Chapter 80 of 100

Chapter 80

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Georg gently handed a note to Leonardo.

"......I see."

After quickly scanning it and nodding, Leonardo turned his gaze to the diplomats still prostrated on the ground.

- Nineteen ninja intruders have been captured (Emma's persuasion completed)

- One ninja is still hiding among the diplomats

- There is a possibility that Imoko is a royal citizen (discovered because Martha can understand the royal language)

- The royal kingdom is a treasure trove of magic stones, and the kingdom desires them

After reading the last part of Georg's note, Leonardo finally understood why the diplomats had been so desperate to see Emma. The kingdom's mines no longer had enough magic stones left to be of use. Even if a mage appeared, the kingdom could not prepare the magic stones needed to cast a protective barrier large enough to cover the entire kingdom. Without them, the country would surely fall within a hundred years.

When Leonardo was a child, magic stones were still more accessible than they are now. Magic stones that stored magic other than the protective barrier were often spoken of as a status symbol among the upper nobility, much like the convenient appliances of his previous life. The Stewart family was not particularly wealthy at the time, so Leonardo had never seen a magic stone, but every time he heard someone boasting about them at school or in social circles, he would become angry, wondering why they were not used to cast spells to defeat monsters.

There were many hunters working hard to protect the territory from monster invasions. Leonardo would have preferred to see magic stones used to defend the borders and save lives rather than being wasted on trivial boasts.

The nobles competed to obtain magic stones, and they spent vast amounts of their wealth to have various spells cast into them by the mages of the time. Despite the fact that the magic stored in the stones would diminish with use, they were repeatedly displayed and consumed for the sake of boasting, leading to the kingdom's magic stones being wasted and the mines eventually drying up. The magic stones that were supposed to be stored by the royal family for the purpose of storing the protective barrier spell had, without anyone's knowledge, been diverted by the nobles entrusted with their management for their own personal gain. Now, magic stones had become a precious commodity that the kingdom could not obtain no matter how much money it offered.

The local protective barrier hazard placed on the border a year ago indicated that the remaining magic in the magic stones there was running low. Even the people in the royal castle, who were not particularly concerned about the threat of monsters, had to take action.

If a mage appeared, the situation could be temporarily averted, but the problem would arise afterward. If the kingdom could not obtain magic stones, it would not be able to store the protective barrier spell. However, if it had magic stones, it could send a mage to another country to store the spell.

"Lord Stewart, what is that paper?"

The king looked at Leonardo, who had a troubled expression after reading the note. Not being able to say that he was worried about the state of the country, Leonardo laughed it off.

"No, it's a report from Emma's doctor. He says she is recovering well and there is no need to worry."

"......Is that so......"

Leonardo thought he had successfully covered it up, but the serious expression on his face while reading the note had convinced not only the king but even Prince Task, who was sitting next to him, that Emma's condition was not good.

"We shouldn't stay too long. It's time to take our leave."

The king slowly rose from his seat, careful not to damage the silk cover on Emma's bed. As Prince Task was about to follow suit, Oliver, one of the prostrated diplomats, spoke up, unable to see Leonardo's expression.

"Your Majesty, please! The conversation in the royal language has not yet taken place. If Miss Emma has recovered, I would like to speak with her."

Persistent... but as someone who knew the kingdom's internal affairs, Leonardo could understand the desperation to obtain magic stones. The fact that the kingdom's mines had dried up had not been made public to avoid panic. If it were not for the information from the Rothschild Trading Company, Leonardo would not have known about it either. Every time he drank with Joshua's father, he would be forced to listen to stories he did not want to hear, and over time, he became well-informed.

"Oliver, Emma has just recovered from her collapse yesterday. I understand your concern for the country, but let's go back today."

The king, too, was eager to get the matter resolved, but seeing Leonardo's expression, he could not push the issue as a father who had a daughter of his own.

"But, Your Majesty! If we do nothing, at least let us know how she learned the royal language!"

Oliver had always been that kind of man, Martha sighed. He ignored emotions and the atmosphere, focusing stubbornly on the problem at hand. His academic performance was always the best, but he was always second to her.

"She studied very hard. That child..."

Oliver's face snapped up at Martha's resigned words.

"Huh?"

"That child has always been frail and was not allowed to go beyond the garden. The garden was her entire world. She would learn about the creatures (insects) and plants (insect food) she met in the garden to distract herself from the loneliness and pain."

Martha began to spin a grand tale.

"There is an elderly gardener named Imoko at the Palace estate. He taught Emma many things, including the royal language..."

"Nonsense! Why would that gardener know the royal language? We, too, have tried to learn it! How could a girl understand it!?"

Oliver shook his head, unable to accept it.

"Effort? Did you put in the effort to study for hours every day for ten years? In the borderlands, monsters constantly appear, so both Leonardo and I had limited time to spend with Emma. Her brothers were busy with noble and monster education, and Emma was lonely. She must have studied the royal language desperately to get more attention from the gardener Imoko..."

Sniff

The king, caught up in Martha's story, wiped away a tear. The rugged, muscular, and handsome man was shedding large tears without a care for his appearance.

Sniff

Leonardo, too, was crying for some reason.

...No, you... weren't you always clinging to Emma every day, making her annoyed?

You even took her to hunting grounds, basking in her admiration of your strength and greatness...

Why are you crying?

Georg, stop looking at the king and father with such a shocked expression!

Martha mentally scolded them, but Leonardo's tears did not stop, and Georg's shock did not subside.

"I only learned that the words Imoko taught were the royal language yesterday. We were ashamed to admit that we did not even know of the existence of the royal kingdom..."

She subtly hinted that it was difficult to suddenly be asked for cooperation.

"......I have heard of a person named Onono Imoko in our country."

Prince Task, who had been silent until then, began to speak.

"He was taken to Baritu immediately after birth and raised there, then learned the royal language, the only bilingual person in our country. When the ship he was on capsized fifty years ago, he was declared missing and his death was said to delay the opening of the country by a hundred years. It is highly likely that this Imoko is the gardener."

Martha swallowed hard.

When she came to the Stewart family, Imoko was already working as a gardener. According to Leonardo, he had been serving the family since before Leonardo was born and could speak the kingdom's language fluently. Martha had never heard him speak the royal language. She needed to send a letter quickly to get his story straight...

...No, if he is our gardener... isn't that a bit too much?

"Understand that this is a great burden for Miss Emma. Could she not lend her strength for the diplomatic relations between the royal kingdom and the kingdom?"

Prince Task bowed to Leonardo and Martha, performing a nostalgic, beautifully executed Japanese bow.

"I am sorry, but (the troublemaker) Emma is not up to the task. Prince Task, you seem to understand the kingdom's language quite well. Is that not enough?"

Emma could not be entrusted with the kingdom's fate. There would undoubtedly be one, two, or three disputes in all the negotiations without her knowledge.

"Currently, I am the only one who can speak the kingdom's language. The long period of isolation has made our people unaccustomed to learning foreign languages. I do not have the people or time to handle diplomacy, negotiations, and education alone. Our country does not have the luxury for such things."

Seeing Prince Task, who was still bowing, clench his hands, Martha understood that the food shortage in the royal kingdom was truly a dire situation. Both the royal kingdom and the kingdom were in a state of decline. This diplomatic relationship must succeed.

"Understood."

Martha relented.

"Then, Leonardo and I will assist."

"......What?"

"Are you saying we should continue to make Emma feel lonely?"

"......Huh?"

"The Stewart family can all speak the royal language."

"......?"