“Oh, there’s no need to get angry. I simply stated the truth. Have you noticed, I wonder? Why is it that the Crestfolk have much longer lifespans than commoners? They say it’s because they don’t participate in blood offerings, but that alone wouldn’t do the trick. It’s possible that something akin to Amrita is at work. That’s what I mean by impurity. In a sense, you could say the Crestfolk are actually closer to being royalty. Mmm! This is a wonderful theory!”
Humming a tune, Dimitri started scribbling down his own thoughts. Nagi understood why this man had been thrown into a prison; his ideas defied the very essence of their society.
“Even nobles live short lives when deprived of Amrita. Actually, to put it bluntly, there’s nothing biologically different about nobles and commoners. Meaning... right. Nobles resemble commoners, while the Sovereign resembles the Crestfolk... I see, I get it now.”
Groans began to spread throughout the meeting room. The words Dimitri had stated as obvious were far too radical for the members of Cobalt who were trying to rebel against the nobles. Dimitri paid them no mind at all as he continued.
“Well, there’s much about the Crestfolk that remains unknown. I’ve been incapable of obtaining any samples,” Dimitri grumbled, then suddenly grinned as he shot a glance at Tess. “Oh, right! If you lend me your cooperation, I’m sure I can ascertain all sorts of information! I’d be truly grateful if you could provide me with blood or a corpse... No, while we’re at it, a living body which I can thoroughly examine would be amazing!”
“Definitely not.”
“Why?” Dimitri was disheartened by her rejection.
“Professor,” Crow cut in, “you’ve gone off track. Get back to Amrita.”
“Mm. In the end, I managed to get my hands on some Sovereign’s Blood using some rather extreme methods. I even succeeded in producing Amrita. Well, I was arrested for it, though.”
As the man spoke, Nagi realized something extremely important. “You can make Amrita?”
“If I have Sovereign’s Blood, yes. I even have proof. I secretly stashed away the Amrita I made before I was arrested. There’s not a lot of it, though. Having said that, there’s enough for everyone here... Oh, the two Crestfolk excluded. Everyone else would be able to become immortal for a while if they consumed it.”
Nagi felt as though he had just been punched. What had this madman just said? Nearly everyone here could become immortal?
“So, as long as you had some Sovereign’s Blood, you could mass produce it?” Crow asked to get things moving along.
“Of course. But it’s quite the pain to get, just so you know. I mean, I was jailed for it, so I would know. I threw quite a lot of money around and cozied up to a close aide of the Sovereign, but the Sovereign himself didn’t even seem to know the blood offerings existed. I have no idea how they conceal it from him.”
“Then how did you get Sovereign’s Blood?” Crow asked.
“I stole some from a crate being brought to the royal palace for the production of Amrita.”
“Wouldn’t it have been guarded by a tight security detail?”
“Naturally, but it’s always possible to find an opening. In any case, an opportunity comes around every year during the Blood Offering Festival. I’ve got all the time in the world, so I can just wait for the right opportunity. A few decades are nothing for the sake of accomplishing that.”
“You’re a noble?” Nagi asked. He took a look at Dimitri’s graying hair. He didn’t look anything like a noble.
“More or less. Oh, my hair? My dosage of Amrita was slashed while in prison, so I’ve been aging little by little. That’s the kind of punishment we receive. It’s what works best against nobles, who tend to think they can live forever. I thought I’d go insane. If not for the passion for my research, I probably would’ve lost my mind long ago.” Dimitri laughed, but everyone else in the room was under the impression he was already insane.
Crow took over from there. “If we’re capable of taking the royal palace, we’ll be able to capture the Sovereign. That way, we can also get some Sovereign’s Blood. If it goes well, we’ll be able to distribute the Amrita the nobles have been monopolizing to everyone in Agartha.”
“I see. That’s a great idea! But distributing it to all the people might be rough. The Sovereign will dry out completely if you do that.”
“In that case, there’s also the option of distributing Amrita in rotations. That’ll be enough to extend everyone’s lifespan beyond what they have now, right?”
“Well, depending on the amount... yeah. Besides, my research should be able to advance dramatically. I might be able to make Amrita without relying on the Sovereign’s Blood this time! No! I’ll prove I can do it! Even if it takes centuries!”
“Amrita doesn’t work on us, right?” Tess asked.
“I might even be able to do something about that. Nothing is impossible unless it’s thoroughly tested and proven otherwise.”
Dimitri spoke with a glimmer in his eye. He could already clearly picture himself continuing his research with a large supply of the Sovereign’s Blood at his disposal.
“If we make this public, we should be able to find more allies among the commoners who have been uncooperative up until now,” Crow said with confidence.
He wasn’t wrong; so Nagi thought. Just the allure of living a little longer had been enough to motivate Nagi to sneak into the Garden. Many would surely leap into action if Amrita was dangled before them.
Nagi recalled the faces of the people of Strano Village. Unlike before, he could see many of them lending a hand. And if that happened in every village of Agartha... Just imagining it sent a chill down Nagi’s spine.
“Do you understand now? Our next objective is to secure the Amrita the professor has hidden away. Once we have that, we’ll expand our influence.”
Crow’s words resounded throughout the meeting room.