Chapter 0109 <
-x-X-x-
About 1,000 km south of Marcdorf, the capital of the Debuhi Empire.
A party of seven was heading south on the highway.
"Hey Roman, are we really going to the Kingdom of Knightley?"
"Yes. I'm very curious about the Water-Attribute Magician that Oscar mentioned."
"Gordon, how many days are you planning to mention that … the kingdom border is already right in front of our eyes?"
The hero party Fire-Attribute Magician Gordon wanted to return to the Western countries, but Hero Roman wanted to be stronger, and Maurice, the Scout, was fed up with Gordon.
"I'm not good with cold places, so I agree with going south."
"Yeah, it's much better to be warm than cold."
Both the Dwarven Earth-Attribute Magician Bellrock and the Wind-Attribute Magician Alicia disliked cold weather so they were in favor of moving to the Knightley Kingdom to the south of the Empire.
Ash Khan, the enchanter, remained silent while Graham, the oldest member and negotiator, sighed in his heart for various reasons.
The Hero Party was in the Empire's magical training ground ever since the previous time.
Of course, they were there to train and become stronger … which was mainly the wish of the Hero Roman.
In the first place, the purpose of the Hero party was to 『Defeat the Demon Lord』.
Therefore, they mainly traveled with the support of funds from the Western countries.
And the report of the appearance of the Demon Lord was received from the Eastern region of the Western countries.
That's why they used the artificial 『altars』 to set a trap.
As a result, what it caught was not the Demon Lord, but the 『Akuma Leonor』.
From then, it threw a wrench in their plans, and now the Hero party was in the Debuhi Empire of the Central Nations.
"Well, training with that division certainly made us stronger …"
"That's right! If you train with strong people, you can become stronger!"
Roman, the Hero, immediately jumped onto Gordon's words.
His principle was 『I want to be stronger』 at the moment.
"But you don't even know the name of the kingdom's 『Water-Attribute Magician』, right?"
"Yes … Oscar didn't tell me in the end …"
The Hero Roman hung his head in response to the words from the Scout Maurice.
"I hope we can get useful information in the Royal Capital …"
To be honest, Graham, as the oldest member, didn't want to spend more time on the matter, but it was good that Roman was motivated, so he found it quite difficult to steer the party.
At least, he didn't want to spend time collecting information.
-x-X-x-
On the third day of entering the Kingdom of Knightley, His Royal Highness Willy's entourage left the city of Bersham and headed for the Royal Capital on the Second Kingdom Highway.
"That dish last night … Did you call it a hamburger steak? That was excellent. I ate it for the first time, but I was impressed with the exquisite matching of the overflowing gravy and the sauce on top … it was truly a great country's dish."
"Yes, you're absolutely right."
In the carriage, His Highness Willy enthusiastically talked about the hamburger steak he ate at the inn's dining room last night.
And Ryo nodded happily like he was proud of it.
"I'm glad Ryo recommended it. If I hadn't eaten it, I would have regretted it for a long time."
"As expected, Your Highness has a royal's taste in food. Delicious food is justice. Please continue to eat delicious food in the Kingdom."
Inspired by Willie, Ryo was in a good mood and nodded.
However, such a peaceful scene was suddenly shattered.
There was a reaction in Ryo's
Ryo opened the window of the carriage and told Cohn, who was escorting on horseback, right next to them.
This time, all the escorts and adventurers were riding horses.
Such that they could speed up and escape in the case of an emergency.
But …
"Cohn-san, it's an attack from all directions."
As if they knew that they were all on horseback, the siege net had begun to shrink, cutting off their escape route.
"Damn. How many people?"
Cohn cursed and asked for the details.
"Ten surrounding us. Besides that, five people are advancing through the forest in the back. That separate unit should either be for an ambush or a reserve force … they are not participating in the blockade."
"A total of fifteen people … that's many."
Cohn pondered with a bitter face after hearing Ryo's report.
Ryo was worried about the five in the separate unit.
They were in a place that seemed to be directing the movements of the entire siege ….
Often the commander would be positioned there.
"Ryo, I'm sorry, but can you pull the enemy away a little? You don't have to defeat them. If you can't rejoin us, you can just leave. Because we've crossed the border."
"It's okay. When we are attacked, I'll watch the timing and pretend to be His Highness and escape, drawing the enemy away to me. The five people in the forest too … At that time, please give a signal. If the number of enemies decreases, speed up and escape into the city of Wingston."
Cohn thought his proposal was too much, but Ryo's counter-proposal was even harder.
"No, that's too much …"
"I'll be fine. Don't stop and go to Wingston."
"...Understood."
After a while, they heard from the left side of the carriage train.
"Enemy attack!"
Ryo pulled up the hood of his usual robe. At first glance, no one should recognize him.
Neither His Royal Highness Willy nor Rodrigo said anything anymore.
The development following this was known to them from the conversation between Ryo and Cohn.
Ryo glanced out the window.
The ones attacking …
"The Order of Assassins?"
Yes, they seemed to be wearing the same black outfit as the Order of Assassins.
But … he didn't think that all the assassins in the world belonged to the Order of Assassins … there were probably others whose livelihood was assassinations.
"Ryo-san …"
There were tears in the eyes of His Highness Willy who called.
He might have seen the situation as a repeat of the previous body double that was killed.
"Your Highness, I will be fine. Please escape to Wingston."
And finally they heard Cohn's signal.
"Your Highness, please escape."
"Then, I'm off. Good luck!"
Ryo opened the carriage door and jumped out.
At that time, he closed the door behind him so that others couldn't see inside.
Then, he ran off the road and ran toward the forest.
He checked the number of people who were chasing him with
(Seven …)
Of the ten assailants, more than half separated.
His Highness Willy had four escorts and six adventurers.
With ten people against three assassins, there was a good chance of winning.
Then, what about the movements of the five people in the forest?
At that moment, Ryo made a decision …
About two kilometers away from the carriage.
The number of people chasing was twelve … the five in the forest were also led into chasing him.
It may be because Ryo choose the side with the forest with the five people as his route to escape after he confirmed it in the carriage.
So those five people were also chasing Ryo.
It seemed that they were a separate unit after all …
(It should be enough after leading them this far.)
As Ryo came to that conclusion, he stopped in a slightly open clearing in the forest, pretending to snag his feet on something and have the wind knocked out of him.
The twelve assailants caught up to him there.
A man who seems to be the commander among the five who joined the chase from the middle stood in front of Ryo.
He was probably the most skillful.
His atmosphere was a little different from the others.
Surrounding Ryo in a half-circle, they spread both wings from there and started moving to surround Ryo.
If they were trying to abduct Ryo, it was only natural that they cut off his retreat.
(
He equipped an ultra-thin ice armor.
Meanwhile, Ryo closely observed the assailants.
(They're really members of the Order of Assassins …)
Most assailants would be dressed in black, but the posture of those in front of him matched the posture of the Order of Assassins Sharfi belonged to.
(Destroying the Rho Bridge, attacking the city, ambushing Gecko, and finally abducting a prince … The Order of Assassins is active on an extensive scale.)
Ryo pondered in a laid-back manner that was not suited for the situation.
In the meantime, the assailants completely surrounded him.
(All right.
He chanted Ice Wall silently.
A transparent wall of ice was formed outside the assailants.
"You can't escape now."
The twelve assailants became rats in a trap.
He would be left with nothing if he pulled them this far but let them escape.
Ryo pulled out Murasame and produced an ice blade.
"I'm coming."
Ryo plunged straight to the man who seemed to be their commander in front of him.
Perhaps the man saw it dangerous to parry the ice sword with a knife, he avoided it with his body.
Ryo changed the direction of Murasame that he swung down just before hitting the ground and slashed diagonally upward to the left utilizing pretty much only his left hand.
The man was cut diagonally from below and fell to the ground without being able to defend at all.
So to speak, it was Ryo's still inexperienced Tsubame Gaeshi.
"Not fast enough … Sasaki Kojiro, who did this with a laundry pole, is amazing."
He slashed a person with his own hands, but there were no particular undulations in his emotions.
"Is it because he's an assailant or assassin? In fact, I felt more emotions when I defeated that one-eyed Assassin Hawk …"
While Ryo was talking to himself, the remaining eleven assailants were rooted to the ground.
They were completely pressured.
An unforeseen and terrifying sword.
"His sword is a decoration and he can use magic but only to create water."
That was their information on Prince Willy.
Even though that should have been the case, their associate was killed within seconds.
It was enough to pressure them into inaction.
In that situation, Ryo rushed to the next assailant and stabbed.
Triple thrust to the neck, chest, and neck once more.
In the third thrust, his blade was thrust sideways and swept horizontally in the direction that the opponent dodged.
The assailant was beheaded by sheer strength.
"It's no good … I wonder if the Shinsengumi people were really doing this kind of thrust …"
Ryo's swordsmanship was based on his half-baked knowledge.
Speaking of the Shinsengumi known for their Tennen Rishin-ryu style, the three-stage thrust was famous, but in reality, there were many other continuous techniques such as four-stage and five-stage techniques.
However, Ryo wouldn't know such things …
"Hastily learned techniques are useless after all. And I was able to confirm that I won't feel shaken even if I kill a person with my own hands."
It could be said that voicing such thoughts out was actually meant to gloss over the psychological burden, but … it did not seem like it would turn into a serious problem.
"The rest are all prisoners of war.
With that chant, the ten surviving assailants were immediately encased in ice.
"Since you guys are still alive … if I don't forget, I'll thaw you guys one day … maybe about a month later."
A month later, they would have arrived at the Royal Capital.
After defeating the assailants or freezing them in ice, Ryo decided to return to the place where the carriage was.
They were probably able to escape successfully and he imagined no one would be left, but he needed confirmation.
However, when he got closer, he noticed something unusual.
Ryo's
That was because it senses moving objects by changes in the environment over time.
According to his Passive Sonar, something was barely moving … barely, but moving.
The assailants would dispose of all corpses by incineration.
There would not be any assailants barely alive.
Then what about Willy and his party?
If they escaped safely, no one would be there, but there was the slightest possibility that His Highness Willy's carriage would escape first, leaving the injured on the road …
Of course, it didn't match Willie's personality, but nothing was definite as long as it was an emergency.
In the first place, they were along the Second Highway, which was said to be the best in the eastern region of the Kingdom.
Other caravans would pass by …
But in reality, no one would want to stick their heads into such a mess.
Especially if they were merchants who place the highest priority on profits.
Ryo arrived to find Willy's escorts and adventurers on the ground.
Looking around, he found an old man lying down on the highway and ran up to him.
"Rodrigo-dono!"
"Ryo-dono … His Highness … His Highness was …"
Rodrigo repeated deliriously to Ryo's call.
"Please hold on."
Ryo reassured him before heading to the carriage and returning with his usual shoulder bag.
It had advanced potions that Ryo made by practicing alchemy and standard potions sold in stores that he bought in his spare time.
For the time being, Ryo had Rodrigo drink the most effective potion he had.
Although he had a hard time, Rodrigo swallowed and Ryo poured the potion directly on his sliced abdomen, and managed to save his life.
He should be able to move after a little more time.
However, that time was precious so Rodrigo requested Ryo.
"Ryo-dono … His Highness has been taken away … Ryo-dono … led many of the assailants away … for us … but after that … there were reinforcements …"
"Reinforcements!"
He was careless.
The unit of five in the forest was not the only separate unit.
They were also on standby in a place so far away that even Ryo's Passive Sonar couldn't detect them …
He should have just stayed and defeated the assailants there.
Along with Cohn and the others.
While protecting Willie.
Ryo was powerful enough to do so.
Or, even if they had to pull away from the enemy, in the worst-case scenario, they could enter the forest with the carriage surrounded by Ice Wall and that would still have worked out okay.
That way, at least His Highness Willy wouldn't have been abducted …
He was worried about the separate unit that was in the forest and left to defeat them … and this was the result.
He couldn't repent for his error even if he regretted it.
Ryo bit his lips for his foolishness.
It was a request to 『escort』 … It was the stupidest action to leave the 『escort target』.
But now there was something more important.
Regrets could wait for later!
First of all, he must rescue His Highness Willy!
"Ryo-dono … Please call for help and rescue His Highness …"
After squeezing those words out, Rodrigo lost consciousness.
He was still breathing. His pulse was also normal. It was okay.
After confirming that, Ryo looked around.
Four escorts, adventurers … six, all were still breathing.
Did they prioritize the abduction of His Highness Willy over killing them?
They didn't kill everyone the previous time they abducted the body double either …
Ryo rushed to Cohn, gave him an advanced potion, and sprinkled the potion on his chest and neck wounds.
"Ugh …"
Cohn groaned slightly.
"Can you hear me, Cohn-san? It's Ryo."
Finally, Cohn opened his eyes slightly and recognized Ryo.
"Ryo … I'm sorry, His Highness …"
"Yes, I heard from Rodrigo-dono. Apparently, everyone is still breathing. I'll leave the potions, so Cohn-san can give them to everyone. I'm going to rescue His Highness."
"O-oh …"
Pressured by Ryo's menacing aura, Cohn nodded despite having various doubts.
"Wingston can be reached by following this road as it is, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, I'll set off."
Ryo ran west on the highway.
Neither Rodrigo nor Cohn knew where His Highness Willy was taken away.
However, Ryo had an idea.
The Order of Assassins Headquarters.
『It's a small village in the eastern part of the Kingdom. A day's walk north of Wingston, the largest city in the east. It is on the mountain and is called the village of Avan.』
That came from Sharfi, an executive of the Order of Assassins.
Even if he was not at the cult headquarters, he could ask the people at the headquarters.
Ryo decided to tackle it that way.
In the first place, His Highness Willy, who was a prince of a small country and was the eighth son, honestly did not seem to be that valuable as a hostage but was attacked twice including this time … and this was done by that assassination cult.
Did some country ask the Order of Assassins to abduct him like Ieyasu Tokugawa, or does Willy's body have some value and had to be kept alive?
If it was for a very special reason, it would be better to think that he would be sent to a high-ranking executive.
And around there, a place where executives gathered … Ryo could only think of the cult headquarters.
-x-X-x-
Avan village. The Order of Assassins Headquarters.
Two executives were having a conversation.
"Siccar, did the Chief?"
"Natalia? No, I've not been summoned yet …"
They were the ones who led the abduction of the Kingdom of Ju's Prince Willy.
"I recall you were berated severely the last time you attempted the abduction and caught a fake."
"Don't bring that up again."
Natalia mentioned Siccar's previous failure.
"That's why this time, I let Bhagabis' unit attack and chase the one who jumped out. We didn't pursue. And as expected, we caught the real one."
"But if I didn't join, you wouldn't have been able to defeat those escorts."
"I believed you would assist."
Natalia pointed out assertively, and while Siccar frowned in his heart, he thanked her on the surface.
In the end, more than thirty people were mobilized.
Securing the prince was just that important.
However, there was something that worried Siccar.
Bhagabis' unit of twelve, who chased the body double that jumped out of the carriage, had not yet returned.
Due to the nature of missions, some assassins would be sent out for the required duration and when it was over, they might be deployed directly for the next mission.
Bhagabis was still a low-ranking executive compared to Siccar and Natalia, so he was often sent on consecutive missions without returning to headquarters.
Even then.
(Were they killed by a monster in the forest? All twelve people including Bhagabis? That's impossible …)
Those twelve people, with an executive in the group, would not die to monsters.
Naturally, he didn't even consider the possibility of them losing to a body double.
An attendant of the chief approached them and reported.
"Siccar, Natalia, the Chief is calling."
"Chief, you summoned us?"
Siccar and Natalia knelt in front of the Chief.
The abducted Prince Willy lied on a stone pedestal behind the chief.
"Yes. This time he's the real prince. Both of you did well."
At 190 cm tall with long white hair and beard but bright black eyes that did not display his age.
It was rumored that he was over 90 years old but he could pass off as a person in their fifties.
And, a monster that none of the executives could match up to yet …
Natalia thought in her heart.
He was an old man for as long as she could remember since she joined the cult, he was an old man when she became a full-fledged member, and he was still an old man when she became an executive.
Even though he was a timeless old man, all the executives combined would still fail to defeat him … that was the strength of the leader in front of her.
Despite her superficial allegiance, Natalia was part of the so-called group of『Anti-Chief』.
(You should retire soon.)
While he is the founder of the Order of Assassins and the strongest person, after reigning at the top for well over half a century, some people around him were disgusted.
That man was obsessed with Prince Willy.
They didn't know what for.
Siccar next to her was the second most knowledgeable on alchemy after the chief, but he only mentioned previously that Prince Willy's blood was necessary for some alchemy procedure.
"I'm about to prepare for the ritual. Everyone is forbidden from entering this Elder's room. Understood?"
"Yes."
Siccar and Natalia bowed their heads and backed away from the Chief.
After they stepped out of the Elder's room, they heard the door lock from inside.
(So meticulous.)
Natalia cursed in her heart.
(I didn't even know that this door had a lock.)
Natalia looked at the door again.
She heard Siccar mutter.
"Finally, the chief's long-cherished wish …"
Siccar was trembling with excitement.
"Hey Siccar. What ritual will the chief be performing?"
"Eh..."
Siccar had an obvious expression of 'Shit, I revealed too much'.
He only noticed now that he muttered something excessive while he was feeling impressed.
"It's okay, I won't tell anyone. It's going to be done soon anyway?"
Natalia was even more intrigued.
"Ah, ah … well, people who are familiar with alchemy would know … the chief developed an alchemy procedure for 『Immortality』 and he is attempting that now."
"Immortality? Immortality as in living forever?"
Natalia couldn't understand what Siccar was saying for a moment, but when she understood it, her complexion turned pale.
But Siccar wasn't looking at Natalia and didn't notice her the change in her expression.
"Yes, that immortality. Finally, the Chief will rule us forever."
(You've got to be kidding!)
Natalia, who parted ways with Siccar, shouted in her heart over and over again, with a bitter expression.
(Is that even possible? What should I do … I can't decide on my own. Then … I was told not to use it as much as possible, but this would be irreversible without further instructions. )
Natalia hurried back to her room and activated a special alchemy stone.
That made it impossible to eavesdrop on the room.
Then, she took out a hand mirror-sized stone plate from a locked drawer and placed her right hand on it.
As a result, the stone plate was unlocked and it became possible to communicate with a specific party.
Both the eavesdropping prevention alchemy stone and this communication device were all alchemy tools originally developed by the chief.
The other party modified the communication device such that she could have a long-distance conversation with them.
"『Black』 here."
"『Black-sama』, Natalia speaking. There has been a development that I must inform you urgently."
The other party was the cult's number 2 called 『Black』.
Executives were also informed that he was the one who led the attack in Whitnash.
"Speak."
"I found out why the chief was obsessed with the prince of the Kingdom of Ju. It seems that he will be using the prince's body to gain immortality."
The intense change that happened to 『Black's』 atmosphere, who was always calm and collected, could be felt by Natalia even through the communication device.
And Natalia also knew that it was because of the possibility to be 『Immortal』.
"I was told that he was about to begin the ritual and would seclude himself in the Elder's room. What should I do?"
Natalia asked for instructions.
That could be said to be a nightmare situation for the Anti-Chief faction.
To be honest, they didn't know how 『Immortal』 would he become.
Would he just not die from old age or would he recover even from a fatal wound …?
Natalia couldn't decide what to do with all those uncertainties.
But …
"Natalia, stop the ritual with all your might. It should not be an easy ritual to prepare for. It will take twelve hours to start the ritual, but once the ritual is over, our future is over. I allow the use of all the power given to you. Listen well, be sure to stop him."
"Yes. I understand."
After Natalia said that, the stone board returned to just a stone board and the communication was terminated.
(『Black-sama』 knows about the 『Immortality』 ritual … and he ordered me to stop it … within twelve hours?)
Natalia fell into deep thought to think of a strategy …
(I'm ready, but I just need one more person …)
Natalia scratched her head as she paced around her room.
(If there was just one more executive with a high level of combat power … I could do it while they're fighting the chief … Damn! Why isn't Sharfi here at this time! I could just discard him if he was here!)
Natalia thought of something terrible as a matter of fact.
(My subordinates won't even buy a second …)
Of course, even her subordinates were pieces that could be discarded.
As Natalia was walking around thinking about that, she heard the sound of a rough knock on the door and the voice of her close subordinate shout 'Natalia-sama!' from the hallway.
"What is it? Enter."
Her subordinate stumbled into the room in a rush after Natalia gave permission.
"I-It's a disaster. The village is being attacked."
"... Ha?"
Natalia couldn't make sense of his words.
Attack … she understood the meaning of attack.
But such matters could be easily dealt with?
There were more than a hundred people in the village … and they were all assassins.
Even if there were to be ten times as many Knights, they could repel them without any problems as long as they fought in the village.
It would be a different matter if they were in a desert or grassland without any cover but the village had a well-thought-out terrain and structure layout for defensive battles.
It was a village of people whose livelihood was assassination.
As long as they didn't know when, where, and who will attack them, it was natural to be prepared as much as possible.
Well, in the first place, it was impossible for people like Knights to easily approach the village. After all, it was an assassin's village.
However, her subordinate said, 'We are being attacked'.
That meant that an assault on the village was already currently underway.
A village that would be difficult to even approach was being attacked?
"Who are the assailants? How many?"
Her subordinate hesitated for a moment before steeling himself and answering.
"One."
"One …?"
Natalia could only repeat the response from her subordinates.
"It is just one Water-Attribute Magician. He's charging in directly from the front."
"Impossible! What about the interception party!?"
"Everyone was frozen. He's the Water-Attribute Magician who was with Gecko's Caravan. The Magician who froze Gae. He's the assailant!"
"Why is that guy here …"
After climbing up the mountain road, there was a village.
Ryo knew that he was being monitored while he was climbing the mountain road, but he did nothing and walked normally on the straight road.
Regardless of the residents' occupation, as long as it was a 'village', travelers might visit.
Adventurers who receive some kind of request in the city may stop by the village to gather information or some may stumble upon it after getting lost.
The assassins might be on guard if an armed group like Knights was approaching or they might choose to intercept them on the mountain road but the assassins watching Ryo would never imagine that he would attack on his own.
Ryo imagined in his head when he saw the village.
A world where everything was frozen.
And he chanted.
"
A wide-area freezing magic named 『Permafrost』.
It was a simple spell.
It reduced the molecular vibration of water molecules in his vision and froze them.
That was it.
However, the range and effects were extraordinary.
If Abel saw the scene, he would say: 'Hey, didn't you come to rescue someone? Won't you freeze them too?'
His Highness Willy should be kept far behind enemy lines.
Permafrost wouldn't freeze him … Ryo thought willfully.
Well, even if humans freeze, they would still be alive …
In the village, everyone who was outdoors was frozen.
"Sharfi said that everyone in the village is an assassin, so this wouldn't be civilian slaughter, right?"
Although Ryo didn't know in detail whether the 『assassins』 here were 『combatants』 or 『civilians』…
"
When Ryo finished chanting, five arrows flew at him.
Of course, they were deflected by the ice wall.
"
Following the trajectory from where the arrow flew, he sent the icicle lances back in a reverse attack.
"Gyaaaa."
"Ugu …"
Screams and moans could be heard from where the lances flew to.
Furthermore, he countered the attack magics that were sent his way with Icicle Lances.
"
He activated the Active Sonar spell that he usually doesn't use since the amount of information that enters the brain would be too much to process.
Unlike passive sonar, Ryo emitted a 『ping』, and by analyzing what it hits and reflects against, it was possible to grasp the surrounding situation.
Its ability to even detect objects that do not move was excellent so it was an outstanding spell.
Ryo boldly traveled straight through the front of the village entrance while processing the ton of information from
By the time he reached the front of the largest building in the center of the village, the long-range attacks targeting Ryo had completely stopped.
Instead, the remaining troops were concealed in front of the building.
"Their last stand is close combat?"
The corner of Ryo's mouth rose slightly as he rejoiced from the flow of a decent battle.
As Ryo approached, the hidden assassins all threw something at once.
When the thrown objects fell to the ground, a large amount of white smoke formed.
"This again!"
Frankly, Ryo thought in his head that he wanted a little more originality.
However, there was a possibility that it was not just smoke but also mixed with poison so he didn't cut corners.
"
A momentary heavy rain fell in the area, washing down all the smoke in the air to the ground.
Normally, at that moment, Ryo would start running to close the distance to the enemy and incapacitate them while they are surprised, but this time he just erased the smoke with Squall and continued walking.
Ryo approached the building step by step.
(I would expect the assassins to disperse and attack again with a different method, but the fact that the assassins aren't doing that … means this building is the most important location.)
Even with
He didn't know where he was, but Ryo believed that he would be secured in an important location.
Even if he wasn't there, Ryo decided that he could just ask the highest-ranking person in the important location.
And from the actions of the assassins, he was convinced that the mansion in front of him was the most important base.
"Okay. I'll freeze everyone in ice then.
In the end, it didn't even become close combat …
Natalia was astonished when she went out to the village and watched the assassins fight.
(What is that monster!?)
An invisible ice shield that prevented all attacks.
Ice spears shot from outside of the ice shield.
(Isn't he invincible with just those two abilities!?)
Moreover, when they tried to put up a smokescreen and challenge him in close combat, the smokescreen was removed in an instant ….
It was a nightmare.
"Is that the Magician who was with Gecko?"
Natalia asked her subordinate next to her.
Half of her men attacked Gecko and failed at that time.
"Yes. It was from afar, but I am certain it was that robed man."
Her subordinate answered and nodded.
(Perhaps Prince Willy and Gecko are connected … Or, the Duke of Inbury requested for Prince Willy's rescue and Gecko sent that man …?)
Prince Willy and his party were heading for the Kingdom of Knightley via the Inbury Duchy.
In the Duchy, he also had an audience with the head of state, the Duke.
"Never mind, that doesn't matter now."
Natalia said aloud.
"That Water-Attribute Magician aims to retrieve Prince Willy. That means he will be going to the Elder's room. We can defeat him with the traps set up in that room!"
"But that trap can only be activated by the Chief?"
"I can do it. Half of the preparations are already complete. I'll prepare the rest, so you guys keep your eyes on him."
(And defeat the Chief at the same time.)
Natalia decided to round up both the Water-Attribute Magician and the Chief.
Both were individuals that could be a nuisance if left alone.
In that case, she should just take this opportunity to erase both of them!
-x-X-x-
The interior of the building was very quiet.
Ryo felt that the building was large even when viewed from the outside, but the impression he got inside was the same too, with wide corridors and more impressively, a very high ceiling.
The impression was more like a monastery from Earth than a Lord's mansion.
"Usually, the innermost room would be the most important location."
The design of the building was indicative of a religious setting.
It was, after all, an assassination 『cult』.
Religion, monastery, it was no wonder it had that kind of image.
As he continued down the aisle, he encountered a conspicuous large double door.
"This probably leads to the final room."
Ryo made a guess.
That said, with the shape of the structure, it was unlikely that there was nothing behind that door.
"
A very thick ice spear, with a diameter of 1 meter or more, formed.
The icicle lance that was closer to an ice pillar smashed through the door.
At the same time, Ryo rushed into the room and checked the inside.
There was a huge stone platform in the center at the back and there was someone on it.
(His Highness!
He created an Ice Wall to protect Prince Willy … he tried, but he couldn't.
His magic activated. In other words, it was not magic nullification.
It was not erased after it was created.
In other words, it was not deprivation of magical control as used by the sea monsters.
His magic activated, but when the ice wall was about to be formed, it started disappearing from the side where it was being created.
"It's interesting to see an intruder at this timing. Of course, you probably came to save the prince, but he can't be protected by magic."
A man with long white hair and a white beard, who was working a short distance away from the stone platform, said to Ryo.
"Can you tell me why I can't?"
"I refuse."
Ryo politely asked, but the man refused.
"Is that so?
Ryo created an ice wall around the man to bind his actions.
"
Sand mixed with the forming ice wall and the formation failed.
Eventually, the ice wall scattered without forming.
"Mixing magic into the formation of the opponent's magic and interfering with it … I had never thought of that idea."
Ryo was really impressed.
However, at the same time, he shuddered.
He realized that technique would only be possible if he could cast magic at a terrifying speed.
It took less than a second for Ryo to complete his chant and create an ice wall.
Ryo's magic was swift.
However, the opponent activated his own magic after understanding Ryo's magic, and more importantly, he mixed it into Ryo's ice wall formation … his speed was exceptional.
"I don't have a patent, so you can use it."
The man spread his hands and showed a gesture for Ryo to do as he pleases.
He said a conclusive word … 『Patent』.
Of course, Ryo wanted to assert that 『Phi』 doesn't have the word 『Patent』 … but he realized that he might just not know.
Yes, Ryo still didn't know much about this world.
"Patent …"
Still, Ryo murmured unintentionally.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's a word that a person who's going to die doesn't need to know.
In an instant, six stone spears formed around the man and fired towards Ryo.
"
This time, an ice wall formed in front of Ryo without getting disrupted and all six stone spears were repelled.
"Hmm. That ice wall is pretty hard, isn't it?"
The moment the man spoke, a huge rectangular stone fell on Ryo from above.
A person watching from the side might even mistakenly think that the ceiling had fallen instead.
A resounding crash and soaring dust.
(
Before the dust settled, this time an Ice Wall formed above the man, parallel to the floor, and fell freely.
Another resounding crash. Soaring dust and … shattered pieces of ice.
Everything that was dancing in the air in the room disappeared and two men stood there as if nothing had happened.
On one side, he chopped up the huge stone that fell with
On the other side, he created an ultra-hard stone cone centered on himself, piercing and breaking through the falling ice wall.
"It's really a shock to see my ice wall broken by stone."
"It's the first time I've seen my stone wall sliced with water."
Both Ryo and the man grinned.
"First, I'll try crushing from the front?
"
Stone spears were fired from both of the man's palms.
However, not only that, many magic circles appeared around the man and stone spears were fired from those as well, heading toward Ryo.
The scene was a magical battle seen in anime and games.
Ryo was a little impressed by the man's magical battle method while blocking the stone spears that were approaching by continuously layering ice walls.
(Even that Explosive Blaze Magician and Akuma Leonor didn't create such magic circles … It's really cool!)
Coolness was an important factor. In anything.
"It's amazing how you can continuously generate that ice wall. Are you not afraid of running out of magic?"
"Nope. More importantly, that attack using floating magic circles. It's cool!"
Although they were aiming for each other's lives, there was no such atmosphere in their conversation.
"Hoho, so you understand the greatness of this! Isn't it great! No one appreciates its greatness, not even my disciples. It's sad … Hey, why don't you become my disciple? You should be able to inherit this technique."
"No, it's a little bit too much to join the Order of Assassins …"
The man offered to take him as his disciple for some reason.
On the other hand, Ryo naturally didn't wish to pursue coolness at the cost of becoming an assassin.
"Muu … what a shame …"
The man showed a face of disappointment.
"In that case, I will go next.
The 256 water jets appeared around the man and moved in random orbits, chopping everything.
"
Countless palm-sized stones moved around the man at a terrifying speed and clashed with the water jets.
The water and stones that collided neutralized each other and both disappeared.
Within seconds, the 256 water jets were extinguished by stone suicide bombers, leaving the man unharmed.
"Defending against it in such a way …"
Ryo was kind of impressed.
The 256 water jets moved in random orbits.
To be honest, even Ryo couldn't think of a way to defend against it, but … the man neutralized it by colliding countless stones with the jets.
Just like using Fire Javelin against Icicle Lance.
Striking the water jets with stone gravels to erase them.
That may be the most feasible way to defend against them.
"Fufufu, isn't it pretty amazing? It was quite difficult to prevent the stones from colliding with each other. With this, I can prevent attacks that rely on numbers, just like what you tried. Once the body trains a skill, it will remain even as you age. Technique doesn't deteriorate, right?"
The man proudly explained.
"What a wise saying. But I believe that would have required considerable magic control and training …"
"Sure, I used to spend all my time training. But now it's not that difficult. That's because of alchemy. It's a combination of Earth-Attribute magic and alchemy. Are you an unconventional Water Magician too?"
"So that's alchemy … I'm purely a Water-Attribute Magician. As expected, alchemy intrigues me."
"That kind of control using pure magic … I'm more interested in you."
The man responded to Ryo's answer as if he was half astonished.
"Oh, I'll ask you one last time, are you really unwilling to be my disciple? If you want me to return the prince there, I can return him to you unharmed. He's necessary for my eternal life, but if I can raise you in the end, I can accept my death. How about it?"
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of becoming an assassin."
Ryo wanted the man's alchemy and other techniques just a little bit, but that thought only lasted for a moment.
He had no intention of becoming an assassin.
"I see, what a shame. Then I'll be serious. Die.
The man chanted, but nothing happened.
(It failed? No, what did that guy say? "Meteor … Bomb?" No way!)
Ryo looked up and chanted.
"
He sliced through the ceiling of the building with Abrasive Jets.
"
Objects were approaching from the sky … there were four meteorites.
"That's just an attacking relying purely on mass!"
Ryo shouted.
"I knew you'd notice."
The moment he heard that voice from behind, Ryo reflexively twisted, jumped away, cushioned his fall, and immediately stood up.
At the same time, he took out Murasame from his waist, formed its blade, and looked back.
The moment he heard the voice, he was stabbed in his back, but the Ice Armor and the robe of the Fairy King seemed to have prevented the fatal injury.
And in the place where Ryo stood, there was a man holding a slightly curved single-edged sword, tilting his neck.
"You avoided it … it was a sword strike imbued with an attribute, but it seems that the robe prevented it … would it have been better to use a normal sword without attribute instead … interesting."
"So those four meteors were decoys while close combat is your favorite?"
"Yes, that's right. Of course, if I'm against an army or destroying a city, it's effective to drop it, but if I drop it here, the prince might get caught in the blast. So I decided to go with close combat. You won't say something like you're a Magician so you can't fight in close quarters, right?"
The man said and laughed.
"Right, you are the head of the assassins, so naturally you can fight in close quarters."
Even as Ryo talked, he kept Murasame pointed at the man.
"Of course. They were raised by me. More importantly, you … black hair and that stance, you resemble the people from my hometown … and that ice sword? Isn't it curved?"
"Are you only noticing it now? I'm from another world like you. And you seem to be Japanese … although I'm not too sure about that."
When Ryo said so, the man opened his eyes wide and looked truly surprised.
Both were silent for about 10 seconds.
It was the man who opened his mouth first.
"I'll verify this first. Is it your purpose to kill me?"
"No, my purpose is to rescue the prince."
A man asked and Ryo answered.
The man nodded and sheathed his sword.
"If so, I won't fight you. You can take the prince."
"Huh?"
The development was a surprise for Ryo.
He thought that the man's sword strikes would dull if he revealed that he came from a different world like him, but … he didn't expect the battle itself to end.
-x-X-x-
"I was told that a man had reincarnated first before I reincarnated in this world."
While Ryo was wondering whether to go to Prince Willy, the man began to speak.
"The one who told me was the one who played the role of an angel, calling himself 『Michael Kamei』."
"Michael! Was he well?"
"I don't think an existence like him will fall sick."
Then the man laughed.
"Of course he's fine. The man who was reincarnated earlier called him 『Michael Kamei』, so he said he decided to call himself that … but were you the one who named him that?"
"I did call Michael that in my heart, but … Kamei … Kamei for pseudonym And, yes, I guess I was the first to name him."
Ryo felt a little unconvinced, but he was a little happy that Michael himself liked it.
"I was reincarnated on the western edge of this continent … and took up residence in the Central Nations before I knew it. There was an event that made me realize that I was the reincarnation of Hassan-i Sabbah … and so I created the Order of Assassins."
"Old Man of the Mountain …"
The man laughed when Ryo said the other name for Hassan Sabbah.
"Yes, that's right. I could use Earth-Attribute Magic, so I trained it and alchemy because I met a good teacher. Oh, by the way, did you … reincarnate into an elf or something?"
Ryo was surprised by the sudden question and couldn't understand his meaning.
"No, I should be human …"
"Is that so? You look pretty young for a human. It's been 75 years since I reincarnated and if you came first … I imagined you to be older."
"...Ha?"
What was this guy saying?
Ryo should have only been reincarnated for about 20 years … that was probably how much time he spent in the Rondo Forest … yes, 'probably' … he didn't keep track of the number of days, so he didn't know the exact number of days …
No, even then, it couldn't have been 75 years … because his appearance wasn't that old …?
Yeah, well, he did wonder why he had not aged since he reincarnated.
Of course he noticed it.
But, more than 75 years was a little too far-fetched?
"Oh, that's right. Michael did mention that there was a change in the time axis."
"...Time axis?"
The man said something he recalled, so Ryo was pulled out from his confused thoughts.
"Someone who comes to that white world later may reincarnate long before us in this world."
"...What do you mean?"
"I arrived at Michael after you, but I think I was reincarnated into an era before you. That is, a person from the same era as us might be reincarnated in this world hundreds of years ago."
The first thing that came to Ryo's mind was the coffee set from 『Cafe de Chocolat』.
Or, the culture of bowing that might have been spread by those who reincarnated in earlier times …
Creating a world where many people bow as if they were in modern Japan.
He could feel the shadow of the reincarnated people!
Was that the flash of inspiration authors of light novels experience?
"Well, a change in the time axis may be the reason why."
The man said and concluded on his own.
And he continued.
"I was reincarnated when I was at the age of 25 on Earth, so I'm 100 years old in total. As expected, my body doesn't move like it used to. … I knew that death was approaching and that's why I needed the blood of Prince Willy there."
"What does Prince Willy's blood … have to do with your lifespan?"
Ryo asked the obvious question.
"To be exact, it doesn't have to be Prince Willy. As long as it's the blood of a human from the royal family of the Kingdom of Ju. Using the blood of that royal family as one of the materials, I can create a medicine that can make me 『immortal』 using alchemy."
"Immortality? In other words, you won't die?"
"That's right. Moreover, even if I suffer a fatal injury, with rest, I will not die. Isn't that exceptional performance?"
"Yes, it's definitely exceptional, but … you're trying to kill him for that reason?"
"Yeah, for that reason."
Then the man laughed slightly.
The moment the man laughed, Ryo felt a sense of discomfort.
Not from the man.
The other side of the man … the wall?
Ryo was chanting even before he could clearly perceive it.
"
The propulsive force of water spouting from the back of his body, from the tip of his head to his heel.
High-speed maneuvering that he had never succeeded in practice.
As a result, Ryo arrived at Prince Willy in an instant.
The sense of incongruity that Ryo sensed instantly spread throughout the room, and at the same time, arrows, fire spears, stone spears and invisible wind spears were fired from the wall.
Hundreds of attack magic cut through the entire room.
Normally, even if there were hundreds or thousands of attacks, with Ryo and the man's ability, they wouldn't lose even a single strand of hair.
However, the first discomfort that Ryo felt was …
(Magic nullification …)
That magic nullification that he experienced for the first time when he faced the Assassin Hawk with one eye and saw for the second time from Behi-chan, the Behemoth he encountered when escorting Abel.
It was that 『uncomfortable feeling』.
And, as expected, Ryo couldn't use magic.
He cut down all the flying arrows and attack magic with Murasame.
Fortunately, nothing flew from the wall directly in front of the room, the wall behind the table on which Prince Willy was laid.
Even Ryo would not be able to handle such a number of attacks if they came from all directions.
Moreover, it would have been impossible to protect Willy's body while he was unconscious.
But he could somehow pull through if it was only from three directions.
It was a stroke of luck that Ryo destroyed the ceiling with Abrasive Jet.
The situation would have been hopeless if the attack magic poured down from the ceiling as well.
But even without attacks from the ceiling, it was still a difficult situation.
Even that man would not be able to endure attacks pouring from all sides …
But the man pulled through.
In a situation where magic could not be used, he was able to overcome it with a single sword and defensive movements.
"Amazing …"
A word of admiration unintentionally leaked from Ryo's mouth.
Could the human body exert such great ability to the extreme?
Ryo was impressed from the bottom of his heart.
However, at the moment when the density of attack magic increased and Ryo concentrated to prevent attacks on himself and Willy, a different, thin, really thin stone spear pierced the man's chest.
"Guha"
That created a gap in the man's defenses and an invisible Wind-Attribute attack magic pierced the man.
And when the high-density attack was over, it became quiet like it was all a lie.
"
After confirming that the magic could be used once more, Ryo surrounded Prince Willy with an ice wall and encompassed the entire room too.
That way, he could ensure safety for the time being.
Then, he rushed to the man.
"Hey, hang in there."
Penetrating the heart was a thin stone spear.
When Ryo ran up and called out, the stone spear disappeared, and blood spilled out from where it disappeared.
Ryo placed his hand on the man's chest and formed an ice film to seal the hole in his heart.
Similarly, he surrounded the injured blood vessels on his right flank with ice films, where the Wind Magic pierced him.
However, those were not healing magic.
They only sealed the holes and coated the torn blood vessels.
Even Ryo understood that the wound at his heart was fatal.
"That was careless of me … I've turned into a senile old fool, to be killed by my subordinate."
"I stopped the bleeding, but probably …"
"Yeah, I understand my body. It's definitely a fatal wound. This wound can't be healed with potions."
The man clearly stated that which Ryo had difficulty saying.
"That's fine. I've killed countless people so far, so this retribution … is probably nowhere enough … but … my subordinate stole control of the trap I had set up and I die to that trap … how pitiful."
The man ridiculed himself.
"Trap?"
"Yeah. It's a trap that I set up to destroy the enemies in this hall in one fell swoop. It's a trap from more than 20 years ago … but I did proper maintenance so it activated brilliantly."
The man chuckled.
"But only the stone spear stuck in your chest looked different from the others …?"
"Oh, that's Natalia's magic. She was probably used by 『Black』."
His tone of mockery seemed to Ryo to be directed at himself, not to Natalia.
"Oh, then, I have one request for you."
The man looked at Ryo directly and said.
"Would you continue my alchemy?"
"Continue?"
Ryo tilted his head.
"Yeah, but we can't do things like inheriting skills like in anime and comics on Earth. I'd like to entrust you with the alchemy materials I've compiled, the techniques I've developed, that sort of thing."
"Why me?"
"That's a given. Didn't you comment that the attack with magic circles was cool? I want someone who shares my ideals to take over, that's all."
"That was … alchemy?"
"Yeah. So you can use it too … Of course, it's not easy to learn. Even though it was developed in blood, the art itself has no sin."
Perhaps it was painful as the man had to regulate his breathing several times.
He was fatally injured after all. It was natural that he was in pain.
"By the way, how good is your alchemy skill?"
(I can do that cool magic battle style!?)
(It's an assassin's alchemy technique, but he's right, the art is not a sin.)
Ryo, who interpreted it conveniently, was quite excited in his heart.
"Oh … I can now make advanced potions and magic potions …"
"What, only advanced potions!? So you're a beginner … you have a long way to go."
"Ehh … is that so?"
He was delighted to have the chance to perform cool magic battles, but if he was told that it was still impossible, he would still be depressed.
He should be an above-average alchemist in town …
But he was apparently a beginner in the man's eyes.
"Well, it can't be helped. I wonder how far will you reach while you're alive … Then, how long did you take to work on alchemy before succeeding in making an advanced potion?"
"Oh … about half a year?"
Ryo answered while remembering.
"Half a year! So you're really a beginner? But if you can create advanced potions in half a year, your talent should be good. If you train seriously, you should be capable of it."
After saying that, the man tried to get up.
"No, it's impossible to move with that wound."
Ryo hurriedly supported the man.
"I'm going to die anyway. I have to hand over the materials to you. Lend me your shoulder until the wall behind the table where the prince is lying."
Then, supported by Ryo, the man walked to the other side of the table where Prince Willy was laid down, the only wall where no trap came out.
And when he chanted something in front of the wall, a 2 meters square hole opened in the wall.
After descending about 20 steps from there, they arrived at a room that looked like a study and a library.
The man sat on a chair in front of the desk and took out three black notebooks from the drawer.
"Notebooks?"
"Now, these two books are the basics. And this gilded edge book is, so to speak, the secret technique."
The two basic books were as thick as university notebooks on Earth, but the gilded edge notebook, which he called the secret technique, was about three times as thick.
"But … with your abilities, you won't be able to understand these two basic books yet … Do your best without rushing."
In response to his words, Ryo opened the first page of the basic book.
It was almost incomprehensible to him.
It was as if a pure liberal arts person was challenging the Millennium Prize Contest in Mathematics … There was a ton of content even though it would take some time to even understand what was written.
"Look, put it in the bag there. His Majesty once gave me that bag …"
The man's complexion was completely pale.
In addition, his eyes weren't open …
"That time, His Majesty praised me 'Hassan, you did well' …"
The man laughed a little.
His consciousness may have begun to become cloudy.
He thought he was Hassan Sabbah.
He may have hated the dynasty itself to the extent of piercing its coat of arms with a sword, but … maybe he admired Alp Arslan who Hassan served.
However, after a while, his expression distorted, and bitter words leaked from his mouth.
"But only him … I can't forgive him. I won't die until I kill him!"
The man quivered in anger and opened his eyes, as if he was looking somewhere else.
"I can't die yet … until I kill him … not yet …"
Ryo knew that the man's death was just around the corner.
Ryo approached the man and whispered in his ear.
"Hassan, did you properly assassinate Nizam al-Mulk?"
Those words struck the man like a lightning strike.
And the man's facial expression became calmer than before.
"That's right … the assassination was successful …"
The man's voice stopped there … with a satisfied expression, he passed away.
-x-X-x-
Marcdorf, the Imperial capital of the Debuhi Empire.
That afternoon, Count Hans Kirchhoff, the Empire's governor, delivered an emergency report to Emperor Rupert VI.
"Your Majesty, according to the report yesterday, it has been confirmed that the assassins in the Whitnash incident were members of the Order of Assassins."
"I knew it. But you have paid them to carry out that plan, right?"
Listening to Hans's report, Rupert sighed and nodded.
"Yes. The plan regarding the eastern part of the Kingdom. It seems that the Whitnash incident was undertaken as a separate job. Well, they are people who will do anything if as long as they are paid … they probably took money from both sides and executed both plans."
"What a busy bunch. But then I can't punish them for it either. The Whitnash incident is aggravating, but we must continue our activities in the eastern part of the Kingdom."
Rupert said and had only one sip of his tea.
"Yes, you are right. So, as you suggested yesterday, I sent people to their home village of Avan to check directly with the 'Old Man of the Mountain'."
"Oh, I recall saying that. I wanted to ask the chief directly for the truth of the matter. Were they surprised that we knew their home base?"
When Rupert said that, for some reason, Hans hesitated with his reply.
It was extremely rare for him to do so.
"What's wrong?"
When Rupert urged him again, Hans steeled himself and continued.
"Yes. The village of Avan … was completely frozen."
"...What?"
"The whole village was frozen."
Upon hearing that, Rupert was silent for a full five seconds.
After finally finishing the tea left in the cup, he slowly opened his mouth.
"Was it a catastrophe or the work of a monster we don't know about … If not, was it a monstrous Magician … That's right, there was a Magician that Oscar couldn't defeat."
Hans was astonished to hear that.
"No way … can there be a Magician strong enough to freeze a whole village …?"
"Hmm. If Oscar goes on a rampage, he could probably burn down a city. It's just an ice version of him. But … I didn't expect him to be that strong. I should have listened to Oscar's report more seriously. Did I misjudge the situation?"
The second half was a mutter that was almost inaudible to Hans.
"Hans, urgently investigate that Water-Attribute Magician. Send the information about this to the Emperor's Magic Division and get information about that Water-Attribute Magician directly from Oscar. Understood? This is a decree."
"Yes."
-x-X-x-
When Ryo and Prince Willy returned to the place where they were attacked, there was almost nothing left.
It seemed that someone recovered everything.
For the time being, after confirming that nothing was there, they decided to head to Wingston.
After all, Wingston was the largest city in the eastern part of the Kingdom and the closest city to that location.
It would be best if they could join up with Rodrigo and Cohn.
Even if they couldn't, in the worst-case scenario, he could hire a carriage to take Prince Willy to the royal capital and inform them about it later.
"No, let's meet them at all costs. It matters not if my arrival is a little late."
When Ryo proposed that, Prince Willy rejected his suggestion and gave top priority to joining up with Rodrigo and the others.
The employer's wish had the highest priority.
Besides, he had a favorable view of Prince Willy for cherishing his subordinates.
"Okay, let's do that."
When they arrived at Wingston, their first destination was the Adventurer's Guild.
The escort leader Cohn was a C-rank adventurer in the Inbury Duchy.
They suspected that he might go through the Adventurer's Guild to get in touch, knowing that Ryo was an adventurer in the Kingdom.
Adventurers actively utilized the guild unless they intend to hide their identity.
"Yes, I have a letter from Cohn-sama, a C-rank adventurer in the Inbury Duchy, to D-rank adventurer Ryo-sama."
After checking Ryo's guild card, the receptionist said so and brought a letter from the back.
Inside, it described the place the party would stay.
Thus, Ryo and Prince Willy reunited with Rodrigo and Cohn, the other escorts, and the adventurers for the first time in a few days.
A few days later, the party left Wingston.
However, there were some changes.
Although it looked the same as before …
Prince Willy and Rodrigo were unable to withdraw money freely as they lost all of the letters of credit issued by the Kingdom of Ju in the attack.
With that nationally issued letter of credit, they would have been able to procure local money in the merchant guilds of each country …
Currently, Ryo was reimbursing the necessary expenses for the two.
"I am sorry, Ryo-san."
His Highness Willy had apologized several times.
"No, don't worry, Your Highness."
By the way, it seemed that the accommodation fee before Ryo and Prince Willy joined was covered by the money from Cohn's wallet ….
"The embassy will reimburse me when we reach the royal capital, right? It's okay. I have a comfortable amount of money."
He had changed once they entered the Kingdom!
Ryo was no longer the victim to despair when he was without money in Aberdeen, the capital of the Inbury Duchy.
Instead, he was now filled to the brim with confidence.
-x-X-x-
"As planned, the economy is deteriorating. It's about time to take measures to promote the economy …"
"It's still early. If it's as per this document, leave it as it is for the whole of spring, and restore the tax to its original level at the beginning of summer. After that, monitor for a while."
"Understood."
Then the Minister of Finance left the Emperor's office.
In turn, Governor Count Hans Kirchhoff entered the office.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report … Oh, you were talking about economic trends."
Hans looked at the material on the desk and commented.
Rupert sighed loudly and replied.
"Leon is by no means incompetent, but … as the Minister of Finance, he always wants the economy to be in good shape …"
"Well, that's what every Imperial subject wishes for."
"That is not possible in reality. If the economy overheats, it can burst in an instant … once it bursts, it cannot be recovered by ordinary means."
Rupert shook his head many times.
"It's all because of that great war."
Hans pointed out the war between the Union and the Kingdom that took place ten years ago.
"Because of that war, we exported products that could no longer be made by the Union from our empire. The economy in the Empire improved too much."
"The production capacity of the other side, which was reduced by the war, recovered shortly after the war. It was the same for both the Union and the Kingdom. Instead, the production capacity of the Empire became too much. Sigh … don't make trouble for other countries if you want to go to war."
Hans had no choice but to laugh at Rupert's unreasonable complaints.
"The heartache I go through for having to raise taxes to cool the overheated economy … no one would understand."
This time Rupert said with a bitter smile.
"Matters regarding the national economy are too difficult to understand for your subjects."
Hans nodded slightly as he said.
"I wish I could maintain a booming economy at all times, but that's not possible."
"But I heard that the tax increase has increased tax revenue to some extent?"
"Yeah. But after three years, the tax revenue will be worse than before the tax increase. In the first place, the tax increase was not done to increase the tax revenue. The tax increase was to cool the overheated economy. And when the economy has cooled down enough, we will cut taxes and carry out public projects so that the economy will be booming again. That is the national economy."
Rupert sighed deeply and continued.
"Of course, there are some things we have to do while the economy is bad. Until then, we don't want the economy to recover."
"Is the economy so easy to control?"
"Of course. This is a technique that has been established hundreds of years ago. Even if you don't know the technique, anyone with decent thinking ability can understand it. If there is a country where the economy never recovers …"
"If there is?"
"That means that they are deliberately in a recession, for those who are better off."
"There are such people …?"
In Hans's mind, he couldn't think of anybody who would be better off in a recession.
"Hmm? Hans is a little slow sometimes … Look, there are people working for the country in that area."
"Yeah..."
"Yes, those officials, including the bureaucrats. Even if the economy is booming, their salaries will only rise slightly? But the income of the townspeople, with merchants in the lead, will see large increases. The people's income will increase while the official's salaries remain the same … that means they will be relatively poorer. If so, wouldn't they not want the economy to do well?"
"But … they are working selflessly for the country …"
"It's a flaw in the system."
Rupert commented and drank the last bit of coffee left.
"So, Hans, did you get any reports?"
"Yes. There is new information about the Water-Attribute Magician of the Kingdom, which we talked about the other day …"