Chapter 106

We were building a brand-new city for the study of magical science, and this plan had been set in motion around four months after our encounter with Lilana. That day, Euphie summoned me to the council room at the royal palace to explain it to me. “A new city?” I repeated, staring back at her. “Yes. As a matter of fact, there have been a great many discussions about it,” she continued. I had attended the meeting on Euphie’s request, but I couldn’t have been more surprised by what she said next. “We’ve reached a consensus, so I thought it would be a good time to bring you in, Anis. I’d like to ask you to lead a new urban development project.” “Er, why me? You want me to build a city…?” I couldn’t quite grasp why Euphie wanted to put me in charge of this endeavor. I mean, she hadn’t even told me why she wanted to build a new city in the first place. “Let me explain,” Euphie began, apparently sensing my confusion. “Do you remember the conversation we had about repairing and restoring all the dilapidated buildings in the royal capital?” “Of course. I suggested setting up an institute for the study of magicology.” “Indeed. That suggestion was rejected on the grounds that priority should be given to preserving the capital’s cultural heritage.” “I get that, but how does establishing one research institute turn into building a whole city? Even if setting it up in the capital is a no-go, that doesn’t mean you need to build an entire city, right?” I said, trying to laugh it off. “Indeed, it does not, Princess Anisphia,” said an unexpected voice—Lang, the new director of the Ministry of the Arcane. Lang’s influence and authority had been on the rise ever since the success of the spirit substantiation show at my birthday celebration. He stared at me, nervously pushing up his glasses. “Oh, Lang. What brings you here…?” I asked. “May I take it from here, Queen Euphyllia?” “Go ahead, Lang,” Euphie answered. “This project was initiated after giving careful consideration to the problems that might arise through greater proliferation of magicology.” “Problems…?” I cocked my head to the side. “I don’t mean that in a negative way. It is no exaggeration to say that Your Highness’s research activities have led to a great industrial boom throughout the kingdom—for which we’re incredibly grateful.” “Thanks…I guess. But what kind of problems are you talking about?” “One concern is that once magical tools become widely popularized, the price of spirit stones used in their manufacturing may rise substantially.” “I see. Spirit stones have traditionally been used in daily life, with excess stock exported to neighboring lands, so we’ll need more of them.” “Yes. I’m sure their value will inflate quite a bit in the near future. It’s fortunate that Queen Euphyllia has provided support for increasing resource extraction throughout the kingdom’s territories. Thanks to that, we should be able to keep the surge from being too sudden or dramatic, but that still leaves us with the next problem.” “Yet another problem… You mean the scale of future research?” “Precisely. So long as there are no resource constraints, there is no reason to delay future magicology research. That is, it goes without saying, but if Your Highness would be willing to expand the scale of your research…?” “Well, um…” “I expect magicology will advance into the future as we move forward. There is, however, a fear that people in the royal capital may chase after new inventions and forget their traditional spiritualistic beliefs. We need to be prepared for the backlash from those who hold on to their faith.” “And that’s why you were against my idea of building a research institute in the capital?” “I’m afraid so. We greatly appreciate your understanding on the matter.” Both magicology and the magical tools it had produced were revolutionary in the Kingdom of Palettia. All I wanted was to create good things, things to improve people’s lives—but if people started thinking that only new things had any intrinsic worth, there would be an inevitable decline in the existing culture. With the spread of magical tools that could substitute for traditional magic, those who had benefited most from the old ways would come to resent them. That was unavoidable. Rapid change had a tendency to cause friction, and in the worst case, that could escalate into another civil war. In order to prevent that, Euphie continued to seek the help of both our fathers to make political adjustments and appease all parties. As such, while she was promoting magicology, my efforts weren’t progressing as much as I would like, out of consideration for the nobility. As disappointed as I was by this, I understood the necessity. “All that said, our issue is with establishing the magicology institute within the royal capital. There are no objections to expanding the scale of research. As such, we thought it would be prudent to commission a new city to advance your efforts, and Her Majesty expressed her agreement with this line of thinking.” “I agree with Lang’s proposal, but what about you, Anis?” Euphie asked. “I understand the reasoning now, but seriously…? I mean, it would be such a huge undertaking…” I couldn’t hide my shock. Yes, I had made the initial suggestion for a real facility to study magicology, and I’d been hoping for approval. But for those who had rejected it to come back with something else on a much larger scale… It was hard to accept so suddenly. When I hesitated to answer, Lang cleared his throat. “Naturally, we in the Ministry of the Arcane do have our own agenda. There is currently a deep divide between the nobility and the common folk, and we’re identifying issues in an effort to bridge that gap. In particular, the slum area at the corner of the capital precincts must be addressed as a matter of considerable urgency.” “Ah, of course… That’s true.” I was well aware of the issues in the slums. I had visited often during my adventurer days. The people there had nowhere to go to make a living yet had staked everything on reaching the royal capital, hoping to seize opportunity. It would be nice if they had work to sustain themselves, but of course, nothing was that simple. Some of them enlisted as adventurers because it was the only way to earn a living, only to suffer serious injuries while out on a job. Wounded and ailing, they were unable to find any work at all. The slums were inhabited chiefly by people who had lost their way. My father had been deeply troubled by their plight, but he had been unable to come up with a concrete solution during his reign. “We believe that the many demands created by a greater proliferation of magicology will generate opportunities and jobs to improve the situation in the slums,” Lang explained. “So they’ll be able to make a living?” “If the realm lays the groundwork.” “So the idea is to reconstruct all the dilapidated buildings to create jobs?” “Yes. But in the meantime, those who currently reside in the slums will have nowhere to live. While we could hire some of them to help in other restoration works throughout the capital, we thought it might be worthwhile to consider a larger public works project.” “That’s where this idea for a new city came from? It’s certainly a bold plan, Lang.” “I’m flattered to hear you say that, Your Highness.” “…Was that a compliment? Or not?” I asked in suspicion. Euphie, watching this exchange from the sidelines, let out a soft chuckle—though when I shot her a sharp glance, she quickly cleared her throat. “How about it?” she asked. “Personally, I would like to move forward with this proposal.” “It does sound good, but putting me in charge without any warning…?” “You will nominally be the project lead, Your Highness, but when it comes to selecting personnel for the work, we will naturally need to consult with Queen Euphyllia,” Lang clarified. “We would like you to manage it, Anis, but your focus should still be on your magicology research,” Euphie added. “So basically, you’re just putting my name on it for political reasons?” I asked. “It would be more accurate to say you would be delegating to suitable subordinates, Your Highness,” Lang said as he adjusted his glasses with one finger. It looked like he couldn’t see my expression very well, perhaps because of the angle of his glasses. I could tell, however, that he was staring at me intently. “We intend to manage the personnel involved with the new city and other political matters here from the capital. That being said, it would be difficult to grasp what exactly is required without a deep understanding of magicology, which is why we believe you should be in charge, Your Highness. I’m sure there will be a great many opportunities for us to seek your opinion on how the new city should be designed and run.” “Hmm… All right. In that case, I guess I’d be willing to take on the project.” Basically, it sounded like a laboratory on the scale of a city. It stood to reason that it would help both magicology and magical tools to become more widespread, which would in turn attract more people. Those individuals would then collaborate to build out the urban areas, and the management of those would be delegated. If that was the plan, I ought to be up to the task. But if I was expected to administer the whole city, I didn’t see how I could balance that with my actual research. “Thank you again for your understanding, Your Highness,” Lang said with a generous nod. “With that out of the way, I would like to turn to the next topic…” “Th-there’s more?” “Naturally. There are a great many decisions that need to be made. First of all, if Your Highness agrees to oversee the new city, we would like to consider converting part of the Royal Guard into an independent knightly order for your own exclusive use.” “My own knightly order?!” “Perhaps I should elaborate on that point,” Duke Grantz said, taking over for Lang. I braced myself, worried at how Euphie might react to her father entering the conversation. Sparks flew whenever these two argued, and the aftermath would be enough to leave me sick to my stomach. “This new knightly order would serve two roles,” Duke Grantz explained. “The first is to train individuals in the use of magical tools so that they can then teach others—much as Baron Cyan has been doing. The second is to offer you protection, Your Highness, and safeguard your magicology secrets.” “Meaning they’ll be serving me in a few different ways…” “Considering your popularity among the commoners and the lower ranks of the nobility, and taking into account the future potential of your magical tools, it seems sensible to recruit volunteers for this order.” “But if they’re a separate organization, couldn’t that lead to it becoming its own faction or something? That could cause disagreements and friction, don’t you think?” That was my primary worry after hearing Duke Grantz’s explanation. Was it a good idea to create rivalries between knightly orders while trying to bridge the long-standing gap between the nobility and the common folk? “Leave the politics to me, Anis,” Euphie interrupted. “That’s my role. Besides, while public sentiment is changing, there are still a great many people who harbor doubts about magicology and magical tools.” “Euphie… Are you sure?” “I do intend to bridge the two emerging factions at some point, but it won’t be a quick change. That’s why I will make sure the political landscape is as smooth as possible. Please, trust me.” As if to say my fears were unfounded, Euphie flashed me a confident smile. If she was willing to go that far, I couldn’t dig in my heels. I simply had to face this challenge head-on and give it my all. “All right. If that’s your decision, I’ll go along with this plan for a new knightly order as well. We’ll definitely need more manpower, in any event.” “We’re considering employing independent knights and adventurers to help construct the new city, and we hope to be ready to start by the beginning of the year,” Euphie said. “Then shall we discuss the actual location?” Duke Grantz asked nonchalantly. The moment he came out with this question, I could sense the tension between him and Euphie. Euphie watched him with a demure smile. It was enough to leave me feeling uneasy, but the duke himself remained unfazed. The air between them was so electric that the idea of getting near it was terrifying. “Duke Magenta, I hope it isn’t too late to ask Anis’s thoughts on a suitable site.” “No, we can discuss this with her. But any further additions should be considered concurrently with the other candidates. Your wise decision to restore order among the nobles has led to some families offering to return their territories to the crown, Queen Euphyllia. As such, it’s necessary to take care and coordinate the various estates.” “Um… Does this plan for a new city have something to do with those territories?” I asked. “It does indeed, Princess Anisphia.” The duke nodded. Once more, I was reminded of how much work Euphie had been doing while I was recuperating from the Lilana incident. One of the most pressing matters was straightening out the nobility. After all, if the kingdom was to bridge the gulf between the aristocracy and the common folk, the nobility needed to play along. After a thorough investigation, Euphie’s staff had identified several problematic territories. There were those like Viscount Persimmon’s, unable to cope due to monster damage or natural disasters, but then there were also those that had suffered under excessive taxation to satisfy their masters’ greed. As a result, several such territories had been relinquished to the crown voluntarily or, in severe cases, confiscated outright. Since most needed some kind of direct oversight, there were ongoing discussions about whether the crown should manage them directly, integrate them into neighboring territories, or appoint new nobles to serve as local lords. It all made sense now. The hope was to use one of them as the site of this new city. “I don’t think we need to make the final decision during this meeting, but once full-scale construction gets underway, Princess Anisphia will have to make frequent visits to the site in person,” the duke continued. “The sooner we settle on a location, the easier it will be to coordinate and gain the consent of the local lords. I would urge you to decide soon, Queen Euphyllia.” “…Indeed, Duke Magenta. This new city will be crucial to the realm’s future. Given its importance, we will have to decide quickly. Let’s await Anis’s judgment and select a candidate as soon as possible.” Euphie’s face was neutral, but her eyes were steely. Duke Grantz responded with a silent nod. “As the project leader, you’ll have to oversee the site for the new city in person. I know that… And I know I won’t be able to go with you!” “Yeah, me too…” “That’s the way it is! I have to accept it! He ought to know how I feel, but he’s always harping on about something or other. It’s like he doesn’t even care…!” “Hey, it’s all right. You’re doing great, Euphie. Really.” “Pat my head again, please…?” That evening, Euphie held tight to me, burying her face in my stomach. She seemed deflated as she cuddled into my embrace—she couldn’t have been any more different from the Queen Euphyllia the realm knew. Serious though the conversation was, I let out a light laugh. Duke Grantz was right—I could see that—but he certainly wasn’t one to beat around the bush. “I’ll have to leave the royal capital…,” I muttered. Even saying the words out loud, it still didn’t seem real. I had often left the detached palace during my adventurer days, but even then, it was always here for me to return to. I had always believed that when the time came for me to leave, it would be because I no longer had a place of my own in the kingdom. I never could have dreamed I would have to go to help build a new city. Perhaps Euphie had overheard me, as she hugged me even tighter. It was starting to get hard to breathe. “…I don’t want you to go,” she whispered. “I know.” “I want you by my side forever. I can’t stand to be away from you, not even for a little while.” She was indulging me, I knew that—but I also knew there was more to it. Ever since that encounter with Lilana, the shock of almost losing me had left a deep scar on Euphie’s heart. She had developed a certain aloofness ever since becoming a spirit covenantor, but when she was alone with me, she remained the same as ever, letting her adorable childlike side show. Yes, I had needed the past year to recuperate, but it had also been necessary to help her to regain her peace of mind. I was relieved to see that she was making progress on that front. Still, it was natural for her to feel anxious at the thought of having to be apart from me. After all, our time together grew shorter by the day. “…Euphie. Do you want to give up the throne?” I asked as I stroked her head. She flinched slightly, but she said nothing. As queen, this was one part of herself that she could never let her subjects see. When she left this room, she would go back to wearing her perfect, selfless mask. But that was just a facade. Inside hid a brittle, fragile core. I knew that, at some level. Not even she was perfect. Behind her many accomplishments, she was just a girl. And yet she had decided to shoulder her heavy fate for me. I had to do something to repay her—but at times, I wished she would simply leave it all behind. “I’m not relinquishing the throne, Anis,” she said at last, raising her face and looking deep into my eyes. Her expression was serene—nothing like her attitude just a few short moments ago. The little girl with separation anxiety was gone for now. “Making you give up your dream because of my own selfishness—that would be a death sentence,” she continued. “I chose this path to help you, but I’d rather die than hold you back.” “I don’t want you to push yourself too hard, Euphie.” “It’s only temporary… Right?” she said with a soft smile. She looked genuinely happy, but at the same time, she seemed on the cusp of breaking down in tears. It was a complicated, ambiguous expression, like a fragile and delicate piece of beautiful glasswork. “I wonder how long we’ll be able to stand the limelight…,” she murmured under her breath. I likewise breathed a heavy sigh. She had put my own thoughts into words. There could be no avoiding the reality looming before us—the question of how much time we had left. “Eventually, we’ll have to turn over leadership to the next generation. Even if our time in this world is unlike everyone else’s,” Euphie said. “So this is our time living human lives, huh?” After all, Euphie was a spirit covenantor, and I had become a dragon. We had both gained impossibly long life spans, so we would one day have to step back from our current positions. If we didn’t, we would repeat the tragedy of the spirit covenantors of old—eternal rule and absolute might. We couldn’t let people become too dependent on us. Eventually, our lives would become decidedly out of sync with those of everyone around us. It was inevitable. But there was something I had to see through before our time was up—the revolution that we had set in motion together. “I’ll only be queen for a limited time, so I want to do my absolute best. I want to make your dream a reality, Anis. Your support means the world to me. Give me the strength to hold my head up high.” “I will.” She caught me in an embrace, unable to contain her boundless affection. She accepted me wholeheartedly. How many times had I felt blessed to have her in my life like this? Which was precisely why I wanted to treasure these moments, to cherish them so much that giving them up was incredibly painful. Euphie, however, hated it when I said things like that. She was always laughing off my compliments. Still, I wanted to ease the burden in some way, which meant that I had to keep moving forward, too. In order to bring our shared dream to fruition, we would both have to shoulder the joys and sorrows together. I wouldn’t break my promises to her. I did ponder just giving it all up at times, but those were only momentary lapses. “Let’s give it our all, Euphie.” “Yes. For now, please spoil me some more,” she said, hugging me again and burying her face in my stomach. Her breath tickled my skin, almost annoyingly so. “You’ve gotten so selfish lately, Euphie… Or were you always like this?” “Perhaps I learned it from you?” “Oh?” We both chuckled, holding each other close and sharing each other’s warmth. If Euphie were to ask what exactly I liked about her, if she wanted to know how deeply I felt about her, my only answer would be everything. I absolutely adored her. There was no other way to feel. There wasn’t a single part of her I wasn’t impossibly fond of. “I love you, Euphie.” “I love you, too, Anis.”