The content was ominous from the article title alone, but it became even more terrifying when he learned the details.
As the struggle for the succession of the throne intensified in the Balga Empire, Princess Lupus Filia had murdered Second Prince Ross Ruber. After learning of this, the emperor had Lupus Filia executed that very same day for the crime of killing a member of the imperial family.
The details outlined in the article were breaking news.
Large photographs accompanied the piece. One showed a young girl said to be Princess Lupus while she was alive, and another showed her standing at the gallows with a burlap sack over her head.
After skimming the contents of the article, the man carefully folded the newspaper and placed it on his desk.
The man’s desk and chair were the only pieces of furniture on this entire level. The vast, empty space had no structures other than its floor, ceiling, and four glass walls. Beyond the glass was a panoramic view of the streets of Elbar, the finest and most technologically advanced city on the planet.
Sitting alone in this bizarre space, the man seemed befitting of this view.
However, despite his status and power, his aura was not intimidating in the slightest.
Resting his elbows on the desk, he smiled and placed his chin on his hands.
“So can I assume your reason for coming here is related to this article?” he asked the girl standing alone in the center of the floor.
The girl had beautiful features, like something out of a painting, with flowing silver locks. Though she had not yet reached adulthood, the look in her blue eyes was not much different from that of a full-grown woman. She appeared to possess strong determination and a powerful will.
The girl cleared her throat.
“First of all, I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me, Mayor Tachibana.”
“Hah. If a princess who defected from the Balga Empire says she wants to speak with me as soon as she arrives, I’ll make as much time for her as necessary. So what is it you wanted to talk about?”
The man sitting in front of Lupus was Mayor Tachibana, the highest-ranking person in the Free City of Elbar. He was a hero who had secured Elbar’s independence against the great powers of the world.
Even though Lupus had overcome scheme after scheme, she was not as cunning and experienced in the ways of the world as Tachibana was. Yet in spite of this disparity, she had a goal she needed to push ahead with.
Lupus clenched her fists to calm herself. The feeling of the ring on her finger gave her courage.
“I’ve come here with a request.”
“Well, what could that be?”
“I’ll get straight to the point: I would like you to allow Tsushima Rindou to return to Elbar.”
For Lupus, trickery was not an option. Her request was completely devoid of any lies, falsehoods, or ulterior motives, yet Tachibana hardly reacted at all. He slowly crossed his legs under the desk, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Lupus found herself adding more words due to his lack of response.
“I owe Tsushima my life. During my defection, he saved me countless times. Originally, he was supposed to come to Elbar alongside me. But due to my own naïveté, he ended up having to stay behind by himself in the Balga Empire. That’s why I want to save him this time. I’ve come here to negotiate with you for this.”
As Tachibana listened to Lupus’s heartfelt words, he blinked slowly.
“To negotiate, you say? I understand your request. So then, what are you offering in exchange for saving Tsushima?”
Lupus swallowed hard, as if this was the moment of truth.
“Now that I’ve fled the Balga Empire, I can say I have almost nothing left to offer. However, ironically enough, there is one thing that remains,” Lupus said, taking a breath before making her bold assertion. “The title of the Treasonous Princess, the tragic royal born of the Balga Empire.”
“Oh?” Tachibana’s interest was clearly piqued. A man of his caliber likely had some ideas of what Lupus might offer.
Among those possibilities, she had chosen the one that would appeal to him the most. Confident in her decision, Lupus pressed forward.
“There are nearly one million Informationists in the Balga Empire, including those recruited from other nations. While their abilities vary, they are people with untapped potential. If someone were capable of leading them, even the empire couldn’t ignore such a force.”
“Are you saying you could you do that?”
“The Treasonous Princess meets a tragic fate and is executed. However, she actually survives and moves to the Free City of Elbar. And on top of that, she turns out to be an Informationist who champions the oppressed! Could you imagine what a tale like that might lead to?”
Tachibana smiled with interest and put his elbows on the desk.
By leaving her statement ambiguous, Lupus had conveyed two things to Tachibana, both of which he immediately grasped. He raised one eyebrow, as if troubled.
“So essentially, what you’re saying is this: Your existence could function as a strategic weapon to incite the largest Balgan civil war in history. At the same time, it could also function as the ultimate destructive force, dragging the Free City of Elbar and the Balga Empire back into all-out conflict. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Ah, that’s a tough one. You’ve put on a cute face and brought me a rather cruel bargain.”
Tachibana seemed to be enjoying the negotiation. He’d been making some truly expressive faces. He pondered things for a while, then began speaking in a lighthearted tone, as if he were discussing neighborhood gossip.
“Certainly, your existence is rare, Lupus Filia, as someone who carries both imperial and Informationist blood. If you raise your banner, Informationists from around the world who resent the Balga Empire will rally under it. That’s one power I’ve always wanted but could never obtain. Truly enviable.”
Tachibana lightly tapped his palms on the desk and, with a teasing expression, pointed at Lupus.
“How you use this power is entirely up to you. That’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it?” he asked. Lupus had no response to his question. Narrowing the options down to two at this point would not qualify as a negotiation.
If she chose the first option, she wouldn’t be able to secure anything beyond its equivalent value—meaning she might fail to achieve Tsushima’s retrieval. On the other hand, if she chose the second option, Tachibana would likely eliminate her immediately.