FINAL CHAPTER
THE BEGINNINGS OF UNREST
Oswald sat on the throne in the audience room of Viatris Castle. Sirius, the prime minister, stood beside him and the second prince, Lionel, stood before him. They were meeting together to hear Lionel’s report after having returned from a neighboring country. They had met with him once right after he’d gotten back but hadn’t been able to hear any details then. They had been so busy with official duties for days on end that they hadn’t had the time to actually talk.
“I said it once before, but welcome back, Lionel.” Oswald nodded magnanimously at the return of his son, who had been studying abroad in the Iris Empire, one of their allies. Lionel had left for Iris a year and a half ago. He had been planning to stay for another six months, but he’d had no choice but to return home due to the emergency situation. “I heard that you went to greet Duke Filiaregis the other day.”
“Yes. I saw Miss Drossell as well, but is she not living in the duke’s manor at the moment?”
Oswald’s eyebrows twitched. He had briefly mentioned Drossell in his letter to Lionel when explaining the commotion that had occurred around the first prince, but he hadn’t mentioned that she had left her family’s home. “Ah, I hadn’t told you yet. Drossell lives in a manor outside of the city. She moved there at her own request.”
“I see.” Lionel nodded, accepting the answer.
Resting his arms on the throne’s armrests, Oswald asked his son, “What did you think of Drossell when you saw her?”
“Well… I thought she was strange and a bit odd. We’ve never been particularly close, so perhaps I simply don’t know her well enough to comment…”
“Heh heh… Is that so? I felt the same way.” Oswald chuckled at Lionel’s response. His son had put into words exactly what he had been thinking.
“Father, there’s one more thing about Miss Drossell that I’d like to report.”
“What is it?”
“When I saw her at the duke’s manor, she had a young boy and girl with wings behind her. Could they be…?”
“What?” Both Oswald and Sirius’s eyes widened at the report. They could guess what Lionel had been hinting at. Spirits were the only winged race.
“Haven’t the spirits gone extinct?”
“I’m not sure. But when I observed them from outside of the hall, the boy and girl were using unbelievable magic. There’s no doubt that they were not human.”
“Hmm, I see…” They couldn’t be certain, but he would definitely need to talk with Drossell again at some point. Oswald decided to put the matter on hold for the time being. “Were there any issues during your study abroad?” he asked.
“No. I finished everything, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Lionel reported that, despite his sudden summons back home, he had not rushed and had calmly dealt with matters in Iris. Oswald let out a small relieved sigh, thinking that his son was as outstanding as ever.
“So, how were things in the empire?” he asked.
“Up until about a month ago, there were frequent skirmishes amongst governor-generals in the west, but they’ve calmed down. Systematic reforms are progressing through the upper echelons, but there’s no telling how long the situation will continue. As you’re already aware, the individual local consuls of that country have been growing stronger in recent years.”
“Hmm…” Oswald took a moment to think over Lionel’s words. Just like how disturbances had been occurring frequently in the Kingdom of Platina in recent years, the Iris Empire had also seen an increase in the number of disturbances. Was the peace that had endured for so many years starting to come apart at the seams?
“Also, mysterious white groups have been sighted near the border of the Iris Empire and the Lapis Nation lately. They haven’t made any conspicuous actions, but I believe we should keep an eye on them too.”
“I see. There have been sightings of those mysterious groups in our kingdom as well. We’ll have to send someone to investigate soon.”
Lionel had been sent abroad to gather information. It seemed that they should not let their guard down just because Platina and Iris were allies.
“In any case,” Oswald continued, “you must be tired after your long journey. Please submit a written report later.”
“I will, Father.”
“Also, Cordelica has been eagerly awaiting your return, so you should go see her.”
“Yes, I will.”
“You can leave now.”
“Then please excuse me.” After a polite bow, Lionel left the audience room. Oswald didn’t move for a while after he’d left, but he finally sighed and spoke to Sirius, who was standing beside him.
“Hey, Sirius. Where is my other son wandering around? Has he actually returned?”
“Yes. We’ve received reports that he has entered the capital, but we haven’t received any word from the third prince, so I’m not sure where he is.” Sirius looked pained at the admission.
Oswald sighed. He knew what his third son was like, so he had no choice but to wait for his son to come to him. “I see. Well, I’m sure he has things he needs to do too, so it’s fine. Let me know when he’s back.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Oswald stood from his throne, tossed his cloak over his shoulder, and left the room. He had no time to rest. There was a mountain of work waiting for him to get through.