Chapter 50 - Grand Council

"I feel the same."

"..."

Hearing Ferda's response, Erdes leaned back.

The previously tense atmosphere gave way to hearty laughter, as if it had never existed.

"Really? I feel like I can actually communicate with you. You're young, unlike those old geezers. It would be nice if we could talk like this more often, wouldn't it?"

"I will make sure to contact you first."

"Or I might just contact you first. Prince! I'll be heading elsewhere now! They say a beauty is always busy, right?"

"Yes, of course! Take care!"

Erdes picked up her glass and left her seat.

Watching her retreating figure until she was far enough away, Alexander turned his head.

"Do you perhaps have some history with the Magical Society?"

"I do not."

He had plenty, but that was a story for the distant future.

"I have no intention of reprimanding you. If there are unresolved issues or lingering bad blood, it's best to sort them out quickly."

He said that, but Ferda knew better.

Alexander was sweating bullets.

The incompetent 1st Prince needed immense power to solidify his political foundation, and that power was magic.

"More importantly, I've heard rumors that the far east has been importing a lot of monster corpses lately."

Ferda replied to the abruptly thrown topic of conversation.

"That is correct."

"I was actually thinking it was a hassle to burn them every time since there's nowhere to bury them, so I'm truly grateful you're taking those corpses off our hands."

Alexander chuckled as he spoke, but his expression conveyed an urgency that contradicted his words.

'Confess to me what you're doing.'

Ferda hesitated.

He was the very person who had decided to keep the production of mana stones a secret.

He considered it premature to reveal it right now.

He had come intending to give a vague excuse, but looking into Alexander's eyes, he found he couldn't.

'He's the bastard who pointed a sword at his own father out of greed for the throne.'

No matter how hard he tried to justify himself, he was just a greedy son of a bitch.

That was an immutable truth.

He was a bastard blinded by the throne.

He wanted to rule over a hundred million subjects.

That was why he was constantly brown-nosing Erdes.

He was trying his hardest not to offend her.

'That's why Erdes thinks I'm continuing Thessalos's work.'

Since there was a connection one way or another.

Ferda pondered.

Both were shitty choices, and he had to pick the one that was slightly less shitty.

"Truthfully, we are researching a method to create mana stones using monster corpses."

He told the truth.

It must have sounded enticing to Alexander as well, as he leaned in to listen.

Anything related to magic invariably meant money.

"Mana stones? What are those? Are they similar to those... crystal balls that mages use?"

"Similar, yet different. They are objects that hold pure mana."

"Oho..."

Ferda explained what was known so far to Alexander.

"For example, supplementing a mage's magic power?"

"There's that, but they can't be used to replenish magic power or be used directly by mages."

"Ah, really?"

"Moreover, the efficiency is still only around 7%, so for actual mages to use them..."

"Ah, is that so? Amazing."

Alexander continued to spout exclamations of awe.

However, it was visibly obvious that his interest was dropping by the handful.

"Anyway... are you certain this has nothing to do with dark magic?"

"I am."

"Of course, when doing research, you have to dabble in various fields. It's about intent, isn't it? What I mean is, can you assure me there isn't even the slightest bit of such intent?"

Alexander was being persistent.

Just as Ferda was about to parrot back a few more times that he could assure him.

Before Ferda could even say anything, a faint fragrance brushed past his nose.

Ferda knew this scent.

"You're pushing him too hard for a first meeting, Brother."

Her beautiful voice naturally made the men turn their heads.

It was Olivia Arken.

True to her title as the Flower of the Empire, she was wearing a gorgeous dress and wearing an alluring smile.

Seeing Olivia, Alexander burst into laughter again.

"My dear sister has arrived! Come to think of it, you must have already met the Regent once. My younger sister welcomed him in my stead, after all! I wonder if my sister treated you well?"

Alexander casually placed a hand on the shoulder of Olivia, who stood beside him.

"Oh my? Why would you worry about that?"

Olivia replied with a bright smile.

Alexander's hand, which had been resting on her shoulder, smoothly slipped down her shoulder line.

"Because there was a problem, wouldn't you say? A huge problem for the imperial family."

"It was just a false alarm. Lord Ferda is a man of great magnanimity, after all."

"It's an issue that cannot be neglected for the sake of the precarious Empire's safety. What about the incident at the imperial warehouse that nearly turned the country upside down? No matter how I look at it, it seems only dangerous things will happen if you stand in the political arena."

"Is that so? But the matter was resolved smoothly. Oh, right, come to think of it, Brother, you probably wouldn't even know what happened, would you? You tucked your tail and ran—no, you evacuated the moment the level 1 alarm went off, didn't you?"

Her innocent-looking face, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

They were smiling at each other while ruthlessly stabbing one another with their words.

To the point where it made those listening feel uncomfortable.

'They both wear good masks.'

Ferda could only marvel at the sight.

He wondered if it was a genetic trait of the Arken family.

"Isn't that standard protocol? If the Empire's successor dies, the Empire collapses. I had to survive for the sake of the Empire."

"Ah, right. Of course. How very right you are. A successor, you say."

Her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled, she subtly covered her mouth with her fan.

No, she only pretended to cover it, subtly revealing a sneer that provoked him.

"It's certainly a fitting demeanor for someone who ambitiously thrust the blade of rebellion, only to disgracefully back down."

"Hah, you sly fox of a bitch. It's because you have so many things you don't deserve and go around bewitching men that you're called a seductress."

"It's better than having something and not being able to use it, isn't it? For instance..."

Olivia subtly glanced down toward Alexander's crotch.

"Father mentioned he wants to see a granddaughter. I wonder when you'll give him a grandchild."

Unlike his smile, Alexander's face flushed beet red.

Then, he subtly turned his eyes toward Ferda.

"Be careful. Beautiful roses always have thorns. Who knows, those thorns might just carry a deadly poison."

He gave that advice with a serious expression.

Ferda quietly looked down at him.

His face was expressionless, but he couldn't hold back his feeling of pathetic disdain.

'You talk a lot for someone who got pricked by those very thorns.'

He didn't know the exact details, but just before Olivia died, she had been in Alexander's bedroom.

In the end, hadn't he been stabbed to death while trying to lust after his own sister?

Alexander was just another bastard who ultimately fell for Olivia's beauty and got played.

Hearing such a bastard talk like this felt pathetic.

"I know."

"You know? That's a relief, then. In that case, smile a little. Isn't your face a bit too stiff?"

Alexander patted Ferda's back, naturally putting on a friendly smile like an easygoing man.

When he laughed, the surrounding nobles laughed with him.

Watching that, Ferda thought to himself.

'I want to go home.'

Valdrova's face faintly crossed his mind.

"So in short, it's not of any use yet, is that it?"

"Yes."

"Understood. I will also start paying attention to the development of the far east's territory."

Of course, that was a lie.

As if the 1st Prince, who was busy scoring points with the central nobles, would care about the far east.

"I am only grateful that Your Highness is taking an interest."

Because of that, Ferda merely replied with a lie as well.

"Make sure to meet many people before the Council begins. It seems someone is calling for me."

Alexander took his glass and walked toward them.

Now he could catch a breather.

No sooner had he thought that than someone gently tugged his sleeve.

It was Olivia.

She was still standing next to Ferda.

"Don't you have anyone else to see?"

He asked bluntly.

"They aren't particularly important people. More importantly, there's a much more important matter left."

Olivia's shoulder pressed against Ferda's.

"The representatives of the great dragons will be arriving soon."

The dragons' representatives—meaning the dragon spawns were coming.

'Dragon spawns.'

Ferda hadn't encountered many dragon spawns.

At best, he had only caught a passing glimpse of the Blue Dragon's spawns, the masters of magic.

He needed to see with his own two eyes what dragon spawns other than Luri looked like.

"I'm curious."

Ferda replied, and Olivia beamed radiantly.

"Then let's go together."

Olivia slid her hand out.

Her red lips moved like a shy maiden's.

A situation that would make any man's heart flutter.

"What is it?"

Ferda asked as he stared intently at her.

"Oh my? I'm asking you to escort me, of course. Are you really going to let a lady go alone?"

Olivia blinked.

Her shrunken shoulders resembled the defenseless gesture of a young girl.

Ferda subtly took a step back.

"I'm a taken man."

"You have to do it whether you're taken or not, you know? Shouldn't we at least do this much to solidify our trust in one another?"

"I will leave it to Sir Zed—"

"Have you ever seen a woman sulk?"

A shadow fell over Olivia's face.

"It's not very pleasant, you know."

"..."

Ferda couldn't care less.

When he made a bored expression, Olivia leaned her face a span closer and said.

"Don't you feel the need to strengthen our trust as collaborators within the Empire? We'll be keeping many secrets from each other, so I believe this much is necessary, don't you?"

Olivia was persistently clinging to him while making subtle threats.

However, right now, his only collaborator within the Empire was Olivia, so ignoring her words was risky.

"*Sigh*, fine."

"You should have done that from the start."

Ferda reluctantly offered his hand.

Contrary to his intention to just pretend to hold it roughly, Olivia grabbed onto his hand tightly and smiled radiantly.

Ferda subtly glanced toward Luri.

An expressionless face.

No, her lips were subtly pouting, wearing a face that screamed, 'I don't like this.'

It was at a level where no one but Ferda, who saw her face often, would ever notice.

Of course, Luri didn't openly express her dissatisfaction and acted like a proper servant.

Maybe that was why it made him even more anxious.

'I hate getting my skin scrubbed off.'

Whether mentally or physically, high society left nothing but pain.

Half-resigned, Ferda led Olivia toward the window.

Outside Blancaros's territory, a golden carriage was parked.

Stepping out from within were an old man wearing religious robes and a mitre, along with several priests.

"Do you know who those people are?"

Olivia looped her arm through Ferda's and held on tightly.

"That's the Odograsado Holy Empire."

"Correct."

The Gold Dragon, Odograsado.

A nation built upon a religion that worshipped Odograsado as an idol.

Although it bore the name of a Holy Empire, it was actually closer to a coalition of a Holy State and its surrounding kingdoms.

Odograsado had no spawns.

Because of that, the Pope and the four high priests were walking over to attend this gathering.

A moment later, a blue portal opened.

The scenery unfolding beyond that portal was the distinctively chilly landscape of the northwest.

From there, dragon spawns with blue hair and round-tipped horns walked out.

"They are Iorga's spawns. They didn't miss this Grand Council, either."

The masters of the magic towers and the eyes that watched over the continent, the forces of Iorga.

More suited to being researchers than actual mages, they walked elegantly like nobles.

"Ah, they're arriving over there, too."

Olivia lifted her head and looked toward the sky.

From the blue sky, five anomalous dots came flying in their direction.

They flew in unhesitatingly, like comets radiating silver light.

Ferda had seen that before through Luri.

'Silverwind.'

In contrast to the fierce momentum of their flight, they landed lightly and stepped inside Blancaros's territory.

After confirming their presence, Ferda subtly shifted his gaze.

Luri, standing next to him, was quietly looking down at them.

Her eyes held a completely different emotion from anything she had shown before.

He could feel just how tense she was.

"It seems those three are it. It looks like Storeus's side won't be participating today. Well, it's a relief there won't be any troublemakers."

"They must be quite infamous."

"They're Evil Dragons, aren't they? They're nothing but troublemakers. They love to pick fights."

As the dragon spawns gathered like that, the onlookers began to move one by one.

They were heading to the Grand Council hall.

"You should get moving now."

Olivia said as she unlinked her arm.

Her status was that of a Princess.

She did not have the right to participate in politics that the princes possessed.

Ferda walked along with the crowd moving toward the council hall.

The Grand Council, where the continent's most powerful figures gathered, was about to begin.