With the merfolk incident resolved, Renard Water Transport was doing well again. The merfolk even assisted ships bearing Lord Reineke’s flag by allowing them to move smoothly upstream. I had a feeling that the mermaid princess Liam saved had become fond of him, as she often made up excuses to come play by the riverbank.
However, the situation at sea was rough. Vessels owned by Garland’s royal family struggled to operate. They encountered storms and monsters whenever they set out, often losing much of their cargo and arriving late. Ships owned by House Renard were much safer in comparison, so many merchants chose to travel on them despite needing to pay extra fees.
“Renard Water Transport has grown substantially. We have more tourists too, and souvenirs are selling well, as are our local goods. It’s all thanks to you, Lord Reineke,” Marquis Renard said, giving the spirit an offering.
“Mm,” Lord Reineke muttered in acknowledgment. He was currently sprawled on the large sofa in my father’s office.
I was sitting next to him, listening to the conversation while petting his back. Liam was sitting with us too.
“Guillotin has raised awareness of Paris green’s danger, so our cloth of the gods is gaining popularity,” father went on. “People are even calling Paris green the false cloth of the gods, and it’s no longer being used in public spaces.”
“I’m so glad Dr. Guillotin spoke up about it!” I said.
“He looked into Paris green himself after receiving a letter from us, so this is all thanks to you as well, Lune,” Liam said, smiling.
“Me?” I asked in bewilderment. “But I didn’t do anything.”
“You tell us of Lord Reineke’s messages,” Liam responded. “Without you, the criminals from the monastery wouldn’t have been able to do so much for Renard. Even in the capital, our influence has grown beyond anything we’ve had before.”
He petted me as he spoke, and the gentle gesture distracted me. I moved my ears to the side to make it easier for him, pushing my head against his hand.
“Wahhh... Feels good...” I mumbled, melting into the touch.
Father’s expression softened almost imperceptibly. I looked at him curiously, causing him to fix his face into his usual neutrality as he spoke up.
“Our family’s duty is to protect the frontier, so we’ve never held a key position at the imperial court. That has made our influence rather weak. Even now, our political strength is limited. But Lune, you found people like Guillotin and Theo, enabling us to exert influence over the academic world. And with the creation of the canal, our domain has become more abundant and our revenue has increased, giving us a strong position within the economic world as well. Our presence at the imperial court is growing more prominent.”
“That’s wonderful!” I said, wagging my tail. Hopefully this meant I wouldn’t have to obey Prince Hodr’s every wish like in my past life.
However, father cast Lord Reineke a worried look.
“There is one problem. At present, only vessels bearing Lord Reineke’s flag escape disaster. So there have been demands to affix the flag beneath the royal family’s on the kingdom’s ships.”
“I refuse. Why should I be beneath those so-called royals?”
“I thought you might say that, so I already refused. But that has motivated House Cordier to spread rumors that House Renard is orchestrating those accidents. Now they’re proposing that all ships bearing Lord Reineke’s flag should cease service.”
“What?” Liam asked with a concerned frown.
“That’s horrible!” I said.
Our domain had no direct access to the sea, so we only owned two large-scale vessels, both of which were anchored in the harbors of other territories. They weren’t enough to transport everything, so we hired merchant ships to bear the cargo too. But because Lord Reineke had refused for his flag to be lower than that of the other domains, we’d made a deal with the merchants to fly his highest.
If all ships bearing his flag were forced to cease service, those merchant ships wouldn’t be able to leave harbor either, and we’d have to resort to importing goods through the mountain trail again.
“We finally got this far with Lord Reineke’s help, but we might slide back into poverty after all,” Liam said, biting his lip.
“House Cordier, you say? This must be the queen’s ploy. How very shrewd,” Lord Reineke said, hitting the sofa with his tail. “The fastest solution is to exterminate that entire family.”
Hearing those disturbing words, I hugged his tail.
“Lord Reineke, if the Renards killed Her Majesty, there would be war. Innocent citizens from every territory would suffer,” I argued.
“And at present, we are not strong enough to take on the royal army,” Liam added flatly.
“Ugh, what a bother. But I won’t allow Renard citizens to get wrapped up in this.” The spirit sighed.
What now?
I fell silent, pondering.
“There’s more. Territories with seaports have closed all sea routes and begun the process of exterminating monsters,” father said.
“Already?” Liam asked.
“House Cordier has been tasked with subjugating the monsters. And now that the sea routes are closed, reports are taking longer to reach us.”
Father and son exchanged looks, then sighed simultaneously.
If we don’t reopen the routes soon, even information will be slow to get here. If this keeps up, we’ll be driven to a corner!
“But what are the odds that they succeed at exterminating the monsters? It’s reckless to entrust that to a single family,” Lord Reineke pointed out.
“Among their family heirlooms is a light magic item designed to capture monsters,” father replied. “Supposedly, that tool has a special key that can only be used by the item’s owner and the royal family. That’s why the task was assigned to them.”
“So that golden net came from House Cordier after all,” Lord Reineke growled, baring his fangs.
“Which families possess which tools is not public knowledge, but that would seem to be the case.”
We had been trying to discover who owned that golden net. Though we suspected House Cordier, there was no solid evidence.
“However, now that the golden net is missing, we—House Renard—are to act as an intermediary,” father said disdainfully, exhaling sharply.
It was a complete disgrace, but he couldn’t refuse royal orders without being accused of being the mastermind behind the maritime disasters.
“Please lend me your strength,” father said, kneeling in front of the sofa and lowering his head.
Liam and I knelt before Lord Reineke as well. We pressed our hands together, offering a prayer.
“Negotiating with water monsters is like getting blood out of a stone. They despise land creatures,” Lord Reineke said, uninterested.
I had noticed his exchange with the merfolk had been loaded with tension.
“Lord Reineke, please protect our domain!” Liam and I implored.
A huge burst of golden light spilled from us into the spirit. His silver fur fluffed up, and the mark on his forehead glimmered.
Lord Reineke looked somewhat appeased, cleaning his muzzle with his front paw.
“Well, if you wish it that badly, then so be it. I say we speak to the dragon. His strength should have returned by now. It won’t matter even if his existence is discovered by humans.”
“The dragon?” father echoed in surprise.
“Yes. Dragons stand at the top of all monster species. Even merfolk should lend one an ear. And if you ask him, Lune, he certainly won’t refuse,” Lord Reineke said, rubbing his face against my head. He even wrapped his tail around me tightly. “What do you say, hmm?”
“Really?” I asked. “He won’t refuse?”
“Unfortunately, he’s become fond of you.” The spirit paused, glancing at Liam’s conflicted expression. He stroked the boy’s back with his tail. “Do not be jealous, Liam. The dragon likes you as well.”
Liam blushed and looked away, indicating Lord Reineke had hit the mark.
I didn’t miss the way father smiled subtly as he watched.