The Red Dragon's Scandal (2)
Rumors passed from mouth to mouth spread farther than spring pollen. The nobility, masters of gossip and pedigree, were a breed that constantly fretted over missing the latest scandals and trends, so the rumors spread with alarming speed.
The Red Dragon. Ludmilla Draig Valtaria. She had a man.
Even the nobles who had dismissed it as mere nonsense at first began to react one by one. Before long, the scandal involving Princess Ludmilla swept through the capital.
—Just who is the Red Dragon's partner supposed to be?!
—I heard he's the second son of the Hohenberg family! They say his name is Edanant!
—Never heard of him… Wait, Hohenberg?! If it's Hohenberg, then…!
The hero Maximilian, who had broken off his engagement with the Third Princess Elizabetta, belonged to the Hohenberg family. In other words, a princess who had nearly become family through marriage was now meeting the second son.
The nobility, who adored scandalous and outrageous romances above all else, spread the rumor of Princess Ludmilla's affair as if it had grown wings. It became so famous that it was mentioned at every banquet and tea party.
“……”
The entire capital was in an uproar. The scandal, now burning hot, had finally reached the citizens as well. I anxiously watched the newspaper reporters, worried that it might appear in print. A scandal involving Princess Ludmilla… It was the kind of exclusive that could easily make the front page tomorrow. Every newspaper was surely preparing a special scandal edition.
“Edan's getting famous just like Max! Everyone's talking about Edan!”
“……”
If even this tiny child had heard about it, then every citizen in the capital must know by now.
I had made a mistake. A once-in-a-lifetime blunder for failing to anticipate the consequences. Was it because my romantic experience in my previous life had been relatively short? Or was it the carelessness of assuming Ludmilla could never take me seriously?
The equivalent-exchange scandal—that the Third Princess of the Valtaria Empire had broken up with the eldest son of House Hohenberg, while the Second Princess had begun seeing the second son—spread far and wide. Exaggerated fake news piled on top, turning the situation into a house already on fire being doused with oil.
“Welcome. I've been waiting.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
I had been staying at a villa provided by the imperial family. The next day, after receiving a message from a maid, I arrived at an outdoor café inside the palace grounds. When Lu and I arrived, Ludmilla raised her hand in greeting. She looked as friendly as if she were meeting an old academy classmate.
“I was thinking of ordering batch-brew coffee… What will you have?”
“I'll have the same coffee.”
Pour-over coffee, brewed several cups at once, was naturally favored by nobles and officials who had to handle mountains of work. Ludmilla seemed to prefer it as well. Our tastes happened to coincide. I lived on batch-brew coffee myself.
“Were you reading the newspaper?”
“I always read the day's paper at dawn. His Majesty does the same. One ought to know the events happening in the world, after all.”
If the newspaper she enjoyed reading ran a front-page story titled “Princess Ludmilla's Scandal,” how would she react? Hmm. She would surely have a tremendous reaction. I imagined the Red Dragon's majesty reducing the newspaper company that published such an outrageous article to ashes. I would undoubtedly be burned at the stake alongside the reporters, since I was involved in the scandal. She would surely find being the subject of rumors extremely unpleasant.
“How is the room the imperial family provided? Is it comfortable?”
“I'm simply grateful for the kindness.”
Ludmilla was dressed simply: a white blouse, black suit trousers, and a luxurious tailored jacket draped over her shoulders. It was the kind of outfit that emphasized the mature charm of an older woman. Combined with the seductive smile she occasionally showed, it created a mature allure. Moreover, seeing her ample bosom straining the buttons of her blouse made it hard to breathe. My face flushed slightly as I watched Ludmilla reviewing documents while drinking coffee.
“Ever since the Saintess Party went missing, incidents have continued without end. The Empire's embassies in the Lu Principality, among others… multiple diplomatic missions have all been attacked.”
Ludmilla held out a document. Black-and-white photographs of buildings burned completely black. Detailed records of the damage caused by the attacks. It was tantamount to a declaration of war. They had declared revenge against the Valtaria Empire, which, like the Gael Holy Kingdom, had fully supported the Saintess Party. Attacks that burned foreign embassies would soon reach the Empire's mainland as well. Ludmilla furrowed her brow, clearly expressing strong concern.
“As time passes, the enemies' offensives will only grow bolder. We need countermeasures.”
“It would be good if we could at least find their base.”
A heavy sigh filled with complicated feelings could be heard. I nodded with a grim expression.
“This is really delicious. It melts in your mouth. Edan, you should have some too.”
“Maybe I will?”
Turning my eyes away from the violent tragedy, I looked at the girl with light-green hair. Nom. Nom. Nom. She diligently ate with her small mouth. The sight reminded me of a sparrow pecking at bread crumbs. The food served as brunch at the outdoor café was Eggs Benedict—English muffins spread with butter, topped with bacon and a soft-boiled fried egg, drenched in hollandaise sauce. As expected from a luxurious outdoor café, it boasted the finest flavor.
“We're planning to expand the intelligence department's investigative capabilities to the maximum in order to find one person.”
“If it's someone who can resolve this situation… I'll naturally help as well.”
I answered while patting the fairy's head as she ate her brunch like a country dog enjoying a meal. The person who could resolve the situation. They were mobilizing the entire Valtaria Empire's intelligence department to find them. It would be one of the Seven Strongest of the Warring States, or someone of comparable power. To clean up the vicious villains preparing for the ascension of evil all at once, overwhelming strength was naturally necessary.
“The sixth member of the Saintess Party… We're looking for the War Maniac, the hero of the Fourth Continental War.”
“Khek!”
At Ludmilla's bold statement, I unconsciously put too much strength into the hand that had been patting Lu's head. At that moment, Lu spat out the orange juice she had been gulping down.
* * *
The Gael Holy Kingdom was busy dealing with the chaos that began with the disappearance of Saintess Beatrice. What kind of existence was a saintess? Saintesses, who inherited divinity from birth, were incarnations of the Earth Mother Gael. With Beatrice, who had boasted an unrivaled position even among the Holy Kingdom's saintesses, now missing, the faith of the believers began to waver. This was because the Second Saintess faction, which had supported Beatrice as the center of their faith since her selection as the new saintess, was now facing a crisis of collapse.
“Why did you accept His Holiness's proposal? This is clearly a scheme to remove the Saintess from the Holy Kingdom's political situation!”
Bishop Rohan expressed strong concern. Even so, the woman kneeling on the floor in prayer paid him no mind. She clasped her slender hands together. She maintained her posture with her slender waist held straight. Her silver hair, pressed down by a veil, flowed down gently, exuding a pious beauty. It was as if one were facing a pure white with not a single trace of turbidity. It was the elegant bearing permitted only to the incarnation of the Earth Mother who had inherited divinity from birth. At this, Rohan stopped his angry outburst and closed his mouth.
“Well, to be honest, I had no intention of playing along with His Holiness's scheme either.”
I've changed my mind, the woman with flowing silver hair murmured in a low voice.
“For what reason might our cute successor have disappeared? His Holiness's pampered adopted daughter, whom he doted on so much, going missing along with the lovers she was so fond of… I suppose you could say it piqued my interest a little. Moreover…”
Beautiful silver hair reaching down to her calves. Bright, shining blue eyes. Snow-white skin like winter snowflakes, and a slender yet petite physique that seemed to embody elegance. A sacred beauty seemed to overflow from her refined features. She was undoubtedly the incarnation of the Earth Mother. It was only natural that countless seekers praised her fanatically.
“With the disappearance of the Saintess Party, the ascension of evil has begun again… Won't that person, who suddenly vanished without a trace during the Continental War, break their silence and reveal themselves?”
The successor of the White Dragon who protected the goddess Gael. The First Saintess. Jeblinne Albion Rasel. A look of delight spread across her elegant face. Rohan realized that the reason Jeblinne was accepting the Holy King's obvious ploy and planning to participate as part of the Valtaria Empire's delegation was to find “that person.” Having served the saintess for a long time, Rohan knew better than anyone what she desired.
“But the War Maniac is a person of unknown identity. Some treat him as a fictional character artificially created by the Valtaria Empire. There are only baseless rumors… How do you plan to find him?”
“I have a clue.”
Despite numerous kingdoms, led by the Valtaria Empire, having traced his tracks, hadn't he ultimately remained an eternal unsolved mystery? Therefore, Rohan shook his head, expressing difficulty. The sixth member of the Saintess Party, the War Maniac. A person whose very existence was uncertain. How could they find him? Yet Jeblinne held a sliver of certainty regarding this difficult problem.
“On the battlefield of the Racial War, which was a scene from the endless hell… I was once under the War Maniac's protection. Unfortunately, I couldn't see his face, but I obtained an important clue from close by.”
“I-Is that true!”
An important clue to find the War Maniac. She possessed that clue. Though Rohan had expressed impossibility, he began to feel persuaded by Jeblinne's answer and showed signs of growing excitement.
“There was the smell of gunpowder.”
“Pardon?”
“There was always a strong smell of gunpowder coming from him.”
“……”
What kind of clue was that! It was a battlefield where shells and bullets rained down, so of course there would be the smell of gunpowder! It was absurd. Clutching his head, he sank to the floor. Like a believer facing a philosopher advocating atheism, he let out a cry close to a wail.
“Anyway, I will definitely find him. I've been striving continuously to repay my lifesaver. So, Bishop Rohan, please finish preparations to depart for the Valtaria Empire with the priests.”
“…Yes.”
Leaving behind the bishop's exasperated sigh, Jeblinne displayed strong enthusiasm. The benefactor who had saved her life. The person who would resolve the current situation that kept worsening. The White Dragon of the Holy Kingdom, who had joined late, declared that, like the Empire's Red Dragon, she would find the person who had remained an eternal mystery.
—There was always the smell of gunpowder coming from him.
It was truly a meager clue, but Jeblinne did not yield.