Chapter 207 - An Absurd Misunderstanding

The Arken Empire was the largest power on the Serdes Continent. Its vast territory had been built through ceaseless conquest and expansion into new lands.

But even that had its limits. Keep expanding across a continent, and sooner or later, you reached someone else's territory. The Empire had continued its steady expansion without pause, annexing the lands of others.

Those ambitions had only come to a halt with the outbreak of the Dragon-Demon War. While Demons ran rampant, the Empire had actually grown more active under the pretext of offering protection. Once the Dragon-Demon War began in earnest, however, everything stopped.

An organization called the Grand Council had been established. From the moment all the continent's intelligent races began meeting to deliberate, the enormous Arken Empire could no longer act freely. Too many eyes were watching for it to move on a flimsy pretext, and the Empire itself had grown too large.

Conversely, however, that meant it could act whenever it had sufficient justification. And the Arken Empire held a crucial key that could provide just that.

"That key is Duke Yurei," Olivia explained. "Before long, they'll seize on something to claim he's a Demon. They intend to blow it out of proportion and stir up public outrage."

"It sounds as though they're planning quite a spectacle."

"Of course. They plan to execute him in the imperial square, deliver a bloodthirsty speech, and declare war on the Heinkel Kingdom."

"Whose plan is this?"

"Neither Ureas nor Waldemar has any reason to object, do they?"

Ureas, thirsty for conquest, would be genuinely delighted simply to start a war. Waldemar stood to gain prestige and redirect domestic political discontent abroad. It was only natural that they would join forces.

"Duke Yurei..."

For Ferda, that name carried complicated associations. The one who had screwed him over was the duke's son, Marcus Yurei. The man who had come after him for revenge following that son's death was Perry Yurei.

"I know it's not a name you welcome. He did try to bring about your ruin, Regent Ferda."

"I have no particular feelings about him."

Ferda did not care what Duke Yurei had done. He had known from the start that the duke would misunderstand. Encouraging that misunderstanding to uncover the Demons had been part of his plan. Above all, the grief and anger Duke Yurei felt meant nothing to him.

"Where is Duke Yurei now?"

"In the torture chamber beneath the imperial palace. He's receiving the most attentive treatment there."

"He must be heavily guarded."

"Of course."

They, too, would know perfectly well that he was the crucial key to whether there would be war. Naturally, they would be taking excellent care of him to avoid any unnecessary complications.

"What could I possibly do about a place so heavily guarded?"

"You might not be able to, Ferda, but don't you have a very capable subordinate?"

"You mean Zed."

Zed Swallow. The master thief who had turned the Empire upside down. These days, that reputation amounted to little more than an overblown minstrel's tale. The Zed of today was seen only as a womanizing flirt who had gotten his position through connections.

Olivia, however, had had a chance to glimpse his skill at infiltration. When Debelung had been handed over to her, it was none other than Zed who had entered her bedchamber.

"With his abilities, I imagine getting the duke out would be simple enough. What do you think, Regent?"

"He'll do it."

"He must be an exceptionally capable agent. You didn't hesitate at all."

He was already outstanding, but he would become a master thief even the Empire could do nothing about.

"If we manage to get Duke Yurei out, he'll return home and make a speech. He'll cause an uproar across the continent over the Arken Empire torturing him instead of treating him as a noble. What do you think will happen then?"

"I don't know."

"An emergency council will be convened. At the White House."

The White House was both the residence of Blancaros, the White Dragon, and the center of the Grand Council.

"You mean Blancaros will intervene?"

Ferda had assumed he would dismiss it as a human affair for humans to resolve.

"To be precise, it would simply be a matter of acting in accordance with the laws he established. If half the continent's humans object, and someone attempts to sow confusion by throwing the word 'Demon' around until it loses its meaning, wouldn't that be a threat to the continent's peace?"

Hearing Olivia's interpretation, however, Ferda could see the logic.

"Which makes this very important..."

"Yes?"

"Are you certain Duke Yurei isn't on the Doppler list?"

Was Duke Yurei really a Demon Follower? Neither the Empire nor the Heinkel Kingdom knew whether he was a Doppler. They merely labeled him according to their political needs. In that respect, the list of Dopplers in the journal was decisive evidence. And Ferda had read it.

"There is only one Yurei named in the journal that was left behind: his son, Marcus Yurei."

"Then we'd better get him out before he loses the strength to speak."

Olivia laid out the scenario she envisioned.

"If things go as calculated, the ruling will be that the Arken Empire distorted the facts, and it will be ordered to pay reparations to the Heinkel Kingdom and Duke Yurei. No, given Lord Blancaros's temperament, he may impose an even harsher punishment to make an example of it. Ceding territory, for instance."

Losing territory rather than expanding. For the Arken Empire, that would be nothing short of humiliating. Once it lost land, those involved would turn on one another to assign blame. The discontent they had tried to direct outward would boil over again like a pot with its lid clamped shut.

"If the tensions within the Empire can't be relieved through war, they'll keep rising."

"And with no way to direct them outward, divisions will form..."

"They'll long for a savior on a white horse to lead them."

Ferda understood who that savior on a white horse would be.

"The Order of Altes will rise to prominence."

"Exactly." Olivia smiled with delight. "An apprentice Saintess who also carries the blood of House Arken. They'll put her at the forefront and shake the existing powers to their foundations."

"Is the archbishop trustworthy?"

"We've already discussed all this. If the current emperor loses the people's support, they'll seek a transition to theocratic rule and take control of the Empire."

Theocracy meant the religious establishment intended to swallow up political power as well. The highest position in the Order of Altes would then be pope, rather than archbishop. And that position...

"You intend to succeed to it."

Olivia was the perfect fit. A woman of imperial blood, chosen by Alte. No one was better suited to become pope.

"No. I won't," Olivia said. "My goal has always been to sever the false golden bloodline. If I take the throne, how would that be any different from allowing the Arken Kingdom to endure?"

"Unlike the emperor, might you not make wise choices?"

"That isn't possible." She answered firmly, showing him the back of her hand. "Once I have my revenge, I'll destroy everything. The emperor, the Empire... And I won't be an exception."

"Destroy yourself... Do you mean you'll give up your position?"

"Of course. That is the oath of vengeance I swore to Alte."

"I doubt the Order of Altes would stand idly by if they heard this plan..."

"I'll have to keep up the act until then. I can't allow anyone to preserve the Empire as it is. That includes those who call themselves Alte's representatives."

The image of the burning capital rose before Ferda's eyes. How many people had died then, screaming? She could carry that tragedy onward. Ruin always brought misery with it.

"Living as a commoner won't be easy."

"Of course it won't. I'll have to wear coarse fabric and eat food whose preparation I can hardly trust. But if I were going to whine over something so trivial, I would never have begun. Or..."

Her eyes crinkled in a smile as she ventured casually, "Why don't you take me in, Regent Ferda?"

Ferda answered, "I will."

"... What?"

She lost her grip on her teacup. The black tea inside spilled over her hand.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's only as warm as bathwater."

"That's a relief."

Seeing Olivia flustered was quite new to Ferda. She kept starting to speak, then stopping, like a fool.

"Um, I mean... Ah, first I should dry my hands. No, before that, we should talk..."

Her incoherent babbling reminded him of Malcolm. Left with little choice, Ferda decided to show her what to do first. He offered her his handkerchief.

"Here you are."

"... Thank you."

Olivia took his handkerchief with stiff movements. Without any of her usual fleeting touches, she snatched it up and wiped her hand.

"When you say you'll take me in... you mean you'll become my patron, don't you?"

Ferda nodded as though it were obvious. "Falling from the life of a princess to that of an ordinary commoner is painful."

He had experienced the fate of a cast-out noble himself. Having to relearn the value of money and endure a diminished standard of living always brought misery to former nobles. A princess would be no different.

"I can't give you everything you once enjoyed, but supporting you so that you don't live out your days in misery is the least I ought to do."

Ferda showed her faith equal to the resolve she had demonstrated.

"If you're prepared to abandon everything once this is over, I will gladly help you."

Olivia could not find a word to say. At that moment, Ferda could feel it clearly: her Circle was surging wildly.

* * *

Olivia wondered whether there might be an artifact in this castle that turned people into fools. She had lost count of the absurd misunderstandings she had fallen into since arriving. Again and again, she kept reading meaning into things and getting the wrong idea. This time had been no different.

["Why don't you take me in?"]

["I will."]

Knowing Ferda, she should unquestionably have understood that he meant he would become her patron. Yet her instinctive interpretation had been different. For a moment, his eyes had shone so brilliantly, and his lips had seemed sweet and moist, as though dripping with honeyed water. Because of that, it had sounded as though he were declaring that he would make her his.

'I shouldn't have done that.'

Ferda had Valdrova. His love was so very noble. How could she have put such an impure interpretation on his words?

The greatest irony was the strange emotion Olivia felt as she imagined it. Deep down, she had become excited, as though she had been waiting for that very moment. If that were his intention, he would be no different from the men she despised. Yet she was hoping for it.

She felt as though she might go mad.

It was as though there were a metronome inside her head. It moved in time, but instead of ticking, it made another sound. Ferda. His name swung back and forth in her mind to a steady rhythm.

Ferda.

Ferda.

It was such a lovely name.

His given name was Ferda. His surname, Valdrova. Yet Olivia thought of him only as Ferda, not Ferda Valdrova. For some reason, she felt that name did not suit him.

Ferda was lovely. Ferda Valdrova was not. Those two words were like oil and water. And that was true in reality as well. Having met both Ferda and Valdrova, Olivia understood it clearly.

'Valdrova.'

She was a truly pure-hearted woman. And she possessed not only innocence but warmth as well, so Olivia could imagine what she meant to Ferda. Valdrova was an irreplaceable cradle for his heart, his place of refuge.

'But it can't stay that way forever.'

Olivia knew Ferda, too. He would do anything for Valdrova. And that included things that could wound Valdrova deeply if she ever learned of them.

Even as he advanced without hesitation, destroying whatever stood in Valdrova's path, Ferda was afraid. Afraid that the blood on his hands might stain her innocence. The secrets of what he did for her, yet dared not tell her, weighed upon him. Olivia knew how heavy those secrets were.

'Could Valdrova... accept that side of Ferda?'

No one could see into another's heart, so there was no predicting Valdrova. A witless dragon who summoned someone merely to ask for friendship might recoil in horror and disgust at Ferda killing his own kind. Perhaps she would call him a monster and inflict an irreparable wound. In the end, Valdrova might fail to understand him and leave him.

'If I were in her place...'

Whenever Ferda stood at a crossroads, she would advise him and help him make the best choice. If hardship drove him to despair, she would embrace him from behind and whisper that everything was all right.

Olivia and Ferda understood each other. They could grow all the closer for it, and even become a benevolent king and queen.

Those thoughts swelled beyond her control. A foolish question kept lingering on her tongue.

'Don't we make a good pair?'

Then Ferda would say:

'I'm already spoken for.'

If she allowed herself a little more hope, perhaps he would answer:

'There is no partner like you.'

That was the most she could hope for, yet it would not make her happy. If he said that, she would undoubtedly reply that she wanted more.