"Very well, let's hear the details."
With those words, Father began.
Next to the throne were Father and Chancellor Franz. Opposite them were only Leo and I.
Leo had been asked to report on his inspection tour at the council meeting and had requested a private audience.
I had not intended to participate, but Father, finding it troublesome, had me stay as well. He would likely ask about Lise and Jürgen afterward.
"Hmm. Then I shall report. In conclusion, in the south, the wandering people have fallen victim to kidnappings, and it seems that the southern nobles are involved in these kidnappings."
"Yes. This time, the basement of the lord's mansion in Bassau, where the anomaly occurred, was used as a base to confine the kidnapped women and children. This is consistent with the testimony of the rescued children, so it is certain that at the very least, Count Sittheim, who has Bassau as his capital, was involved."
After the hole connecting to the demon world closed, the mansion and its basement appeared on the spot.
It wasn't that they were swallowed into the hole, but rather that they were overwritten.
Thanks to this, various things were discovered during the investigation.
"So? What about Sittheim?"
"He is dead. According to the knight who knew Count Sittheim, the demon that Silver fought resembled Count Sittheim. Given that his head was cut off, it seems he was used as a vessel after his death."
Father silently looked out the window.
He probably didn't want to hear it, but he had to.
I had already heard some of it from Leo, but this issue was indeed complex.
"Prince Leonard. From what I heard, the children went on a rampage and summoned a demon. Where are those children now?"
"…They were declared dead and are being protected by my sister's eastern border army through a safe route. The sister of the child at the center of the incident, who reported the situation in the south to us, is also with them."
That's right. Linfia is now in the eastern border.
To take care of her sister and the other children.
She was probably worried, and Leo sent her off willingly. She said she would return eventually, but when that would be was still uncertain.
After all, the existence of the children made the situation even more complicated.
"Why did you fake their deaths? Do you think I would punish the children?"
Father asked, slightly angry.
The anomaly in the south was caused by the summoning of a demon. The children were victims, but also perpetrators. Therefore, there was a possibility that Father would punish them.
However, that wasn't the reason for faking their deaths.
"No, it's because I found a suspicious document."
Saying this, Leo handed a piece of paper to Franz.
The paper was stained with dark red blood, likely from someone who was killed to dispose of the document.
Father, who received the paper from Franz, exclaimed in surprise.
When he showed it to Franz, Franz grimaced visibly.
The document detailed a method of operation.
It described how to combine children with immense power and a large number of children with weak but enhancing abilities to create a type of weapon.
In other words, someone had a plan to cause similar anomalies in other countries, like what happened in the southern part of the empire.
Moreover, a word repeatedly appeared in the document.
"Is it… the 'military' that thought of such a thing…?"
"The document clearly shows that it was a request from the military. The eastern border army is safe because it is under my sister's control, but other military personnel cannot be trusted. That's why I faked the children's deaths to prevent them from being used as weapons and pursued. Please forgive me."
"It was a good judgment. However, from the document, it seems this was just a trial. They gathered such children because they were requested to do so. That's about it."
"Unfortunately, it had the desired effect. If a similar anomaly occurs in another country, it would be an excellent opportunity for invasion. Given that the empire has the House of Valiant, the demons that appeared are not a significant threat."
That's right. This is an invasion plan.
And Father has no intention of invading. So this was not a short-term plan but a long-term one, preparing for a future invasion.
Considering this, some things become clear.
"I have nothing to say about that. I have one more report."
"Unfortunately, yes. During the battle with the monsters in the south, I witnessed the last moments of a knight from the House of Sittheim. According to his story, Count Sittheim was being threatened. However, he rose up to save the children just before we arrived and fought."
"I see… So the kidnapping organization is one that can threaten the lord."
"Yes. There is a possibility that a powerful noble is behind it. Perhaps even the nobles of the entire southern region are involved."
The deeper we dig, the darker it gets.
And those tainted by darkness must be punished. If there are many, the empire might not be able to function.
Even if we don't leave it alone, we must choose the right time to expose it.
"This has become a troublesome matter. The military requested human weapons from a kidnapping organization that may involve southern nobles. The threads are tangled, and I don't know where to start."
"Given the complexity, I would like to seek the Emperor's judgment."
Father fell silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to me.
I had a bad feeling and shook my head, but Father asked anyway.
"What do you think should be done? Arnold?"
"Why are you asking me…?"
I sighed and started thinking.
No matter how I answered, it didn't seem like the right answer.
If we start with the military, we would have to deal with Gordon's faction. If we start with the southern nobles, we would have to deal with Zandra's faction.
The safest answer would be to declare the matter resolved with the defeat of the demon.
"You don't want a safe answer, do you?"
After a deep sigh, I came up with a solution.
But I wasn't sure if it was a good answer.
Still, I couldn't avoid answering.
"I think we should put the military issue on hold for now. It is unforgivable that they requested weapons from a criminal organization, and I am curious about what they intended to use them for. However, the immediate problem is the southern nobles. If we dig deeper, we might find that most of the southern nobles are involved in the criminal organization. If we do, the worst-case scenario is a rebellion in the south. If that happens, we can use the military's radicals to suppress the rebellion. By weakening both sides, the investigation will be easier, and if we proceed in the opposite order, we might not be able to handle the rebellion."
"Aim for mutual destruction. In that case, no special measures are needed. We can observe the military's actions and decide our next move. If it is deemed dangerous, we can investigate, and if not, we can hold off. It's a good strategy."
"…Are you done pretending to be incompetent?"
I shook my head at Father's words.
I apologize, but I have never pretended to be incompetent in front of Father.
I was simply not proactive.
However, this issue is too serious for that.
"I didn't answer before because I wasn't asked important questions. But this matter is deep-rooted. Leo must have thought the same, but he couldn't say it in his position."
"…Are you suggesting a fratricidal conflict to win the imperial succession? Is that how you interpret it?"
"That's a valid interpretation. It's not good for me to suggest it, but it's better than Leo."
Father nodded in agreement.
I met Leo's gaze. Leo conveyed his thanks with his eyes, and I shrugged, telling him not to worry.
Then Father made his decision.
"We cannot leave this alone. Leonard, continue to investigate the southern issue. Do you have any leads?"
"According to the knight, Count Sittheim entrusted a letter to someone named Rebecca. I will start by looking for this person."
"I see. So Count Sittheim left a letter."
The fact that he left a letter suggests he was waiting for an opportunity to expose the truth.
While Father cannot forgive what Count Sittheim did, he must have his reasons.
"By the way, Arnold. Changing the subject, how are the marriage negotiations going?"
I was taken aback by the sudden change of topic and reported that there had been some progress.
Father grimaced visibly, and the lecture began.
Ah, so it comes to this in the end…
I sighed softly, hoping it would end soon.
From now on, it's the Rebecca search operation!