When the First Princess Zephyr D. Arsha Olicia appeared, a few sharp-witted nobles immediately grasped the unfolding situation.
So, it was an imperial family power struggle all along?
Currently, Arunvida was under the care of the Second Princess Anastasia, and her request had been rejected.
This was mere speculation until now, but when they saw the First Princess personally step in, they confirmed that she was indeed in conflict with the Crown Prince.
Olicia looked at the eyes focused on her and smiled as she always did.
“Unfortunately, due to insufficient evidence, the imperial family has decided to put this matter on hold. It seems they judged it to be of lesser importance compared to the Great Mezaiya Forest.”
“……”
Although Olicia spoke as if it wasn’t what they were thinking, a few who had already begun to doubt didn’t easily believe her words.
“So, are you saying that the Princess wishes for our coalition to be dispatched to Arunvida?”
Olicia nodded her head in response to the question from Halo Mild, the head of the coalition, who had caught on to the imperial family’s reality.
“If you were to offer such help, our imperial family would not forget it.”
“Well… I wonder what everyone else thinks.”
Other members of the council nodded their heads in agreement with the head’s negative stance.
No matter how high the value of the empire’s currency was, if they began laying the groundwork now, there would be ways to mitigate the situation, even if it required some sacrifices.
There was no reason to participate in a risky gamble.
No matter how independent the coalition might be from the Empire’s power, was there any need to provoke someone who could one day become the Emperor?
“Of course, I don’t intend to simply accept help without reciprocating. If your opinions align even slightly, I will personally request a proper army from the imperial family under my name.”
“Hmm…”
This way, the justification will be better.
Even if there were huge losses in the defensive battle, it would tarnish the Empire’s reputation rather than cause any real harm to the coalition.
If anything, leaving the imperial family indebted to them could be seen as a profitable outcome.
Yet despite this, the members of the council couldn’t shake their uneasy expressions.
If they were to participate in the Empire’s expedition, it had to be with the intention of winning, but no matter how they looked at it, they couldn’t help but wonder if the outcome would be different from fifty years ago.
Even if they agreed with Olicia’s opinion, could they really prepare for a proper war with the orcs in the harsh lands of Arunvida?
When they recalled how the Empire had been forced to retreat from Arunvida fifty years ago, the prospects didn’t seem hopeful.
Of course, there have been technological advancements since then, so it wouldn’t be exactly the same scenario…
But on the other hand, the orcs had also made progress, particularly in their use of magic.
The reason the nobles and mages of the council didn’t openly discuss this was that it remained a historical humiliation for the Empire.
Naturally, the intelligent Olicia understood what they were hinting at.
“It’s alright. I know exactly what you’re all worried about. But everyone, we humans are a race that progresses from past failures.”
With that, Olicia turned her gaze toward Shane.
[Now, let’s move on to the second presentation. I would like to express my gratitude to Elder Arcia J. Cayton of the Kabeer Magic Tower who helped in the earlier demonstration.]
At this, the eyes of the mages lit up once more.
When the conference began, Shane had requested one particular favor.
Some of the mages looked at Shane with dumbfounded eyes. They werewondering if it could be true.
Sensing their gazes, Shane unfolded a scroll enchanted with magic.
The scroll reacted to the magic and emitted a blue light, and soon a round portal began to appear.
“T-Teleportation?!”
The Magical City of Magical Wisp was a place where a teleportation-blocking magic circle was installed.
However, a few nodded when they saw the scroll in Cayton’s hand that Shane had mentioned earlier.
It was because the scroll nullified the teleportation-blocking magic circle in Magical Wisp under certain conditions.
[This is a new concept of transportation using life essence, called ‘Life Teleport’.]
From within the portal, the sound of clanking armor echoed along with the heavy steps of someone in armor.
At the same time, light silver-blue hair tied with a frayed hairband cascaded down to the neck, and cold silver eyes that resembled a snowfield scanned the hall.
“It’s been a while, Olicia.”
“My, I didn’t expect to meet you like this. You’ve grown so much, even more than me.”
Zephyr D. Natasha Anastasia
The second flower of the Empire, the Second Imperial Princess, emerged from beyond the portal.
***
As harsh as the climate was, the rugged terrain was just as much an obstacle to human progress.
Especially when those two factors were intertwined, it made the area nearly impossible for humans to live in.
Because humans now thrive through interaction and exchange.
In this sense, Arunvida was inevitably a troublesome region even for the Empire.
Every year, they had to send supplies to fend off the threatening monster waves, yet due to the excessively cold aura of Arunvida’s magical power, teleportation was impossible.
In short, it was a land akin to a chicken rib. Something that wasn’t particularly useful but was too valuable to discard.
However, on the other hand, if a means of transportation could be resolved, Arunvida could become a land of considerable worth.
While it didn’t house magic stones like the Great Mezaiya Forest, the land was rich with various other mines.
And that wasn’t all.
The materials that could be obtained from the annual monster waves were of great value.
Unlike typical dungeons where monster corpses disappeared after a certain time, Arunvida was a place where monsters lived outside of dungeon boundaries.
If a solution could be found, the land would indeed be worth its weight in gold.
And now.
At the sight of that very problem being resolved right before their eyes, many people’s eyes widened in astonishment.
The nobles, in particular, realized that the First and Second Imperial Princesses had joined forces and that the justification would now overwhelmingly favor them.
Meanwhile, the mages were shocked that Shane had actually succeeded in using life essence to teleport.
“Ahhhh!”
“Damn it, we’re too late!”
“My, my research funds, my time…!”
Among them, mages who had been working on the same research as Shane screamed in despair.
There was no way their results could be better than this magic whose performance had already been personally verified by the Imperial Princess.
[As you can see, teleportation became possible by rearranging the life essence into magical codes centered around the area of Arunvida.]
“W-Wait a moment. Is that really possible? You mean you interpreted life essence and converted it into magical codes?”
What Shane was saying was akin to translating another race’s language directly into human speech.
Of course, with enough time, such a feat might be achievable, but the mages couldn’t believe that he had done it alone, and in just a few months.
Moreover, unlike language, magic wasn’t even something humans had created.
Magic was still shrouded in mystery.
Shane’s next words were enough to make the mages clutch their heads in disbelief.
[Though there were many difficulties and trials, they led to a successful outcome.]
This wasn’t just like someone claiming they got into an academy as the top student by simply reading the textbooks.
Is this what talent looks like…?
I might as well die of old age. Yes, to get beaten by someone so young! I deserve to die!
Just discovering that code alone would bring in an enormous amount of money…!
In reality, there were countless regions abandoned due to harsh environments, just like Arunvida.
If that teleportation magic circle were to be commercialized, the incentives alone would be enough to make someone wealthy.
Many mages looked at Shane with eyes full of jealousy or admiration.
Many doubted that such achievements could be made at such a young age, but wasn’t this the same mage that Raviata acknowledged?
The mages, who knew better than anyone how cruel talent could be, eventually nodded in bitter acceptance of reality.
Finally, the conference opened by Shane came to a close, and the two princesses who were meeting for the first time in seven years secured a private room to face each other.
“We must have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid I won’t have time. Things have been hectic.”
Perhaps it was because of the attack on the centurion orc or maybe it was the troubling reports about recent orc activities. Anastasia knew she had to finish her business here quickly and return as soon as possible.
“It’s a shame. After all, it’s been seven years since we last met.”
“What can we do? Time isn’t on our side. If we manage to get through this crisis, we can catch up properly then.”
“Yes… I’m just glad to see that you’re doing well.”
Olicia looked at her younger sister with genuine relief.
This sister of hers had never feared standing on the front lines, thanks to her exceptional physical abilities from a young age.
She preferred to hang out with soldiers rather than maintain the dignity of the imperial family. She chose armor over dresses and a burning resolve over beautiful corsages to defend the empire.
It was this same Anastasia who, due to a series of events, had been cast away to the barren land of Arunvida.
One might think that eliminating a rival would bring some satisfaction, but Olicia felt no joy in it.
After all, Anastasia was merely an example—a demonstration of how her brother Samuel dealt with those who opposed him.
Perhaps that was why.
Anastasia looked at Olicia with a newfound interest.
“Are you surprised that I stepped forward?”
“Yes, you always seemed to be watching our brother’s every move, right up until the moment I left.”
Anastasia’s expression didn’t carry any blame for Olicia.
She was simply stating the facts as they were.
Because of this, Olicia didn’t show any sign of offense. Instead, she smiled as she lifted a cup of tea.
“Just as one lowers their stance to run faster, I found myself in a similar situation.”
Since that day seven years ago, Olicia had kept a low profile. She was waiting and waiting for the right opportunity.
Originally, she had no intention of making a move so soon, but the long-awaited chance had finally come.
Samuel who was confident that nothing could obstruct his path let his guard down, and the boy with the rose-colored eyes did not miss that opening.
Now that everything had fallen into place, how could she not seize the moment?
“…Alright, fine. So, what are you planning to do next?”
“Didn’t he tell you anything?”
“He said you’d take care of the rest. I was just supposed to come, listen, and decide.”
“Wow… so you call someone all the way here and leave everything else to them?”
Though she spoke those words, Olicia was actually smiling.
She found it amusing.
This situation.
If Shane had tried to handle everything from start to finish, Olicia would have felt resentment.
But Shane had only set the stage and left the rest to her.
It was like presenting her with a spread of delicious ingredients and then inviting her to cook to her heart’s content.
And she wasn’t the kind of person to spoil such fine ingredients.
“Now that it’s come to this, let’s stir things up.”
As she said this, Olicia flashed a sly smile.
Anastasia who saw that expression was reminded of the past.
When was it?
A long time ago, just before she was about to take revenge on Samuel, who had tormented her, she had the same mischievous look.
Of course, the circumstances now were vastly different from back then.
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