Chapter 51
The brilliant silver light of the moon and stars spread across the bluish sea shrouded in darkness.
With a splashing sound, white foam washed ashore and soaked Vieta's white ankles.
After Ahan's Ghost disappeared, the number of people visiting the sea at night increased sharply, but thanks to the darkness kindly concealing Vieta and Blanc, the two of them could enjoy a nighttime stroll without attracting anyone's attention.
The weather, location, and atmosphere were all perfect, yet the two of them simply walked along the coast without saying a word.
The only thing filling the awkward silence was the plaintive cry of the gently rolling waves.
“Vieta.”
When they reached a secluded place, Blanc, who had kept silent until then, called Vieta to a halt.
“Hm?”
A chilly night breeze swept between the two of them.
Blanc carefully chose his words as he watched Vieta turn toward him.
She was pretending that nothing was wrong, but unlike usual, her gaze kept wavering.
From the beginning, there had been only one thing he wanted to ask.
Why had she not asked him to come with her?
It was an exceedingly childish and narrow-minded question that could be mistaken for jealousy, but Blanc was serious.
He could let it go once or twice by telling himself that such things happened, but if those misunderstandings piled up and drove a great rift between them, they might never be able to return to the way they had been.
He wanted to avoid that at all costs.
Regardless of how he felt about Vieta, Fulcare and Vieta were both precious people who had shared his laughter and tears all this time.
Blanc opened his mouth after choosing words that would hurt neither Vieta's feelings nor his own.
“Why didn’t you ask me to come with you that day?”
Seeing Vieta tilt her head with an expression of incomprehension, Blanc continued.
“I mean the day you left to investigate the northern coast. I was going to go with you, but by then you and Fulcare were already out. You hadn't said anything to me….”
The sound of the crashing waves gradually grew quieter.
“To be honest, I was a little hurt. I assumed you had your reasons, but last night Fulcare told me that you had refused to go with me, Vieta.”
The smile was fading from Vieta's face. Her expression was inscrutable, neither one of approval nor disapproval, but Blanc did not hesitate.
“If I did something wrong, or if I made you uncomfortable in some way, I’d like you to tell me honestly. That way, I can be more careful, too.”
*
Today's walk had been entirely Blanc's suggestion.
Just as Vieta, exhausted after a long day, had returned to her lodging and was about to rest, Blanc had appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her wrist, and led her away without a word.
“Couldn’t you tell me, if you don’t mind?”
She had wondered what was wrong when he said nothing throughout the walk, only to have him ask such an embarrassingly awkward question.
Vieta looked at Blanc and calmly gathered her thoughts.
Looking back, they had truly been nothing important.
Why he had not told her about the marquis's request, and whether he had really planned to investigate with Marlene.
They were things that could have been resolved immediately if she had simply asked Blanc.
And yet there was only one reason things between them had become so tangled.
Vieta herself had jumped to conclusions and run away.
Some people might call her a coward for it, but it could not be helped.
The goddess and the Empire had both abandoned her before, and as a result, she had grown far too accustomed to being forgotten.
That was why she had given up so easily this time, too.
Things that had served their purpose were meant to be discarded.
“If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t force you. But….”
“Weren’t you planning to go with Marlene?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Blanc's face filled with bewilderment at the completely unexpected answer.
Vieta told Blanc what she had heard at the window that day.
Because he had kept talking with Marlene and discussing ghosts, she had assumed he was planning to go with her.
She had not heard the details clearly, but she had heard him say they would go together.
“I didn’t want to get in the way. Besides, you two looked close.”
“I’m close with Marlene? Vieta, what kind of misunderstanding are you—”
“It’s the matter of Marquis Ahan, too. Couldn’t you have told me from the beginning? No, you told Marlene, so why didn’t you tell me? You said you were going to investigate with Marlene without telling me anything, so how could I possibly face you?”
Even though she tried not to, her voice kept growing more heated, and Vieta bit her lips as she tried to calm herself.
“You drew the line first! You were the one who put distance between us! Weren’t you trying to abandon me, too?”
“Abandon you? What are you talking about! That’s not it, Vieta.”
Blanc hurriedly approached Vieta.
The tears pooling in her narrowed pink eyes pained him.
“I didn’t tell you about Marquis Ahan because Fulcare and I had fought. I can’t tell you why we fought, but after that, I felt too embarrassed to face him.”
Blanc took out a handkerchief and handed it to Vieta.
“And that night, Lady Marlene did say that she wanted to come along on the investigation, but I refused. That’s why I went looking for you and Fulcare in the morning. We had promised to go together. Well, in the end, I did go with Lady Marlene, but I wanted to go with the two of you from the beginning."
Blanc put his sincerity into every word.
“I would never abandon you, Vieta.”
***
“Recently, the number of elves making their way into the Kingdom of Madak has increased sharply. Some of them came from the World Tree, but quite a few are also crossing over from the Empire.”
Blanc and Fulcare grew solemn as they listened to aide Anatole in the marquis's office.
“When did these signs first appear?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Approximately two months ago.”
“If the elves were merely scattering because of the incidents occurring at the World Tree, I could understand it. But why is their refuge the Kingdom of Madak rather than the Empire?”
There were no high elves like Iseria in the Kingdom of Madak.
For an elf with nothing to their name to start over, the Dikram Empire would be far better than the Kingdom of Madak.
“As the Archmage said, we found that suspicious as well, so we have been keeping an eye on the elves' situation.”
Though they had lost much of their power, elves were still elves.
Since they were a race superior to humans, their movements always had to be monitored with caution.
If the elves happened to join hands with another country and betray the Empire, the continent's dominant power might change hands.
“According to the report on the disappearance incident that occurred before, we determined that a third faction was involved….”
“I’ve read that report, too. Do you think that third faction is the Kingdom of Madak?”
Fulcare slowly nodded.
Although Vieta had dispelled it effortlessly, the defensive ward around the cabin had been high-level magic.
Besides, the Imperial Consort was from the Kingdom of Madak. If the Consort, who hated Blanc, were behind it, she could easily have drawn the Kingdom of Madak into this.
“What are your thoughts, Your Highness?”
Blanc tapped his fingers lightly on the table as he gathered his thoughts.
From the severed contact with the Third Princess to the elves' suspicious movements, it was clear even to him that the Kingdom of Madak was plotting something.
However, the Kingdom of Madak lacked sufficient motive to join hands with the elves.
The Kingdom of Madak enjoyed wealth rivaling the Empire's through its abundant resources and magic. If it allied with the elves and declared all-out war on the Empire under those circumstances, both countries would inevitably suffer tremendous losses.
It had been only five years since the Demon Realm War ended. Any ruler would naturally avoid destroying the peace and wealth they had finally regained with their own hands after just five years.
“For now, I think it would be best to investigate without narrowing down the enemy. Judging solely by motive, the Sijak Duchy, the Empress's natal duchy, would have more reason to rebel against the Empire. And since magic has been highly developed in the Kingdom of Madak since ancient times, the mana-sensitive elves may feel a sense of affinity with it.”
The marquis nodded in agreement.
“Then for now, we should help Elrod, the elves’ new leader, and eliminate the opposition first. From the Empire’s perspective, it makes little difference whether Elrod becomes their leader or the representative of the opposition takes the position, but in terms of legitimacy and justification, we should side with Elrod.”
“Exactly. It would be troublesome if siding with the rebels caused the winds of rebellion to blow in another country or within the Empire.”
So in the end, it was another war.
Blanc let out a short sigh and opened his mouth.
“Marquis, continue investigating the elves’ movements. Likewise, pay close attention to anyone crossing from the Kingdom of Madak into Bengshona or Ahan.”
The marquis answered with a slight nod.
“Let’s depart in three days. Archmage, will that be all right?”
“Of course.”
Fulcare also nodded lightly.
*
“Archmage Fulcare’s illness seems to be lingering.”
Would it be wise to send the marquis’s personal physician as well?
After Blanc and Fulcare left, the aide tidying up after the meeting cautiously broached the subject.
“Well, it would have been more surprising if he had remained fine this long.”
The marquis leaned against the window, took out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips. A long meeting could easily exhaust even a healthy person.
At least this time, he had someone to put their heads together with, which made things easier.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been tormented for days on end trying to think everything through alone.
That damned emperor had shut himself away in the capital and refused to come out….
“As for the physician, see to it yourself….”
The marquis’s words abruptly trailed off as he gave Anatole his instructions.
His black eyes tracked the suspicious maid he had seen before.