Chapter 166
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
“What do you mean?”
Ferda asked her.
“That man probably never intended to let Regent Ferda go in the first place. When the Emperor’s son bowed his head and begged for his life, he had no choice but to pretend he would.”
“It seems he intended to let me go when it came out that I was a black mage, though?”
“That was closer to an unforeseen situation. But setting that unforeseen event aside, what do you think?”
“Then what he was aiming for was….”
As they continued talking, Ferda was able to grasp the clue as well.
“Alexander and Duke Yurei.”
Olivia nodded.
“He probably never intended to forgive that fat brother of mine from the moment he said he’d lost the Legion. Since he couldn’t have his head cut off anyway, he manipulated him into flailing about on his own until all he revealed was an ugly side. My throat’s dry. May I have a cup of tea?”
“Yes.”
Ferda handed her a cup of tea.
After drinking the tea, brewed to a pleasantly warm temperature, she continued speaking.
“Anyway, that means Alexander has to temporarily give up his power as punishment. Still, he didn’t send him completely into the abyss. He left him some room to maneuver. He’s making him compete with his younger brother, but do you think that will really happen?”
“No.”
“Exactly. The transfer of power will remain uncertain for a year, and his supporters will seek stability and break away.”
If Alexander was shaken, those clinging to him would fall away.
A strong, unshakable faction would absorb those defections.
Only one faction came to mind as the representative of that strength.
Valdemar Golt.
“What do you mean by saying he was targeting Duke Yurei?”
“He must have had the Heinkel Kingdom in mind as something to keep in check. He knew that Regent Ferda had killed Duke Yurei’s son, but he probably never intended to use that to tie you down.”
“But I heard that when he recruited William, he intended to make him give testimony against me.”
“Sir William’s betrayal was probably part of his calculations as well.”
“Why would Alexander’s man do something like that?”
Alexander had wanted to shift the blame onto Ferda somehow.
Olivia elegantly picked up her teacup and let out a small laugh.
“My brother’s man? Isn’t that amusing?”
…….
“Why would someone capable enough to recruit Sir William side with someone already destined to fall into the abyss?”
An implanted spy.
If so, it was fair to say that Valdemar had been aiming for this.
“In the end, Duke Yurei was left with no way out. Now that Sir Oldin Rooster has seized the pretext, he’ll pressure the Heinkel Kingdom and try to force it to submit to the Empire. As a bonus, he put a leash on that fat brother of mine and kicked him in his swollen cheek one more time, humiliating him. If it had ended there, we might have assumed they simply traded blows, but….”
Olivia spoke with a groan.
“Then the major incident of a follower of demonkind broke out.”
“Indeed.”
This was probably the one thing no one had anticipated.
“For Valdemar, it became an entirely unexpected boon.”
“A boon?”
“Because that damned impostor was the follower of demonkind.”
The words “damned impostor” bothered him.
“You speak as if you knew from the beginning that Joseph Faust wasn’t himself.”
“I knew. Joseph Faust was never the sort of man to leer at my chest from the outset. I suspected someone was imitating him.”
Olivia added a few words, apparently worried he might misunderstand.
“But I didn’t know he was a member of demonkind. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have stood by and let things get this far.”
Ferda decided to believe her.
The Grand Council had also been Ferda’s first encounter with a Doppler, and it had been a secret hidden until now.
“Anyway… The integrity and credibility of the Alte Church have now been called into question. The people who will be hit by that are the new aristocratic faction.”
The aristocracy was divided between the new and traditional factions, maintaining a balance of sorts.
For the traditional faction, it was relatively easy to gain recognition, since they only had to prove themselves worthy of their family’s reputation.
The new faction, however, was different.
They had risen to noble rank after earning great merit from the Empire, and because they were expected to become rulers, they had to pass stringent requirements.
“Among those requirements is the token of faith granted by the Alte Church.”
It was a procedure in which they swore the obvious oath to resist the temptation of evil and follow the light.
But what would happen if it became known that the bishop who bestowed that token was a follower of demonkind more vicious than a demon?
The face of the Church had undermined the authority of the Church,
and at the same time, it had created grounds to suspect those beneath it as well.
“They’ll no longer be able to prove themselves with something like the Alte Church’s token. And they’ll build a new system.”
“What do you mean?”
“Judging by the circumstances, it seems the traditional aristocrats intend to certify the status of the new aristocrats.”
The existing aristocrats would authenticate the new aristocrats….
They would have to curry favor to prove themselves, and the higher the authority, the greater the power it wielded.
And in the Empire, the person with the greatest power was Valdemar Golt.
‘Everything is going to flow toward Valdemar Golt.’
To put it extremely, a situation might arise in which both the new and traditional factions would need his recognition to remain active in politics.
He might be called a grand duke, but his actions were no different from those of a king wielding absolute power.
Patriot, my ass.
“……And my position has become a problem as well.”
Olivia said this while desperately suppressing the tremor in her voice.
Unfortunately, she too was heavily dependent on the Alte Church.
“The Alte Church will now have to watch Valdemar’s mood, and they’ll probably try to bring me back as a princess instead of letting me continue my lessons as an apprentice saintess.”
…….
“They won’t be as steadfast as you, Regent. They know it would be easier to give me up.”
Her greatest weakness was instability.
If she grew to her full potential, she might become a sturdy tree like the World Tree, but for now, she was nothing more than a sprout with tender new leaves.
“Regent Ferda.”
Olivia set down her cup and took Ferda’s hand.
Her fair hand was damp with cold sweat.
“As I told you last time, please hand me over to Grand Duke Golt as soon as possible. Before I completely lose my value as a bargaining chip.”
She spoke with a gentle smile.
“I’ll live as Olivia Arken Golt for several years, or perhaps even several decades. If that happens, your work will become much easier. Once the second capital you plan to build is complete….”
She showed him a benevolent smile.
It resembled the smile she had shown Rutania’s son, yet it felt different.
“I’ll accept any sacrifice.”
* * *
Olivia left, and Ferda remained seated, lost in thought.
Only one word came to mind.
‘Olivia Arken Golt, Grand Duke….’
Judging only by the ambition she possessed, it was a truly magnificent name.
If Princess Olivia’s forces joined with those of Grand Duke Golt, and she merely promised to become a source of strength for the Far East, then the second capital she had mentioned would be easy to establish.
There was no need to worry about it separately.
It would not be Ferda treating Olivia like an object; it would be Olivia choosing it herself.
And she had chosen it twice.
‘And yet….’
This unpleasant feeling showed no sign of fading, no matter what he did.
Why?
‘Olivia resembled me.’
When the Ferda of a distant future that no longer existed first entered the Imperial Palace,
Ferda had known the moment he saw Olivia’s face.
She was someone who hated her family just as fiercely as he did.
Fearing that she would see through him just as clearly as he had seen through her, Ferda kept his distance from her.
Ferda slowly retraced Olivia’s actions.
She had never married any man, growing older as a lofty flower.
Until she became the enchantress who brought a country to ruin, she had guarded her chastity without seducing men.
‘Someone like that is trying to marry her sworn enemy.’
Valdemar Golt must have been someone she hated as much as her family.
Ferda could not share a space with an enemy for years, let alone months—or even days.
It was the same for Olivia.
Then why had she made such a bold decision?
Was it because she truly cared for the people of the Empire?
Because she believed she could sacrifice herself to save everyone?
Ferda could not tell which was the truth.
“Didn’t everything work out?”
His complicated thoughts were shattered.
The person who had barged in without even bothering to knock was Zed.
Suppressing his displeasure, Ferda spoke.
“It did work out. Thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me. And yet it seems there’s something you’re unhappy about?”
“That isn’t something I need to discuss with you. Why did you barge in here?”
Ferda had intended to reprimand him if he had come in for no reason, but that did not seem to be the case.
He was holding a notebook that did not suit him at all.
“Do you know what I did after infiltrating the bishop’s room?”
“I heard you found a corpse in his private quarters.”
“There was more than just a corpse there.”
It was originally a place where confidential letters and the like, accessible only to bishops, were stored—not somewhere meant to confine corpses.
Zed handed him a notebook he had taken from there.
“Apparently, those bishops have been recording the confessions of high-ranking nobles.”
“You took it?”
“I was a little curious about what kind of dirty tricks those noble bastards had been up to. I was just going to treat it like a trashy melodrama and read it, but… I found information worth charging extra for.”
Zed opened the book, his gaze suddenly quite serious.
“There was something like this in it.”
Ferda read the contents.
The moment he read it, Ferda was shaken.
He could not speak.
It felt as though someone had struck him hard on the back of the head.
“Ah….”
His mind grew so hazy that it would not have been an exaggeration to say he might go mad right then and there.
Driven to the very limit, at the moment he was pushed over the cliff,
Ferda regained his composure.
“Zed.”
The two syllables seemed to sink beneath the abyss.
Zed grew tense at the reaction, which was even more chilling than he had expected.
“Yes.”
“Bring Garnet here. And make preparations yourself as well.”
“What do you mean by preparations….”
“Because of me, the balance of power within the Empire is about to be disrupted.”
Ferda rose from his seat and spoke.
“I’m going to restore that balance.”
He said only that much, but Zed could sense it instinctively.
Before the night was over, a bloody wind would blow somewhere.
* * *
The residence of Akad Develung.
As the capital of the Arken Empire, a city capable of accommodating the staggering population of thirty million, even the nobles’ residences were more cramped than those in other aristocratic territories.
Living in a grand mansion with a garden in such a place was no easy matter.
It was impossible for someone with the rank of marquis in particular.
Akad Develung lived in one.
That was the price of loyalty to the Empire’s greatest power broker.
“Yes, Your Grace. We’ve prepared everything you mentioned. We should be able to begin tomorrow.”
What they had prepared was a proclamation concerning the major incident that had just occurred.
It stated that demonkind had infiltrated the Empire and that everyone needed to recognize the seriousness of the situation.
The problem was that it had not originated among the lower classes, like the followers of demons, but had erupted among those in power.
Valdemar was quick to calculate gains and losses.
He intended to use this chaos to strengthen his power even further.
He had always said that the Golden Council needed to be swept away by half to be cleansed.
That time had come.
“Yes, without a doubt, the utopia Your Grace envisions will be completed.”
If they handled this properly, Valdemar’s real power would grow even stronger, making him a vast force no one could touch.
“Understood. I’ll end the call here. Have a peaceful night.”
Akad cut off the telepathic communication and exhaled as though in ecstasy.
‘With this… everything will fall into Lord Valdemar’s hands.’
An absolute ruler whom no one could touch.
As that ruler’s right-hand man, he would now be able to purge every one of those who had dared to check him without worrying about the consequences.
Akad liked that even more than the honor and money coming his way.
“I should get some sleep for tomorrow.”
He would be busy from the moment he opened his eyes the next day, so he finished tidying up and was about to retire to his bedchamber.
That was when it happened.
The butler entered after knocking and delivered some unexpected news.
“My lord. A guest has arrived.”
“At this late hour?”
Akad frowned.
Arriving suddenly without an appointment was rude enough, and Akad especially disliked people who did not follow such rules.
“Who is it?”
“A man named Ferda Valdrova.”
Upon hearing the name, his displeasure vanished as though he had been caught off guard.
“The man who is Grand Duke Valdrova’s fiancé?”
“That is correct.”
How strange.
That man had no reason whatsoever to seek him out.
“Since it’s late, shall I tell him to come tomorrow morning?”
Akad, who had been lost in thought, shook his head.
“No. Show him in. Have the remaining servants illuminate the entire house.”
“Understood.”
Although Regent Ferda was young, everyone now knew through this incident that he was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
‘Besides, Grand Duke Golt has taken an interest in him as well.’
He had not said so outright, but it was easy enough to tell just by looking at his gaze toward Ferda.
A man like that had suddenly arrived late at night.
‘And he came to see me.’
There would be no harm in wasting some time.
Akad walked to the door, and the butler opened it to let the guest inside.
A man in a black suit with gray hair and blue eyes entered expressionlessly.
Akad sensed no killing intent.
Akad greeted him first.
“It is an honor to meet you, Regent. I am Marquis Akad Develung.”
Ferda bowed in turn and greeted him politely.
“You may speak casually to me.”
“No, I couldn’t. Even so, you are to become the consort of His Highness, Grand Duke Valdrova, and since you were presiding over the session at the time, it couldn’t be helped.”
Akad smiled ingratiatingly.
“But what brings you here so late at night?”
“I came to offer my thanks.”
“Your thanks?”
“I heard that you made the potion Count Ulbera Consilius was to drink. I had work piling up that needed to be handled by evening, so I ended up coming at an inconsiderate hour. My apologies.”
“Oh, not at all! Please, come inside! I’ll prepare some tea!”
Ferda’s eyes swept over the long corridor.
Not a single servant could be seen in the corridor of one of the largest houses in the Imperial capital.
“There aren’t many servants in this mansion.”
“Ah, it does feel a little bare, doesn’t it? We don’t use it except when there’s a great deal of cleaning to do.”
“Alchemy is delicate work, so I can understand that.”
“It isn’t that delicate. I simply don’t like complicated things.”
They arrived in the parlor while making light conversation.
Akad sent the butler away, leaving only the two of them in the spacious parlor.
“I’ll prepare the tea.”
“Have a servant do it. It must be troublesome for you….”
“Since it’s a precious tea, it requires delicate handling. Our butler doesn’t know how to do that, so I always serve valuable guests myself.”
“Is that so? In that case….”
Akad placed the leaves in the teapot and poured in carefully heated water.
The finesse in his movements was unmistakable proof that he came from an alchemical family.
The hands-on work was finished, and now all they had to do was wait.
Akad cast a sidelong glance toward Ferda.
He was not in the seating area.
Instead, he was intently examining a painting hanging on the wall.
Akad might have assumed he was simply interested in the painting, but that was not the case.
There were more than forty paintings hanging on that wall.
And yet, among them, there was one.
He was looking at exactly one.
It was an abstract painting with paint splattered roughly across it.
“Do you like that painting?”
Akad approached Ferda and asked.
Ferda answered with a startled look, as though he had been lost in thought.
“I’m feeling somewhat strange. How should I put it? I feel a force drawing me in.”
Akad grinned at Ferda’s assessment.
Ferda was the first person to give him an answer he liked that much.
“Well now… Since you put it that way, I can’t help but boast a little. I actually painted it myself.”
“Is that so?”
“My skill is so poor that I slipped it in among the masterpieces to make it look impressive.”
“That isn’t true. If your skill were really so poor, would it have caught my eye first?”
Ferda looked at it with eyes filled with emotion.
“This is the first time I’ve felt such passionate heat from a painting.”
Akad liked Ferda more and more.
It was not simply because he had heard something pleasant.
Countless people around him praised his paintings.
There had been some who singled out that abstract painting as well.
But few people understood the emotion one was supposed to feel from it as Ferda did.
Akad, whose age was approaching forty, felt his heart pounding.
Perhaps.
‘This man may be a kindred spirit.’
If so…
Could he understand that as well?
“Regent.”
“Yes, Marquis Develung.”
“You’ve praised my meager skill, and now my head is swelling a little. So I’d like to show you another painting, if you don’t mind….”
Akad asked shyly.
Ferda nodded.
“If you have another painting, I’d be the one asking you to show it to me.”
“Ha ha, very well!”
Akad beamed and pressed a spot in the gap between the walls of the parlor.
A mechanical sound rang out, and the space between two masterpieces opened, revealing a hidden room.
There was a painting in that hidden room as well.
It was painted in a style similar to the abstract painting Ferda had seen.
The painting Ferda had seen was titled ‘Passion.’
And the one he showed Ferda had been named ‘Akad Develung’s Love.’
“What do you think?”
Akad was inwardly anxious.
Like a child waiting for his score after all the material he had studied appeared on the test, he waited for Ferda’s answer.
“This is….”
He gave his score.
“Disgusting.”
What fell before him was a failing grade.
Akad’s face hardened.
“……What did you say?”
“I don’t know what it’s meant to express, but… I find it a little disgusting.”
Ferda’s brow furrowed, and he covered his nose as though he had smelled something foul.
He trampled and defiled it with that same composure.
“Is this an expression of the disgust the marquis felt?”
The love he had displayed without the slightest attempt to hide it.