Chapter 49

On a day off, I visited the mansion where Marié and the others live.

As always, Marié, who is usually meek in front of me, avoids making eye contact.

Did I go a bit too far with my mischief?

"Is Blad's condition?"

Marié answers, trembling violently.

"He regained consciousness, but... his injuries are severe. Even though he has been treated, he might not be able to move yet..."

Seeing Marié, who is afraid of me, makes me want to tease her.

"I see. By the way, have you remembered anything since then? I particularly want information about the sapling of the Holy Tree."

Marié reacts with a start and quickly returns to the room, bringing back a notebook.

It seems she has been desperately trying to remember and write down everything since then.

I don't know if the information will be useful, but as I flip through the pages, there is information about the sapling.

I read it on the spot.

"The sapling of the Holy Tree... a key item the protagonist obtains, huh. It seems to have no significant item effect."

It appears that the protagonist obtaining the sapling leads to the revelation of his origin, which is the main plot.

The timing is around the middle of the second year, which is the midpoint of the story.

The timing is close.

There is also a description of the Holy Tree.

Some of the descriptions there pique my strong interest.

"...If this is the case, maybe I can do something with the sapling."

Marié reacts to every word I say.

Come to think of it, I used to react this way when I was angry in my previous life.

I also used to try to please me for a while.

I can't help but think back to my past life.

"I'm borrowing the notebook."

Marié nods repeatedly.

◇

When León visits Blad to see how he is doing, Kyle and Carla are worried about Marié.

"Master, isn't it okay now? The Earl wasn't angry."

Carla also tries to comfort her.

"From the looks of it, it should be fine. I'm sure she'll manage, just like always."

Marié looks at them with a deeply troubled gaze.

"Manage? Fine? You two don't understand at all."

Kyle tilts his head.

"Is that so? He didn't seem angry."

"That's the mistake. When he's really angry, he doesn't let you know. He'll keep pushing until you beg for forgiveness, and he enjoys seeing you suffer. He's the worst kind of person!"

Carla thinks for a moment and shudders, perhaps thinking that León could do such a thing.

Carla has also been tricked by León before and suffered.

If she hasn't been forgiven yet, there's no scarier story.

After all, León is currently the strongest knight in the kingdom.

He defeated the Black Knight, whom no one could defeat, and saved the kingdom from crisis.

"W-What should we do, Lady Marié!"

The person not to anger... that's León.

Kyle still doesn't seem to understand.

"Is that so? He didn't seem angry."

"You're too naive! If he gets serious, it's over. Your life is over! Why do I always have to go through this? It's over. My second life is over... No way!"

The two are surprised by Marié's outburst.

In front of them, Marié makes up her mind.

(If it comes to this, I'll act before he does. Compared to my brother, Pierre is nothing. If I don't do something myself, I'll really be... killed by my brother!)

Determined, Marié decides to take the two with her.

"Hurry and get ready. We're heading to the embassy."

Seeing the determined Marié's back, the two look at her with admiration, thinking she looks cool.

◇

Blad's room.

Sitting in a chair, I talk to Blad, who is lying down.

"You look much better."

If I say that sarcastically, Blad will retort.

"I'm still beautiful even with injuries. Jealous?"

"That's enough. So, what happened?"

When I ask, Blad tells me, despite his pain.

He was called to the back of the school by Pierre and the others.

Then, when he tried to fight with magic, he was shown a huge gap in skill.

Blad then gives his opinion.

"Their magic... it felt like they were protected by some greater power. And it felt like something was interfering with us."

Some other power.

I have a pretty good idea.

The six great noble families obsessed with the Holy Tree.

It's almost certain that the Holy Tree is involved.

The Holy Tree, which provides infinite energy, seems to offer other benefits to the nobles as well.

There is also a description of this in Marié's notebook.

"...Baltfalt, don't rush."

To Blad's words, I laugh through my nose.

"Don't compare me to you, who rushed and failed. I only act when I'm sure I can win."

When I say this, Blad's teeth, which I heard were broken, are fully healed.

Is this Marié's doing?

She may be inferior to Revia, but her talent for healing magic is genuine.

If she hadn't been greedy, she could have made a living with healing magic and lived a comfortable life.

A typical case of failure due to greed.

"You can't say that back."

"Get some rest. I have something to do."

According to Marié, Blad's physical strength hasn't recovered, so he won't be able to move for a while.

...It's fine.

I still have four pieces I can use.

I'll make them work for me.

◇

At the embassy.

Marié is protesting in front of the highest-ranking official.

"Why can't you even say a word!"

"Please, calm down, Lady Marié!"

The official is at a loss, given Marié's position as Julius's wife.

He explains the kingdom's stance.

"Do you understand? We don't provoke the Republic of Arzel. That's the fundamental principle of the Kingdom of Holfort."

Marié is frustrated.

(It's because you're weak that they're getting cocky! If this continues, I'll be killed. We have to put pressure on Arzel and get the airship back.)

"Don't be scared. Defense is the strongest? That's something you should handle with diplomatic efforts. That's it! Economic sanctions! We'll impose economic sanctions and surround them with neighboring countries!"

The official tries to stop Marié in a panic.

"Please stop! To begin with, the one who will suffer from economic sanctions is Holfort."

"---What?"

Marié, who had come up with a brilliant idea, is stunned.

"The Republic of Arzel is an exporter of magic stones. The Kingdom of Holfort also buys magic stones for domestic consumption from Arzel."

Marié, in a panic, remembers the dungeon in the capital.

"There's a dungeon in the capital. We can get magic stones from there."

"A single dungeon can't meet the magic stone needs of the entire continent. Moreover, magic stones are needed to operate airships. A huge amount is consumed every year, and it's not enough domestically."

When buying from abroad, Arzel is the most suitable.

One point is that they export a large amount of magic stones.

The second point is that they provide a stable supply, which is very helpful to the Kingdom of Holfort.

Most of the magic stones that are lacking domestically are obtained from Arzel.

"...Energy problem"

The official continues to press the issue as Marié, who is holding her head, listens.

"Moreover, the countries surrounding Arzel have a weak connection to the kingdom. It's questionable whether they can cooperate, and there have been countries in the past that teamed up with Arzel to outmaneuver us..."

Marié can imagine that any solution she can think of has already been tried.

Marié's mind accelerates as the situation becomes more critical.

(Free energy... That's right, Arzel has high production capacity because of that energy. They don't have an energy problem, so they can sell the magic stones they get to other countries, and they have other abundant resources and high production capacity...)

Marié shouts.

"That's cheating!"

The official tilts his head at Marié's "cheating" but agrees that Arzel is very wealthy.

"Indeed, it's a land that can be called unfair."

Abundant resources, no energy problem, and fertile land... Marié is in despair.

"There's no way we can win against a country like this."

The official seems to understand and is relieved.

"That's right. I'm glad you understand. As for Lord Blad, we will arrange an airship to send him back to the country for recovery. Please rest assured. We understand the situation and will report it so that he is not punished."

Knowing that the Republic of Arzel is stronger, Marié is in despair, but...

(I can't give up here. I'll definitely do something.)

With bloodshot eyes, she thinks about her next move.

◇

In the center of the Republic of Arzel, there is a land where the Holy Tree stands.

From there, huge roots of the tree extend to the seven lands, connecting them.

The land where the Holy Tree stands is not a small island; there is a building where the heads of the seven great noble families—now six—gather to hold meetings.

Called the Parliament Building, it is also known as the Holy Tree Temple.

It was once a place of worship for the Holy Tree and used as a temple.

The large building near the roots of the Holy Tree appears small due to the presence of the Holy Tree.

The heads of the six great noble families gather in the tall tower of the Parliament Building.

The round table they use is designed to avoid any sense of hierarchy.

One seat is empty, the chair of the Respinas family, which served as the chairman.

The current chairman is [Alberk Sara Laurt].

A middle-aged man with sharp eyes and brown hair styled in an all-back.

He is tall and has a well-built, muscular physique.

While stroking his chin, he talks about the current agenda.

"There was a problem with a student from the Kingdom of Holfort. It seems a male from the Feve family was involved?"

The head of the Feve family folds his arms and looks dissatisfied.

"That's nothing. I wanted to fight Holfort once. I wanted to show the difference in strength to reconsider the agreement."

Alberk inwardly sighs at the head of the Feve family's attitude.

(Did he incite them for glory? Or is it just the reckless actions of a foolish son...)

The head of the Feve family, [Lambert Io Feve], is a short, fat man with a large receding forehead.

To Alberk, he is a small fry but a bit troublesome.

"Are you thinking of going to war with Holfort?"

When asked, he replies,

"The Feve family will handle it. Recently, my vassals and subordinates have been idle due to a lack of opportunities to shine."

The other heads react differently.

Some look resentful, while others show no interest.

Another one—

"...I heard you obtained an airship that doesn't require a crew. And an incredible suit of armor, too?"

—asks a young man with golden hair, [Fernand Toara Dreyu].

His green eyes exude a strong will.

Lambert smiles, but it's a nasty one.

"The kingdom has made some progress. I want to disassemble and study it, but my son is playing with it. Once preparations are ready, we plan to analyze and mass-produce it."

Fernand narrows his eyes.

"It seems you used the Holy Tree to do something terrible. I think it's dangerous to use the power of the Holy Tree carelessly."

"Stop there, Fernand. Are you interfering with the Feve family?"

Fernand, who is about to say something, is silenced.

Even though they are in the same country, their relationship is the same as that of leaders of other countries.

Each of them is like a king.

"Is there something that concerns you?"

Alberk turns to Fernand.

Alberk didn't think the incident with Holfort was very important.

But,

"It's information from a merchant I know. He had a chance to talk to a merchant from the kingdom. It seems a young knight has become a hero."

The heads of the six great noble families are not interested.

Even if a hero from another country comes to Arzel, they can only show the strength of an average knight.

Alberk feels the same way.

"A young hero? Then, was the opponent a principality? A knight who rose to prominence in internal strife."

The principality originally had a relationship with the kingdom, and from Arzel's perspective, it looked like internal strife.

Fernand has a troubled expression.

"The young knight—his name is the same as the male student who came to study here. Doesn't that concern you?"

Lambert laughs in a pleased manner.

"That's good. If there's a war, I can teach the young man that the world is wide. My sons also want to earn glory. He'll be a good target."

Fernand, who is underestimating Lambert, is about to say something but is stopped by Alberk.

"That's enough. Let's move on to the next agenda."

And so, the topic of Holfort is dropped.