“Elaborate.”
A note of displeasure sounded in Demon King Fynar’s voice at his subordinate’s report.
“Yes, my lord. We’ve received an apology stating that they intended to contact us but were forced to act first due to the possibility of the culprit escaping. Evidently, they wished to seize the initiative, no matter how small, in this matter in order to improve the empire’s position.”
“So the imperial guard took action? Have you heard anything from them?”
“Yes, but they claim that the communication was delayed due to the senate’s emergency mobilization. They followed up with a more sincere apology as a result.”
“Oho... Fascinating. Quite impressive to be able to anticipate the imperial guard’s response.”
“I can’t speak for the other senators, but I believe the current president may have thought that far ahead. He’s demonstrated an exceptional ability to adapt in his negotiations with us at every step. In particular, I feel I must comment on his swiftness in handing over control of the investigation to us after the target was secured.”
The perfectly engineered move ensured that the Demon King and his allies couldn’t complain while still allowing them to take credit for the achievement. The senate had taken the action precisely because the protest movement was verging on a riot and it could no longer contain the people. But in a way, the timing was impeccable for them to dump the growing problem into the Demon King’s lap. Though annoyance had initially clouded Fynar’s face at the hassle, his expression changed to one of interest upon hearing the cleverness of the other side’s tactics.
“Hmm... Well, they’re running a country too, so I suppose I should have expected this much. What matters is that they captured the target. We demons can certainly learn from this sort of maneuvering. Truly, I feel as if I’ve caught a glimpse of the humans’ power to organize.”
“Personally, I can’t help but feel they’ve foisted more trouble on us...”
“No, no. You’re viewing this from a demonic perspective. Even if we are the victors now, if we neglect to learn, we’ll soon become the losers. As our interactions with other races increase, the only way for us to remain victors is to continue learning about the world outside our own.”
“Forgive me, sire. I’ll keep that in mind.”
For his part, Fynar had been carefully gathering information since the act of terror in the airfield because he had perceived intent in the enemy’s actions this time. That meant the enemy had something planned against them. It also meant that not all of the information they had obtained was necessarily accurate. So even though he had judged Alveiro to be a key player in all this, he hadn’t gone so far as to consider him guilty. Thus the source of his initial irritation upon learning that the imperial government had acted unilaterally to secure his target.
Alveiro Velburn. A nobleman with moderate leanings who had served in the senate since the time of the previous emperor, Shendra. He was a mid-level assemblyman who didn’t hold any special positions, but he ran his own private school, so as a thinker, he held considerable influence in both the political and business spheres, with a broad swathe of acquaintances. Their intelligence on the man had also confirmed he’d been on friendly terms with Shendra on a personal level, and that with a few more years of experience in the senate under his belt, he would become its next president.
Velburn had acted as one of the imperial commanders during the Great Corpse Dragon War, but after Reauxgard’s defeat, his criticism of the current governance structure had made him a target for covert surveillance by Fynar’s intelligence organization. And he was the one who had surfaced as a leading person of interest during the investigations into the incidents at the stadium and the airport.
First, there was the teleportation dagger, the device believed to have been utilized to send the monsters. The weapon’s origins were still under investigation, but Fynar and his people theorized that it had been hidden among the materials being delivered to the stadium. Their probe had revealed that Velburn had visited the warehouse when the materials were being stored at a port. That had been two days before the crime.
Yuki had told him that the teleportation dagger was likely a dungeon creation due to its rarity. Only high-ranking government officials knew of the dungeon’s existence and how to use it. That was how Alveiro’s name had first come up. Furthermore, in the matter of the airport bombing, they suspected that explosives lost at the Third Imperial Weapons Storehouse had been used, and his name had also appeared in the access records there. Though it had been cleverly concealed, proof of his visit to the weapons depot had been found within a week of the incident, with no other records of visits going back three months. While the soldiers managing the storehouse were still under investigation, they had been tentatively deemed innocent, which only deepened suspicion against Alveiro. Along with this evidence, his opinions and actions thus far didn’t help his case either.
Given all that, Fynar couldn’t help thinking, It all fits too well. He couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had been premeditated.
“Is there anything else?”
“Just one thing. A message from the vice commander of the Reauxgard First Imperial Order of Knights. He said he lacks definitive proof, but... ‘We might have made a mistake.’”
“Hmm, hmm, hmm. Concerning words indeed.”
Fynar pondered for a moment, then spoke again.
“I think a meeting is in order.”
“With whom, my lord?”
“Assemblyman Velburn. Oh, and while you’re at it, do reach out to Yuki for me as well.”