The Central Conference Hall in the Free City of Elbar was an eerie place, without a single window—just a vast, domed chamber stretching out endlessly.
At the center of the hall, two imposing men sat across from one another at a round table. In stark contrast to their composed expressions, the bodyguards lurking in the darkness behind them radiated an almost terrifying tension.
And with good reason. The two were rivals who had crossed blades of strategy as they vied for control of the entire world—Causa Insania and Tachibana.
Tachibana’s voice rang out, cutting through the charged atmosphere.
“My, my, I never expected you to grace us with your presence. I’m terribly sorry I could not prepare a more fitting venue.”
Tachibana spoke in a breezy tone that belied the tension in the air.
Causa answered with a pleasant smile.
“I’m grateful just to have my sudden visit accommodated. Officially, we’re supposed to be bitter enemies.”
“Oh? I’m surprised you still refer to our relationship as such.”
The social niceties of adults could be terrifying—especially when those adults bore the weight of nations on their shoulders.
This was a meeting where the interests of both sides were at stake.
“To be honest, we’ve incurred significant losses from this incident. But there are times when one must ignore the pain. That’s the nature of our world, isn’t it?” Causa said, matching Tachibana’s composure despite his tone getting a little sharper.
In truth, the extent to which the princess’s treasonous activities had damaged Balga Empire was too complicated to be summed up in a single sentence.
The news of the princess’s execution, which had spread across the globe overnight, suggested the once-unshakable foundation of the Balga Empire was beginning to tremble.
To make matters worse, word had also spread that two members of the Six Imperial Swords, the empire’s mightiest Informationists, had been defeated. Allegedly, the second prince’s knight had been killed outright, while the first prince’s knight had been gravely wounded.
As a result, the Balga Empire experienced a drop in international standing, incurring losses in both its economic and military sectors.
Rumor had it that several investors and major figures in the business world had withdrawn from Balga and started investing in the nation they anticipated would become the next global superpower. Needless to say, Elbar was behind these maneuvers.
Causa was well aware Elbar had leaked the damaging information. Still, he must have judged there was a better move than confronting Elbar over it and souring relations.
He suppressed his resentment at being outmaneuvered and put on the air of a composed royal. Seeing the younger man’s effort, Tachibana responded with a grin of admiration.
“In the end, it’s true that the Balga Empire has suffered the greater loss, but wasn’t that within your expectations? In fact, His Majesty the Emperor’s power is waning, and I’ve heard you will be picked to succeed him. Your time may be drawing near.”
“Hardly. My role is to serve as His Majesty’s shield and spear. As long as the emperor remains in good health, I have no such ambitions.”
Despite professing his loyalty, there was a clear glint of ambition in Causa’s eyes.
“However, there was one thing in this affair that exceeded my expectations. That’s why I’ve come to consult with you.”
Causa let a hint of severity mar his businesslike smile. Sensing that they were about to get to the heart of the matter, Tachibana straightened his posture.
“It concerns Tsushima Rindou, whom you sent to aid the princess defect. In the course of his mission, he killed my foolish brother’s knight and even fought off my own. After that, I hear he was unfortunately killed by another member of the Six Imperial Swords who arrived as reinforcement. I regret having forced you to expend one of Elbar’s most valuable assets, but there are still aspects of his true identity I cannot accept.”
Still maintaining an insincere smile, Causa gazed sharply at Tachibana.
Though he pretended not to understand on the surface, inwardly, he knew exactly what was going on. Few Informationists were capable of taking down a member of the Six Imperial Swords single-handedly. He was trying to figure out who this man really was, whose intentions he was acting on, and what chain of events had led to this outcome. And he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Tachibana replied with a gentle expression that seemed to say there was nothing to hide.
“Tsushima Rindou is one of our city’s foremost tactical assets. If requested, we’ll send him anywhere—to an enemy nation or the far side of the world. That’s the kind of operative he is.”
“So you’re saying he’s not just an ordinary level-seven Informationist?”
“Ha-ha-ha, of course not. There’s no way an Informationist of that level could defeat a member of the Six Imperial Swords.”
Causa felt a strong sense of unease at how readily Tachibana admitted the truth.
Tachibana had orchestrated a mission to ensure Lupus could safely defect. Would they really send such an extraordinary agent for that alone? It seemed unlikely Elbar would value Lupus herself so highly.
Countless possibilities raced through Causa’s mind, and the logic of the situation began to fall into place. Among the various scenarios he considered, he arrived at the one he feared most.
His face darkening, he shot Tachibana a hostile glare.
“How deeply was His Majesty the Emperor involved in this affair?”
Tachibana deliberately altered his expression upon hearing Causa’s question. Then he returned to his usual smile.
“Well, who can say?”
His response made no effort to hide the truth. Hearing it, Causa understood everything.
The current emperor of the Balga Empire was fully aware of the conflict among the princes. On top of that, he had taken measures against Causa’s and Ross’s scheme to dethrone him.
When the time came, the emperor’s sons would inherit the throne, so he couldn’t simply have them killed. But as long as the emperor himself lived, he couldn’t allow a rebellion to break out, either.
He’d judged that the princes, with their cunning, power, connections, and willingness to use violence, were too dangerous to leave unchecked. At the very least, he needed to defang them by stripping them of their capacity to wield violence. That was why he had neutralized their knights.
Everything had been orchestrated for that purpose.
Realizing the truth, Causa covered his tense face with his hand.
“How terrifying. So the world is not yet mine after all.”
Faced with Tachibana’s unsettling smile, Causa muttered this as if to himself. His words were an admission of defeat, yet at the same time, a motive that would drive him to rise again.
“This was an invaluable lesson. I suppose we’ll have occasion to cooperate with the Free City of Elbar again in the future,” Causa said, not as gesture of concession, but as an expression of his genuine feelings.
“We of the Free City of Elbar are always on the side of our clients. We would be honored to be of service again.”
For Tachibana, this incident had been occasion for him to demonstrate Elbar’s power not only to Causa, but also to the emperor of Balga himself:
We of Elbar possess hidden military might—personnel unafraid of the Six Imperial Swords and capable of reaching the emperor’s very throat.
Causa, calm and composed despite accepting defeat, almost refreshingly so, rose from his chair.
Still unable to let go, however, he circled back to their earlier conversation.
“Returning to my earlier question about Tsushima Rindou’s true identity—might you finally provide an answer?”
“That’s a state secret—and personal information, at that. If you meet Tsushima again, perhaps you can ask him yourself.”
Tachibana hadn’t outright revealed anything, but he’d deliberately hinted to Causa that Tsushima was still alive. At the same time, he’d subtly promoted Tsushima as a tactical asset.
A threat capable of eliminating even the Six Imperial Swords, slipping back into the shadows with his identity concealed. That is who Tsushima Rindou is.
Causa licked his dry lips, smirked faintly, and turned with a flick of his sleeve.
“Well then, I’m sure you’re also terribly busy, Mayor Tachibana. I think I’ll leave it at that for today and take my leave.”
Even with his back turned, Causa showed no signs of letting down his guard. He was already weaving his next scheme. Though this encounter had ended in something close to defeat, he wasn’t the type to give up so easily.
Tachibana watched the prince go, exhilarated at the prospect of a new rival.
When the spatial distortion caused by the teleportation protocol opened a path, Causa suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Ah, that’s right. How is she doing here?”
Causa had deliberately avoided using her name. But at this parting moment, there was only one person he could mean by she.
Tachibana understood immediately and gave a cheerful reply.
“She seems to be rather enjoying herself, as a matter of fact. Apparently, she’ll be attending Elbar Academy starting this spring. Things seem to be going well for her.”
“I see. That’s for the best,” Causa murmured, not to anyone in particular but as if letting the words spill into the air. Then he vanished to the other side of the spatial teleportation protocol.
After Causa’s party—including his Informationist bodyguards—had all disappeared into the distortion, Tachibana gave a big stretch.
“Honestly, whenever the Empire gets involved, there’s no end to the trouble you have to go through.” Relaxing at last, Tachibana spoke with apparent annoyance. Yet, despite his words, a smile could be seen on his lips.
Tachibana, one of the world’s foremost strategists, was always seeking worthy opponents to match wits with. No doubt, he welcomed the rise of the younger generation. One day, they would use him as a stepping stone to reach even greater heights. Hoping for the emergence of those new talents, Tachibana left the room.