The Harvest Festival's Commotion
Just as he was about to move, concern for Pay weighing heavily on his mind, a fanfare sounded. The Emperor, the Crown Prince, Empress Ranya, and Prince Astain all appeared together.
‘This is bad.’
As a mere knight in the capital, there was little he could do. Out on the frontier his authority was absolute, but here his own order was scarcely represented. Even with cause, stirring up open conflict with the imperial family would only make things worse.
Carrying an inexplicable weight of unease in his chest, Cassel hurried back to his assigned place. He had no time to spare even a glance for his own family, who had arrived almost at the same moment as the imperial party.
“We shall now begin the mock battle for this year’s Harvest Festival! As stated in the earlier decree, houses will be paired and compete in a tournament format. The side that loses its flag is defeated. All those not participating in the battle, please step back and observe from the rear.”
The first match was between Count Esolt’s house and Viscount Duran’s. Neither family was known for martial prowess, and the outcome came surprisingly quickly. Next came the match between the Klein ducal house and Count Quasar’s. Victory naturally went to the Kleins.
“How splendid!”
Dorothea, standing beside the Duchess, sparkled with excitement. The sight only made Cassel’s chest feel tighter.
Why did he feel so stifled?
“……”
“Next is…”
“Is this the flag we are to use?”
“Yes, it is.”
“The knotting is terribly shoddy. And the grain of the wood used for the pole feels wrong!”
‘What is going on?’
A commotion rose from below, so Cassel moved toward the source. He found a knight of the Orleans ducal house berating an imperial attendant over the very flag that had been deemed unsatisfactory.
“This flag is unusable. Bring another at once.”
“We inspected it this morning.”
“Was someone watching it without a single lapse from the moment it was brought here?”
“That is…”
“Exactly! How will you take responsibility if there is even the smallest flaw in our flag?”
The mock battle offered only minor prizes from the imperial family; winning or losing was hardly the point. Cassel could not understand why the Orleans house was so fixated on victory.
Raphael himself cared little whether his house’s knights won or lost, preferring to focus on his own training. The Duke of Orleans had no interest in martial matters at all.
A short while later, just before the match between the Orleans ducal house and the Hwiant marquisate was to begin, the two houses’ lead knights began arguing over the same flag.
It was an insolent display, especially with the Emperor, Crown Prince, Empress, and Prince Astain all present.
‘I must stop this.’
Cassel rushed forward to break up the disturbance for Crown Prince Silas’s sake. Even then, his eyes caught Pay standing a little apart from the Crow Knights. She had been quietly clasping her hands when she suddenly bowed her head low.
That was when it happened.
Bang!!
A loud explosion erupted from beneath the crate holding the flags and other equipment. Small sparks crackled briefly before vanishing, and a thin plume of acrid smoke rose into the air.
“Your Majesty!”
“What is this?!”
“Kyaaah!”
The blast itself was small, yet this was the Harvest Festival. The imperial family and the capital’s greatest nobles and knights were gathered here. Panic was inevitable.
But the Emperor of the Empire remained the Emperor. Without the slightest sign of alarm, he first escorted Empress Ranya and Prince Astain to safety. After sending the watching ladies and noblewomen to other palaces, he ordered an investigation of the crate.
The results came quickly. Though not conclusive, traces of the explosion were found beneath the crate. The weapons inside had been carefully oiled to prevent rust, even though they were blunted for the mock battle. Had the fire caught properly, the contents could have scattered and injured many.
The Emperor spoke with calm authority, his brow never twitching.
“The mock battle ends here. Every house shall receive a reward. We will continue the investigation by collecting the crate and the surrounding soil as evidence.”
“Your Majesty! Please allow our house to participate in the investigation!”
“Our house will cooperate as well!”
‘…Something is wrong.’
The moment the Emperor finished speaking, the very houses that had nearly suffered harm—the Orleans ducal house and the Hwiant marquisate—raised a clamor. Yet their behavior was strange. They showed no fear of the incident itself, instead glaring at each other with hostile expressions.
Were they suspecting one another of being the culprit?
The Harvest Festival, the Empire’s grandest annual celebration, continued for several more days, but the atmosphere remained unsettled because of the mock-battle incident. Even after the festival ended, the tension lingered. Relations between the Orleans ducal house and the Hwiant marquisate grew especially strained.
“……”
Secluded in the mansion after a long absence, Cassel sank into deep thought. Was he mistaken? Just before the explosion, Pay had bowed her head far too deeply. Her behavior had been deeply suspicious.
‘No. I was told she could not possibly be the culprit.’
The investigation had confirmed it. Pay, the mage of the Magic Tower, had come to the Harvest Festival at the Crow Knights’ request to create ice that would keep the fruit drinks cool. Her ice was said to be exceptionally pure and delicious.
It was true she could use a little fire magic, but tests showed she could manage nothing more than a first-circle Fire Arrow. No one had yet determined why the underside of the crate had exploded so violently. A first-circle fire spell could light small flames, but causing an explosion was impossible. There were no traces of a Fire Arrow having been used, either.
By every measure, Pay could not be the culprit. She was exactly what she claimed to be: a mage specialized in water and ice. Moreover, if she had used magic, the knights nearby would have sensed the flow of mana.
It was fortunate she was innocent, yet his sharp instincts refused to release her from his mind, leaving him uneasy.
“…I do not understand.”
While Cassel wrestled with his doubts, matters at the imperial palace moved far more swiftly than he realized. The Orleans ducal house and the Hwiant marquisate, which had once confined their rivalry to quiet maneuvering, now openly sharpened their blades against each other. Rumors spread that the mock-battle incident had been orchestrated by the opposing side. When attendees from the Orleans house repeated the claim at a young lady’s engagement ceremony held at the Mizuang Hotel, the rumor nearly became accepted fact.
The Hwiant side did not remain silent. The escalating hostility led to a formal challenge, and a duel was scheduled for several days later.
Each day brought the situation closer to the brink.
“Sir Cassel.”
“…Yes.”
Summoned to the Crown Prince’s palace at such a moment, Cassel concealed his unease and waited for Silas’s command. What would he be asked to do? Even if it meant obstructing a lawful duel, if the Crown Prince ordered it, he would have to act to prevent the two houses from tearing each other apart.
What Silas said next was unexpected.
“The Blue Rose Knights, currently stationed at the Logia border, are returning. Border defense there has been reassigned to another order.”
“Pardon…?”
“This was the only way to restore order after the unsettling incident. I apologize for not informing you sooner.”
“All matters of the Empire proceed according to His Majesty the Emperor’s will.”
Cassel expressed his thoughts with careful restraint. The Blue Rose Knights, long stationed in the capital, could not be recalled by the Crown Prince’s whim alone. If their return had received the Emperor’s approval, Cassel had no right to object. Yet if what the Crown Prince had just declared was true…
Cassel would not be returning to the border anytime soon.
“For now, remain on standby as a knight directly under the imperial family. Further orders will come later.”
“Understood.”
Just as many had hoped, Cassel took his place as the capital’s undisputed young duke and began his duties in earnest. Needless to say, the Duchess of Klein, who had been terrified by the Harvest Festival incident, was overjoyed. She now spoke of the “minor explosion” as though it had strengthened the ground after rain.
“Hoo…”
Having successfully completed a series of plans, Silas let out a long sigh. He had worried that Pay might be endangered by the two houses’ excessive agitation, but she had extricated herself brilliantly, as befitted a prodigy of the Magic Tower. That was a relief.
Someone could have protected her if matters had grown worse, but for the tasks he intended to entrust to her later, it was far better that she remain uninvolved for now.
‘I will discuss matters again once the Blue Rose Knights’ affairs are settled. Summoning her before then might draw suspicion.’
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, Empress Ranya requests an audience.”
“Me?”
Silas’s reply was curt. They had come without prior notice—though even if they had requested one, he would not have granted it—and they had brought someone else along.
“Yes. Prince Astain is accompanying her.”
“Let them in.”
Coming together, and even bringing his half-brother, was hardly likely to please the Empire’s sole direct heir. Still, Silas had no choice but to open the door.
Empress Ranya entered with a deeply concerned expression.
“Crown Prince, are you all right?”
“…Yes.”
“I have not seen you since that day and have been very worried.”
“There is no need for concern.”
Silas disliked the Empire’s system of secondary consorts. The vastness of the land and the necessities of politics were, to him, nothing more than excuses. By that logic, every vassal with extensive fiefs would need multiple spouses as well.
Even when he appeared composed, his heart remained uneasy. Though he had not loved Lady Ratzel, whom he had once been betrothed to, he had never considered taking another wife. In all the world, he would have only one wife—whether he loved her or not.
There was no reason for him to feel any particular joy at the arrival of Empress Ranya and Astain.
“…If there is anything this body can do to help, I truly wish to assist. Astain has… grown considerably. It pains me deeply that he cannot stand by your side when you face danger, Crown Prince.”
“Empress.”
Ever gentle, Empress Ranya’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I do not wish to lose anyone else before my eyes.”
“……”
“I am sorry for coming so suddenly and disturbing your thoughts. But remember this, Crown Prince: even after Astain comes of age and leaves the palace, he remains a member of the Empire. If I can ever repay the kindness I have received, I will not hesitate to act.”
Surprisingly, Empress Ranya said little more and soon departed.
Once the mother and son were gone, Silas felt a deep sense of self-reproach. He could not know every affair of the Empire. The reason the two neighboring houses had begun their feud, why Lady Ratzel had declared the broken engagement, and what connection she had to the Orleans house—all of it remained unknown.