Chapter 89

"Well, that was quite fun. The trip, I mean."

"Yeah. The artworks in Kirisia were beautiful too."

"We also got a lot of books."

It seems both Yuria and Tetr were satisfied. That's good, that's good.

...Of course, there were some troublesome things too.

"We still need to prepare houses for the people who will come to Kirisia later."

"Yeah. And the most important thing is counter-espionage measures."

If I were a Kirisian, I would mix spies among the large number of people.

What needs to be protected is the technology for paper and black powder. Especially black powder.

Paper... well, it's not that difficult, so I think it will be copied even without stealing it.

I'm not worried about magic. It's not something that can be stolen just by trying to steal it. If it were that easy to steal, no one would have any trouble.

It's a technology similar to programming a computer.

It's not something that can be done just by imitating it.

"I need to talk to Raymond first."

"Yeah... and I want to introduce a new anti-curse system."

"Hmm?"

New?

Did you come up with some new magic?

"Actually, I'm just going to steal Kirisia's technology. A defense system using the name of a god. First, let me explain the current system simply..."

Until now, the barriers were set up using the magic power of the mages themselves.

In the traditional system, each village has anti-curse facilities where third- or second-rate mages channel their magic power to set up barriers. There is at least one third-rate mage in each village.

In the center of regions consisting of thirty to fifty villages, there are also anti-curse facilities where second-rate mages channel their magic power to set up barriers.

In the direct-controlled areas and the territories of the nobles, there is one anti-curse facility where first-rate mages (those who can perform soul transfer) channel their magic power to set up barriers.

Finally, in the palace, which oversees all the anti-curse facilities in the country, Yuria and multiple first-rate mages set up barriers.

This is how we protect against curses.

This system was created based on the lessons learned from the famine about ten years ago (when Ron and the others were abandoned).

Incidentally, the countries around the Kingdom of Rosais have also built similar anti-curse systems.

With this system, it seems that most curses can be deflected.

At least, it is designed to withstand a curse on the scale of the famine ten years ago.

The problem is that the mages are completely occupied with anti-curse duties.

"So, what's this system that uses the name of a god?"

"Simply put, it's about converting people's faith into pure magic power to set up barriers. This way, it won't run out, and the burden on the mages will be reduced."

"Can that really be done?"

"Well, yes. However, it can only be used for barriers. It can't be converted into magic or curses. ...But it's just a plan for now. Just give me a light overview. I'll compile it into documents or something later."

Hmm... if that can be done, it will significantly reduce the burden on the mages.

It might also make it easier to convert mages into magicians.

"Do you have anything, Tetr?"

"Nothing special. I want to focus on transcribing and training magicians."

"That might take a bit more time..."

We don't have enough mages to begin with...

Magic is also too complex in theory, and most mages seem to be completely lost.

Magic is a technique of "don't think, feel!" while magic is the opposite, "don't feel, think!"

However, mages like Yuria, who are involved in research on medicines and such, seem to have relatively high aptitude.

"So, Raymond, I'm thinking of strengthening counter-espionage."

"I see. That makes sense. ...First, let's put surveillance on those who manufacture paper and black powder. And give them a decent salary."

People fear losing their jobs.

Of course, anyone can understand that if they reveal secrets, they will not only lose their job but also be punished for leaking secrets. If the technology spreads and competition increases, it's obvious that they will suffer the most.

Still, some people will talk. Why?

Simply because their salary is too low.

In Japan, news reports about technology leaks to foreign countries often cite low salaries as the cause.

In other words, if we pay a high salary and show that the country values them, there shouldn't be a problem.

Even if we double or triple the salary for paper, there will still be a profit, and black powder is not something to consider profit from.

If we pay a high salary and put surveillance on them, it should be fine. If it leaks, then we'll deal with it when it happens.

A perfect counter-espionage system is impossible.

"I'll put Ial in charge of surveillance. He seems to be good at that kind of thing."

"I agree. He will get the job done."

For now, there shouldn't be any problems with technology leaks...

"I also want to crack down on those who leak military information within the country."

"Do we need to? If it can be done, it would be someone close to us."

In other words, there might be traitors among the nobles or their relatives?

"Of course, that's not possible... but there is a possibility that they are being made to act as traitors."

In other words, they are not traitors in their own right, but from our perspective, they are...

They are unconsciously leaking information... is that what you mean?

Is that even possible?

"When do you think people are most vulnerable to curses?"

"That would be... during sex, right? I know that much..."

"The heads of noble families are men, and mages are basically women. You see?"

"Come on, that's impossible. I have basic anti-curse techniques. If Yuria were to hypnotize me during sex, I'm confident she could, but... there aren't many like Yuria. Plus, the guard mages can detect the residual magic."

Curses are much harder to cast than to defend against. That's the basics of magic.

If you have a certain level of anti-curse techniques, you can defend against most curses unless the opponent is a very skilled mage.

"What if the guard mages themselves are spies? ...I might have exaggerated a bit by saying they target the nobles directly. More likely, it would be their subordinates or officials serving in the palace. They have less training in anti-curse techniques and are less cautious about poisons."

Indeed, it's possible to hypnotize such less cautious people...

"So, is there a possibility that I could suddenly be stabbed by a servant?"

"...It would be difficult to make them act directly. Unless they are bullied and have a grudge... but the king is popular even among the palace slaves."

That's true. It's probably impossible.

Yuria also said that making someone do something they don't want to do is extremely difficult.

"Still, it's easy to get them to talk. There are people who talk loosely even without magic."

"True... there are people who talk without thinking."

Such people often say, "I won't tell anyone!"

"So, you're not just making this up, right?"

"No, I don't have solid evidence, but I have information that warrants caution."

With that, Raymond handed me a stack of papers.

The papers were labeled "National Mage Registration Forms."

This is a recent compilation. However, it only includes the mages who have come forward, and it's estimated that there are still many mages in the country.

"I've already looked through this. Is there anything strange?"

"Twelve of the mages employed by the nobles are not from our country."

"That's not unusual. Mages often travel to find work."

Mages are highly sought-after, so they move around to find better salaries.

They are irreplaceable, which allows them to do this.

"Would you like to review the interview materials?"

"...I glanced through them, but..."

I'm busy. I can't check everything.

Would the CEO of a large company check all the new employee test records? No.

I did thoroughly check the mages who can perform soul transfer... but not beyond that.

"Eight of the twelve have a Gallian accent, meaning they are from the Kingdom of Rozelle. ...Their reputation for good intelligence has been well-known for a long time."

"Even if eight of them were Rozelle spies, they haven't just arrived. They've been in this country for over ten years. If your theory is correct, there should be many more spies in other countries, especially those bordering us, like Domorgal. Would they really send valuable mages abroad for such a long time?"

That's impossible.

While information is important, would they use mages as spies who are essentially expendable?

The most valuable mages are the first-rate soul transfer users, but even lower-tier mages are valuable.

There are probably only a little over a hundred mages in our country who can use the relatively advanced hypnotic magic.

"Lord Almus, Rozelle's population is said to be over three million. Our country has only about 250,000. The number of mages is twelve times greater. Plus, they have the world's oldest mage, Merlin. They are one of the world's leading countries in magic."

In other words, they have a vastly greater human resource. Twelve times twelve hundred.

With that many, it wouldn't be too difficult to send a few to each country.

"Should we capture and interrogate them?"

"I have done that before."

...Hey, you acted pretty quickly without my permission. I can't just laugh it off.

"No, no, it was about ten years ago. I hired a wandering mage... a fourteen-year-old with a Gallian accent. At first, I didn't pay much attention, but his behavior was suspicious. I found out he was sending owls at midnight when I was monitoring him."

"What happened then?"

Raymond shook his head in response to my question.

"Nothing. He didn't say anything during the interrogation. I had no choice but to torture him..."

...He was a fourteen-year-old girl, right? What about false accusations? Did you even consider that?

"Please forgive me. I'll talk! I was... and then he died. The cause of death was a ruptured heart."

"So, it was a curse... the spy was real, but we don't have any information other than the Gallian accent to confirm if they were from Rozelle."

In fact, just because someone has a Gallian accent doesn't mean they are from the Kingdom of Rozelle.

In the northern part of the Kingdom of Domorgal, there are also people of Gallian descent.

"For now, let's mobilize mages we can trust to investigate for traces of magic. The residual magic is hard to detect unless you are looking for it, but it becomes clear if you focus on it."

There are definitely spies.

If we investigate with suspicion, we will definitely catch them. Of course, that's assuming there are any.

"Also, let's try it in our own country. Let's start with Domorgal."

"Good idea. It will also serve as a test to see if it's possible. Using it on low-ranking soldiers will minimize the risk."

For now, focus on counter-espionage. If we have spare time, we can gather information outside.

Alright, we have a plan for this area.

Ah, I forgot to talk about Yuria's proposal.

"What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea. The problem is which god to use... there are more than ten gods I can think of. A quick search would yield over a hundred. Even Griffon could be considered a god. But the safest choice might be Zelpia... the guardian god of the Rosais family. However, she's not very popular among the common people..."

Raymond started to think deeply.

Then he seemed to have an idea.

"This... could be useful not only for anti-curse defense but also politically. Please give me some time. I'll think about it too."

"Alright, take your time."

Unfortunately, I'm not very knowledgeable about mythology...

I don't understand it at all. I only know about five or six gods.

I finished my meeting with Raymond and returned to my office.

On my desk was a stack of papers. These were all documents related to flood control.

Land rights acquisition, water usage...

It's all very troublesome.

As king, I don't have to deal with it as much as in Japan, but I still can't make decisions arbitrarily.

If I mishandle it, it could lead to a civil war.

Adernean farmers have swords and spears as well as shovels...

"Ah... I have to deal with this too..."

Maybe I've taken on too many projects...

Only I am overwhelmed.