They captured the third prince, killed all the corrupt ones, and finally obtained the book.
Hakon Kaelin and his grandson, Rob Kaelin, having fulfilled their purpose, returned immediately to Alprosen.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Thank you. Your help was invaluable.”
“And I thank you again for saving the crown prince.”
“I only did what I had to.”
“Including accepting the reward you deserved?”
“I don’t deny it.”
No matter how much he used the excuse of accompanying a friend of his grandson, for a Royal Knight to travel to another kingdom could become quite a serious diplomatic issue.
“Luina, Aint. Come to Alprosen sometime. I’ll show you what knights are really like over there. Ah, and you too, Fernan.”
“Yes, if the opportunity arises, I’d be glad to go.”
“Me too.”
“Alright.”
Thus, Hakon Kaelin and Rob Kaelin departed.
“Then, all that’s left is to bring the third prince before His Highness the first prince, right?”
“No, wait, Aint.”
If one saw it simply, yes. But the world didn’t work with such simplicity.
“They say the Esrin mountains are beautiful. How about we take the time to calmly admire the scenery?”
“…Huh?”
The unexpected suggestion made everyone frown. The mission was over and, being school season, the logical thing was to return quickly.
“After all, it was a rare trip. Everything’s done, we’re at peace, and honestly, even if we return a bit late, nothing serious will happen.”
The rector would cover for them anyway.
“Fighting corrupt ones and demons is exhausting, and it always feels like we’re being chased. Precisely for that reason, it’s good to take a breather. Let’s rest a few days before heading back.”
“Sounds perfect to me! Listening to boring lectures at the Academy doesn’t compare; this is a hundred times better. And we already worked hard enough, didn’t we?”
Aria smiled broadly as she agreed.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it either.”
“I don’t mind…”
“Do I even have a choice?”
Luina simply nodded without thinking much, and neither Gismond nor Verian could oppose Fernan’s words.
— Not a bad idea. Besides, it’ll help organize what we learned from the recent revelations.
“If everyone agrees…”
When even Gardner said that, Aint ended up agreeing. Thus, they went deeper into the mountains.
Outwardly, it was still said that they were searching for corrupt ones and fighting alongside the third prince.
In an uninhabited and hard-to-find place, they set up the first tent and locked the prince inside.
“It’s made like a portable cell. Without the key, he can’t get out.”
“…You guys have everything.”
“Everyone choose the tent you like and set it up.”
Fernan, meanwhile, tossed his tent to the side and sat on a rock to admire the scenery. Hyde was setting it up for him.
Then, Luina approached.
“What are you plotting?”
“Plotting? Nothing.”
“You don’t waste time in a forest without a reason.”
“Maybe.”
“No, impossible.”
With that confident expression, Fernan let out a slight laugh. Luina already knew him too well.
“And your tent?”
“Already done.”
“That fast?”
“In Bercheff we’ve set up many. These are luxury ones, much easier.”
“Of course, they’re made so even a novice can set them up.”
“You’re not going to tell me what you’re after?”
Fernan gently tapped his thigh with his fingers.
“To sell provisions.”
“…What?”
“The first, second, and third princes are gathering nobles and troops. That means they’re consuming enormous amounts of food and war supplies.”
And several of them had already placed orders with the Golden Turtle Company.
It was natural; no other could handle such volume immediately.
“But if it’s revealed that the third prince allied with the corrupt and was captured by the first, the civil war will vanish instantly.”
With that, the struggle for the throne would stop being a legitimate dispute and become an act of treason. The fire of war would be snuffed out in an instant.
The second prince existed, yes, but had less support than the third, so he couldn’t do anything alone.
“…So you want to prolong the tension to keep selling supplies.”
“In summary, yes.”
“I see. Got it.”
Her calm acceptance surprised even Fernan.
“You’re not going to scold me?”
“Should I?”
“If you were the Luina I met at the beginning, yes.”
He thought that, as a knight who respected honor, she wouldn’t tolerate profiting by provoking instability in a kingdom.
“Maybe I would’ve before.”
She said it nonchalantly.
“But you saved Esrin.”
And it was true.
If not for Fernan, Aint, Aria, and Verian would’ve died.
The corrupt would have achieved their goal and devoured the kingdom.
Although most in Esrin didn’t know it, in truth, they owed their salvation to Fernan.
“Everyone has different priorities. And you’re a merchant.”
A merchant sells what he has and charges what’s fair.
Fernan had sold “the salvation of a kingdom,” and now it was time to collect.
“If not for you, all of Esrin would’ve been ravaged. Now the only thing that’ll happen is they’ll buy a lot of supplies. And at a fair price. That’s not bad.”
“I raised the prices a bit.”
It was natural; there’s always “war profit.”
“Even so, it’s better to lose money than lose blood and money at the same time. In fact, it’s not even a loss, it’s just an exchange.”
“Hooh, interesting.”
Fernan tapped his knee faster and faster, his piercing gaze fixed on her.
“And your true opinion?”
“What I said is what I think.”
“Luina, they say when someone changes too fast, they die. And it’s not your time yet.”
Just as she now understood him better, he also understood Luina well.
He drew three circles in the sand.
“This is the Golden Turtle Company, this is Bercheff, and this is Esrin.”
He drew a line from Esrin to the Turtle.
“Esrin ordered war supplies from the Company.”
Then, the line went from the Turtle to Bercheff.
“And the Company outsourced the work to Bercheff.”
That way, the factories and workshops funded by the Pellenbergs could activate and produce more.
“Due to the size of the order, it’s a vital matter for Bercheff. If it fails, it’d be serious.”
Fernan recalled the moment he offered Luina the partnership.
Back then, she was full of distrust toward him.
Understandable — Pellenberg had pressured Bercheff to near-collapse to force her to accept.
But she had seen that the contract was the only way out and took it.
Luina was a just knight, yes, but above all, she was Bercheff’s daughter.
“…Are you reading my mind?”
After a long silence, Luina finally let her guard down.
“My father said this is very important for Bercheff.”
“And he’s right. The princes have placed huge orders.”
“That’s why.”
“So, to feel at ease, you kept repeating justifications to yourself.”
“…I wouldn’t go that far.”
“But it was fine.”
Fernan smiled.
After all, everyone carries contradictions; no one lives flawlessly all the time.
There were knights who only spoke of justice, without understanding how expensive it was to be one.
But Luina wasn’t one of them, and that was clear now.
“Alright. And what do you think if we hire disguised mercenaries or use the press to exaggerate the tension? We need to sell while we still can…”
“I never said I’d go that far!”
Hmm, she still had a ways to go.
***
Late at night.
Fernan woke the sleeping Gismond.
“Get up, senior.”
“Uh… Fernan? What’s going on so suddenly…?”
“Do you remember the prophecy?”
“The prophecy?”
“Yes. The one about Esrin.”
Even half-asleep, Gismond forced himself to recall.
“Ah… don’t tell me it’s that one…”
The civil war in Esrin and the death of the crown prince of Alprosen.
Those weren’t the only visions they had seen in the prophecy. Those were the broad strokes, but in between were minor details—elixirs, minerals, fragments of information.
“In Esrin, there was something about a mineral…”
“…Adamant?”
“Correct.”
It wasn’t a large quantity, but adamant had been discovered in Esrin.
It wasn’t Aint who found it—it had actually been widely published in the newspaper.
Tulwin himself, now the third prince, had boasted about discovering it and forging weapons with it.
In truth, he had done it to polish his poor reputation a bit, but the discovery and the forging of the sword were real.
And Fernan was going to take it for himself.
No matter how small the amount, adamant was adamant.
“But… why me?”
“There may still be corrupt ones in the area, and I can’t go alone. And you’re the only one here who knows about the prophecy, senior.”
“And Hyde…?”
“Hyde went on an errand.”
“And Wooden…?”
“I’ll go with Wooden. All I need is for you to stand guard for me for a while. If someone asks, just respond properly.”
“Ah…”
Gismond had hoped to be invited to accompany him, but he ended up nodding.
Upon going outside, the moon was just a thin arc and covered by clouds: the night was dark.
“Be careful. Do you even know where it is exactly?”
“I only know it’s somewhere around here.”
But that was enough.
With Wooden, it wouldn’t be hard to find.
“This place will do.”
Deep in the mountain, at a considerable distance from the camp, Fernan placed Wooden on the ground.
— Kyuu!
Wooden extended his roots to scan the surroundings. And just then, a shadow dropped from a tree.
“What are you doing out here at this hour?”
Despite the sudden appearance, Fernan replied calmly.
“And you, why are you awake at this hour?”
“I couldn’t sleep, I was restless. And I saw you leave, senior.”
“Restless?”
“The Esrin case doesn’t feel as distant as it seems.”
Just as the third prince of Esrin allied with the corrupt, Adolf Fridian had done the same.
Aria had seen with her own eyes what the prince had done and how it all ended, which is why she couldn’t feel at ease.
She could pretend, lay traps, but from afar she couldn’t control everything.
What if Adolf, while she was at the Academy, sacrificed the people to the corrupt like the prince did?
What if he attacked the Empire with hordes of monsters?
“I can’t tell you not to worry, but at least for now there won’t be any problems.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Count Daniel is dead.”
Count Daniel and Roderick had fallen, and not just in Alprosen: in Esrin too, everything had gone wrong for them.
Two major centers of the shadows had collapsed one after another; the rest would remain quiet for a while.
“With Daniel’s death, their link, the corrupt can’t act until they establish another connection. And for that, they’ll have to hide.”
“I see. Said like that, I do feel more at ease.”
Aria’s expression softened.
“Oh, by the way—how did you know I was following you?”
— Kyuu!
“Ah, I see, Wooden noticed. So, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for something.”
“Looking for what?”
“Mineral. Wooden detected something.”
— Kyuu?
Fernan couldn’t reveal the prophecy, so he disguised it as if it were Wooden’s doing. The golem looked at him with a face like ‘what are you saying?’, but luckily Aria didn’t notice.
“Mineral? What kind?”
“Don’t get greedy.”
“Come on, I’m not going to take anything. I’m just curious.”
“Adamant.”
“Adamant? Can I see it when you find it?”
Aria showed a slight curiosity, nothing more.
“Do what you want.”
Then.
— Kyu, Kyuuu!
Wooden opened his glowing eyes: he had found what he was looking for.
“You found the adamant?”
— Kyu, Kyuu!
“What…?”
“There’s an underground space your roots can’t reach?”
— Kyuu!
“A magic protection field?”
“And why would there be something like that underground?”
Fernan and Aria looked at each other.
“Are you going?”
“Of course.”
Wooden returned to Fernan’s pendant.
Rumble—
In an instant, the two disappeared into the depths of the underground.
____
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