"Who knows. Maybe an ancient weapon that could rule the continent sleeps here."
"...What if the Empire takes it?"
"That's why we get stronger. The canyon won't be fully developed in three years."
"Let them dig, then seize any finds by force?"
"Yes."
Even if we don't want to.
"We lost everything because our might was lacking. Our peaceful lives."
The Empire and kingdom invoke survival of the fittest.
"What was taken, we take back. No matter the sacrifices."
"......"
"Even if it ends in killing someone."
Even if all burn to ash, embers remain.
"In Princess Naria's life, I'll remove Saint Geo Nostrum for you."
"......It's not midnight yet."
Naria beamed.
"A verbal contract, but the perfect birthday gift. Lord Grey."
Naria extended her hand to me.
"I'm in. For the day we blow fresh wind into this stagnant 500-year-old Nostrum Kingdom."
"To that day."
Our goals differ, but we can walk together to the midpoint.
"Princess Naria. This, I promise."
A trap.
"Even if the canyon falls, you, I, and Gibraltar will endure."
This life. The Gibraltar Canyon will collapse—and become Hapsburg's grave.