Chapter 195
Night.
I had slipped out of the castle and was at the inn where I had held a secret meeting with Mia.
"How did it go? Did you find anything?"
Mia immediately nodded at my question.
Tomorrow was the day of the ceremony.
Although the festival would continue afterward, it was still an important day.
So the other side had made its move, too.
"I found one of the Grimoire's executives."
"Oh? Do you know them?"
"No. It was someone I had never seen before."
"And yet you know they're an executive?"
Mia nodded and pulled out a sheet of paper.
Drawn on it was the mark of a black book. Not just any book, either—it was a bizarre book with demonic wings.
I narrowed my eyes at the suspicious-looking mark.
"What is this?"
"It's the Grimoire's symbol. Its executives have it tattooed on their bodies."
"I see. Did you find someone with this mark?"
"Yes."
Finding one of the Grimoire's executives was a major breakthrough.
If we followed their movements, we would naturally learn what they were planning.
The presence of a criminal organization in the Imperial Capital during the ceremony was ominous in the extreme, but all we could do was strengthen security.
Even if I told Father, he would not launch an investigation. He had no people to spare, and if their plan had already begun, it was too late anyway.
Canceling the ceremony was not an option, either.
Our options were limited.
"What about Leonart-sama?"
Sebas asked how Leo was doing.
Only Leo could hope to get anything out of the Saint, who was probably holding the secret.
It was only natural for him to be concerned.
"I did what I could to support him, but... from here on, it's up to Leo."
"If the Saint senses something ominous too, she should tell us. We'd be able to help her."
"The fact that she isn't talking lets us make certain assumptions."
"What assumptions?"
"...Saint Leticia fought for the Kingdom. The Kingdom and its people are what she must protect, even if they betray her."
"You mean the Kingdom will betray the Saint?"
I nodded once at Sebas's question.
The fact that Leticia had kept silent, saying it was her own problem, had to mean that.
"I can't believe it... The Saint is supposed to be the one supporting the Kingdom..."
"The Kingdom isn't a monolith. The faction currently leading it is pro-Empire, centered around Saint Leticia. But there are also many anti-Empire factions. They are also supporters of the United Kingdom. They claim that the Kingdom should join forces with the United Kingdom and stand against the Empire. That is why Leticia, who improved relations with the Empire and repelled the United Kingdom's invasion, is such an obstacle to them."
To the United Kingdom, Leticia was a thorn in its side.
As long as the Saint named Leticia remained, the United Kingdom would never be able to seize any of the Kingdom's territory. In the first place, the United Kingdom's leading figures would not go so far as to start a war. No—they couldn't.
The United Kingdom feared Leticia that much. She might even have become a source of trauma for them.
That was precisely why Leticia's presence was an obstacle to building a close relationship with the United Kingdom.
"Even though she's the Saint who saved the country... To try to eliminate her whenever she becomes inconvenient... How despicable."
"That's how human beings are. When Leticia took the field, the Kingdom was in dire straits. It eventually managed to recover and regain its strength, but once it did, it began considering territorial expansion. In that case, having good relations with the Empire would be a problem. The territory they want most for expansion is in the center of the continent—in other words, Imperial territory."
"How ironic. The Saint saved the Kingdom and restored its strength, only for them to try to eliminate her."
"Exactly. The fact that Leticia came to the Empire at this time means that the pro-Empire faction intends to sign a treaty with the Empire. If the anti-Empire faction has decided that now is the time to stop it and started making its move, then I can understand Leticia's words. This is indeed an internal problem for the Kingdom. The stage just happens to be the Empire."
If the Saint were assassinated in the Empire, tensions would rise between the Empire and the Kingdom.
The United Kingdom had long sought territory on the continent—territory far larger than that of a vassal state. That was why it had invaded the Kingdom, but it was not specifically fixated on the Kingdom.
What they wanted was territory on the continent. It did not matter whose territory it was.
If that was the case, it was entirely possible for them to join forces with the Kingdom and attack the Empire. If they had a sufficient pretext, they might even be able to draw the Imperial Realm into the conflict.
If that happened, even the Empire would be hard-pressed.
"This is purely speculation, but... if the Empire were to find itself at a disadvantage, it would probably be forced to cede territory. In addition, someone would have to take responsibility for the Saint's assassination. As the person who had been attending to her, Leo would be highly likely to become that sacrifice. In other words... this would be an enticing prospect for the candidates to the Imperial throne as well."
"Would they really want the throne badly enough to bring harm to their own country? That's completely backward."
"It is, but based on their actions so far, I can't say it's impossible. The Grimoire may have exploited those circumstances, or the Kingdom or one of the throne candidates may have dragged them into it. Either way, every faction has a motive. And if they have a motive, then it's a possibility."
"However, since each faction is acting toward its own goals, I doubt things will proceed according to the scenario."
I nodded at Sebas's words.
The anti-Empire faction wanted to destroy the Empire, and the candidates for the Imperial throne probably did not regard the Kingdom as an ally, either.
In that case, it would not be strange for each of them to begin acting independently, either when the Saint was assassinated or shortly beforehand.
With all sorts of motives becoming entangled, it would be extremely difficult to predict what would happen.
"I don't know whether the Grimoire is involved with the Saint, but since they went so far as to infiltrate the Empire's ceremony, it is a fact that they are plotting something nefarious. Even if they turn out to have nothing to do with the Saint, stopping the Grimoire's plot would give us a reason to send the important figures home early. We might be able to prevent things from becoming even more troublesome. Investigate the Grimoire further. We need to find out what they are planning."
"Understood. If we fail to act in time, what do you intend to do?"
"Then we'll take matters into our own hands. Though I hope it never comes to that."
If the Saint were assassinated, Leo would surely be unable to recover for quite some time.
If that happened, his faction itself would be shaken.
Above all, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.
"In the worst case, I'll use my trump card. But it's not something I want to use. You understand?"
"Yes. Leave it to us."
Having entrusted the Grimoire matter to Sebas and Mia, I left the room.
Well, let's see how things play out.
At least, I had decided which candidates for the Imperial throne needed to be watched.
Anyone who loved the word "war" would probably go along with a plan like this.
"Whatever he was like in the past, he's an irredeemable fool now, Gordon."
Muttering that, I returned to the castle.