The Insider

The leaders of the Imperial court were moving busily.

A strategy team composed solely of dozens of legal advisers and strategists was organizing the materials to be used at the public hearing.

Alexander, the one with the fire at his feet, was leisurely watching them work.

From the experts’ perspective, that was for the best.

If Alexander stepped in, he would obviously only hinder the strategy team.

The only thing he could do was keep a close eye on the situation.

And use his current position to gather as many capable people as possible.

Even so, he had one achievement to show for himself, proving that he had not merely been sitting around twiddling his thumbs.

“Are these details certain?”

Alexander read the copied plan, then called out a name through the crystal ball.

“Baron Giyotte?”

Baron Giyotte.

He was a noble who acted as a lord in the Far East.

-Y-Yes!

“Relax a little. It’s not as though I’m going to eat you, so why are you so nervous?”

-Ah, I-I’m sorry! Anyway, the scenario I sent you is the condensed result of our brainstorming about what strategy the Regent will use at this meeting.

“The Regent?”

-Ah, the regent. Regent Ferda……

Alexander was irritable, while Baron Giyotte was cowed.

The sound of breathing from beyond the crystal ball hesitated before finally speaking.

-Um…… Your Highness……

“What is it?”

-If this matter turns out well, will you keep your promise?

“How absurd……. Are you doubting me now?”

-N-No! Of course not! I said something presumptuous and strange again……

Alexander sighed and spoke as though he found Giyotte pathetic.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. And I’ll arrange an official post for you within the Inner Wall.”

-I don’t know what to say after you’ve reassured me again! Thank you!

“So spy on them thoroughly, since you’ve set yourself up as a traitor.”

-Understood! Please remember that this Giyotte is always loyal to the Empire!

The communication through the crystal ball was cut off.

A position could be created at any time.

And if he could not create one?

He could simply discard him.

Since the man had already become a traitor, whether or not Alexander kept his promise was meaningless to him.

In the Empire, people were nothing more than expendables—things that could be thrown away whenever they had outlived their usefulness.

Being a noble made no difference.

‘Still, I did receive Old Man Golt’s promise to help……’

There was no doubt that things would not turn against Alexander without some extraordinary turn of events.

Besides, didn’t he have the ‘ally’ everyone yearned for?

The thought alone pleased him so much that he offered the man his thanks once more.

“I’m truly overwhelmed that you would lend me your wisdom.”

The middle-aged man sitting before him answered in a dignified tone.

“Not at all. The pillars of the Empire are those whose veins run with golden blood. How could I refuse to help, Your Majesty?”

“Your Majesty? I’m still only the Crown Prince.”

“You will ascend the throne and reign in the future. What difference does it make if I call you that now?”

“Ha ha! Have you seen a future in which I become king?”

“Of course.”

Hearing that, groundless confidence surged within Alexander.

Alexander’s ears always perked up at flattery, but the way this man praised him was on an entirely different level.

And that was only natural, because he was……

“Thank you for cooperating with me, Sage of Water.”

The man was none other than Hellus Fobidas, famous throughout the world as the Sage of Water.

“No, Your Highness. It is I who am honored to be able to cooperate with you.”

A triumphant smile spread across the Crown Prince’s office.

* * *

-……That concludes the current strategy being pursued by the Crown Prince.

“I see.”

Ferda replied briefly after receiving the copy.

As he quietly read through it, an anxious voice rang out irritatingly.

-Um…… Must I really remain here?

Hellus asked cautiously.

Ferda asked him as though he found the question absurd.

“Could you not do everything you needed to do there?”

-O-Of course I can, but…… It’s becoming almost too burdensome.

No matter how grandly Hellus lived as a sage, a poor mage still resided within him.

That was why the Imperial court’s extravagance existed on an entirely different level.

When Hellus indulged in the luxuries he knew, the people of the Imperial court reacted as though he were ‘frugal for a sage.’

It was deeply shocking for Hellus to realize that he had been nothing more than a frog in a well.

“Enjoy yourself while you can. Even ordinary nobles have difficulty experiencing the Imperial court’s amusements.”

-Enjoying myself is fine, but…… I have one request.

“Let me hear it.”

-I…… I would like you to help me use my wisdom a little more……

It was a request Ferda had expected.

Ferda answered him as follows.

“If you’re a sage, three questions should be enough.”

-Three is far too few. People ask about so many different things—how am I supposed to answer them all……

“Isn’t it foolish to think you have to answer all of them?”

-I don’t even know which questions are important……

“Use that to your advantage.”

-H-How?”

“Occasionally answer something that seems unimportant and make it appear important. That is why I sent you there.”

Although it appeared that Hellus had infiltrated the Imperial court to resolve matters, he was actually nothing more than a means of creating confusion.

Olivia had immediately recognized that purpose and sent him to Alexander.

-I’ll make use of it in my own way, but…… I would still appreciate it if you could increase the number of questions a little……

Hellus pleaded again.

Ferda openly sighed.

‘I thought he would be difficult to make proper use of, but……’

He was even more frustrating than Ferda had imagined.

Since he was called one of the foremost sages on the continent, Ferda decided to adjust things to match his abilities.

“All right. I’ll allow you to ask up to five questions a day. I’ve increased it by two, so think a little harder about what is important before using them.”

-Th-Thank you!

“Report regularly on what happened while helping Alexander, and prioritize the princess’s orders. Understood?”

-Y-Yes! Of course!

He would undoubtedly be loyal.

When he had seen Olivia, Hellus had worn the face of a man thoroughly bewitched by a demon of lust.

“Come to think of it, where is the princess?”

Curious about Olivia’s recent activities, Ferda asked him.

-She has been visiting the Altesin Church frequently lately. From what I’ve heard, she intends to train as a saintess……

Upon reaching the Fourth Circle, she had begun seriously learning the magic used by priests.

Having reached the difficult fourth awakening in her faith, she would surely receive an enthusiastic response from the Altesin Church.

They might turn her into a nun, or she might become a connection that could link the Imperial court to their power.

‘The Red Circle said to be created through deep faith……’

Ferda still could not understand it.

Olivia’s appearance as she suddenly gained enlightenment and spun a circle in a single room at a cheap inn.

Why had Olivia attained enlightenment at that moment?

Religious enlightenment was strange by nature.

Some awakened two circles at once after intense meditation beneath a bodhi tree, while others awakened after sensing the spirit of nature in the sight of a flowing river.

Even Olivia herself might not know what she had seen or how she had felt.

Enlightenment was ineffable, and it was bound to grow faint once a circle was formed.

‘In any case, the foundation for her path to becoming a saintess has been laid.’

She still had to reach the Fifth Circle, but since she had overcome the most difficult hurdle, the Fourth Circle, Ferda thought Olivia could manage it.

Ferda examined the materials Hellus had prepared.

“……”

It was a complete mess.

The contents were far too disorganized.

Ferda wondered whether he should be angry, but Hellus had clearly decided that handing over the raw material was more appropriate than organizing it himself.

“Mori.”

Mori, whom he had called over, turned her head.

The expressionless girl waited for instructions.

“Organize this for me.”

Nod, nod.

Mori swiftly skimmed through the material and began picking out the key points.

Watching the process, Garnet asked Ferda in amazement,

“Is this girl the source of the knowledge possessed by the Sage of Water?”

“Yes.”

“She is beyond anything I imagined.”

“Mori’s ability?”

“That as well, but Hellus caused the source of that knowledge to be greatly undervalued. It seems we simply weren’t making any use of it at all.”

Ferda nodded in agreement.

Garnet leaned toward Mori.

She wanted to see the words Mori was writing down.

“Chief of the Shadow Bureau.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but please don’t approach Miss Mori carelessly.”

Isabella glared at Garnet.

Her eyes held an emotion that was rarely visible under ordinary circumstances.

“My apologies, Administrator.”

Garnet felt a chill and obediently stepped back.

The situation provided more than enough justification.

‘She is a precious asset of the Far East, so we should be careful for now.’

To Ferda, who knew Isabella, it looked somewhat different.

‘Does she regard even Garnet as a rival?’

The asset was certainly precious, but only Garnet was unaware that the reason was deeply personal.

Meanwhile, Mori neatly finished her work and presented the organized version.

The mass of text had been transformed into an easy-to-read summary.

Ferda scanned the summary and extracted the information he needed.

“Grand Duke Valdemar Golt appears to be acting as Alexander’s ally.”

“If Grand Duke Golt says he will help…… the game is practically tilted already.”

Valdemar Golt.

At the mention of that name, Garnet’s expression darkened.

That meant he was a person who was exceptionally difficult to meddle with.

Ferda also knew what kind of man he was.

‘The Emperor’s closest confidant……’

It was impossible to say whether he was loyal to the Emperor, but it was certain that the two had a mutually beneficial relationship.

He possessed such great popularity and renown that he was called a hero of the people.

“There are five chief commissioners in the Emergency Response Headquarters, and Grand Duke Golt has the other two commissioners on his side as well.”

The list of chief commissioners was as follows.

Hero of the People, Grand Duke Valdemar Golt.

Conqueror of the Black Plague, Marquis Akaad Dvelung.

Battle-Hardened Hero, Count Oldin Rooster.

The Mad Archmage, Erdes Roton.

Leader of the Altesin Church, Joseph Faust.

Someone else had originally been scheduled to occupy Erdes’s seat, but as it happened, he was the man who had been beheaded for ignoring Alexander’s order to deploy.

The vacant seat had been given to Erdes, who had made the greatest contribution to this attack.

She normally would not have attended something so bothersome, but after learning that it involved Ferda, she had shown up with uncanny punctuality.

“The key, then, is how to win Valdemar over.”

“That is correct.”

Ferda recalled the last time he had seen Grand Duke Golt.

He had been an old man covered in age spots, but his back was always perfectly straight.

Ferda had always wondered about the source of his popularity.

Those loved by commoners were usually hated by nobles, while those loved by nobles were usually hated by commoners, yet he was loved by both groups.

“Grand Duke Golt must be an old man nearing the end of his life, so how is he still going strong?”

“It is because of the greenhouse.”

“The greenhouse?”

“There is a dome-shaped greenhouse on Grand Duke Golt’s estate.”

Ferda had no memory of it.

Apparently it was too insignificant from his perspective for him to have paid attention to it.

“What is this greenhouse like?”

“It is a place that can maintain the warmth of spring even in winter, and the coolness of autumn even in summer.”

Ferda wondered why he could not remember it, but the reason was that it was not as impressive as it sounded.

The castle where Ferda lived had that magic installed as a standard feature.

“Four-circle mages should be able to manage something like that, shouldn’t they?”

“You are correct.”

If it had been only that sort of greenhouse, Garnet would not have mentioned it.

“But if the mana density inside can also be adjusted, that changes things.”

“Even the mana density?”

Hearing that, Ferda’s interest was piqued as well.

“How much can it be adjusted?”

“I do not know how high the density can be raised, but it can at least create a mana-free zone.”

Magic that adjusted the climate could be cast as many times as necessary, provided one could deal with the consequences.

But using magic to turn an area into a place without mana was a different matter entirely.

It was akin to removing all the air from the area by purely physical means.

A small space might be possible, but applying it to the entire expansive dome would be impossible for an ordinary mage.

“If he can create a mana-free zone…… cultivating rare elixir ingredients would not be impossible.”

“That is correct.”

Some ingredients with miraculous properties required extreme conditions.

Among those, mana density was one of the more troublesome conditions, and maintaining it was difficult unless one was literally grinding people into the process.

“Do you know what spell formula he uses?”

“We have infiltrated our agents several times in an attempt to find out, but…… we nearly had our trails traced back to us each time.”

It was intriguing to find a place whose security was so thorough that even a secret intelligence organization could not investigate it.

Grand Duke Golt did not come from a family of mages, so how had he acquired such technology?

‘Nine times out of ten, he stole it from some mage or scholar.’

But that alone was not enough.

If a non-mage had stolen it and made it his own, that meant other mages should have been able to imitate it easily.

But Valdemar understood the core of the spell formula, which was something that could not be achieved through mere theft.

It also meant that he possessed an abundance of magical talent.

‘If he uses that as a weapon to control the nobles, Burnell could become a target as well.’

Just as Alexander had, Valdemar could target Burnell.

Even at the presentation in Halim, he had raised everyone’s expectations as high as possible, and now results so tremendous that they made those expectations seem insignificant were pouring out.

‘There are four projects underway in the Grand Duchy.’

The Grand Duchy’s technicians were working on improving the magitech rifle.

The waterways being developed through water purification work conducted in collaboration with the Blue Eyes.

The mana-powered car being developed by Escolleia and the trading company.

The basic construction to improve the efficiency of mana stones, which was the foundation for making those three projects a success, was still ongoing.

At present, it had achieved the groundbreaking efficiency of thirty percent of the total.

With every project gaining momentum, it would be disastrous if they were stolen or brought to a halt.

“The Empire will demand our magitech technology under the pretext of this incident, won’t it?”

“That is correct.”

It was the technology that would have been taken if they had submitted to Alexander.

Even if the incident were brought to an end, the possibility of having it stolen still made things troublesome.

They were truly vicious people.

“If only there were a way to make things easier……”

Ferda muttered those words.

Nothing in the world was easy, but that wish was an inescapably human one.

“There is a way to make things easier.”

Garnet answered without letting his words pass unnoticed.