“So this is your goal... It truly is just like you... A large and wonderful dream...”
Setting aside wonderful, it really was large. This girl was really quite wise. I don’t think I said too much, but...
“Please keep this a secret from Her Grace.”
And just as I regained my sense of self-preservation...
“Excuse me, Your Highness. A message came from the cathedral.”
Louisa returned together with Claudia. The Oracle Princess’s aide spoke without minding the out of place commoner next to her.
“So the crystal has shown light they believe to be an omen...”
Alfina glanced at the courtyard once more. The members who noticed her waved to us, and she waved back.
“I wanted to watch over things until the very end, but unfortunately, I must go back.”
Alfina left and headed towards the cathedral. She prioritized her official duties over her school duties. That was the obvious thing to do. That’s why I made a sour expression as I saw her off, not because she couldn’t participate in the festival until the end.
The servants from the archduchess’s residence began cleaning up the tent, so I took the Food Court’s plate and left. The sky suddenly darkened. As I looked up, a cloud was passing in front of the round and silver light of the moon.
“It’s fine if it ends with just an omen. But if not... It’ll be quite troublesome. What do you think, Weinder?”
Claudia and Alicia followed Alfina off school grounds, while Louisa stayed behind and stood beside me.
“We’ve made preparations. But they’re still just preparations.”
Fulsig’s antenna was created precisely for this reason, so that we could build a solid foundation for measuring ley lines. I was convinced this was important, but it was hard to claim that there would be a direct relation. Besides, what Louisa was getting at likely wasn’t related in the slightest to such a theory.
“There’s already gossip going around. In the case that the next prophecy points to a monster flood, the Second Chivalric Order should be given the opportunity, they say. Or that in the case that a monster flood occurs in both the east and west at the same time, the Third Chivalric Order should be strengthened, they say...”
This was information from within the royal palace that I personally didn’t really want to know about. You do know this isn’t something you should be telling a commoner, right?
But that was exactly the point. The problem was no longer just about the “prophecy of disaster.” The fact that nobody acknowledged the worth of the Oracle Princess’s words last time was a stressful situation, but simple enough to handle. The one major problem that came from it could be managed and organized in my little brain. But that wasn’t going to fly the second time around.
The prophecy of disaster was already dyed in politics. According to Louisa, they were already discussing who would deal with it in a quarrel over the succession of the throne, in complete disregard of the prophecy potentially being more dangerous than last time.
I looked up at the sky.
What if we need enough power to cast that cloud out of the sky? There’s no way to reach it... No, problems that I can’t solve aren’t meant to be solved. That’s basic ideology. The best I can do is solve the most efficient problem that can be resolved in that situation.
Of course, the major premise for all this was that the Weinders needed to become more powerful themselves. That was our goal for this Academy Festival.
Furthermore, using the trust and funds we would gain from Euphylia’s investment, we planned to take a debt from the Kendalls. With that, I would be able to secure the bare minimum amount of freedom and funds to accomplish what it was that I wanted to do. However, it would still take several years for this to bear fruit.
“Oh my, has Her Highness left already? Oh, Miss Morland. Our children are much obliged to you for your help over the course of the festival.”
A schoolgirl came over from the auditorium with quick strides. It was Maria. She apparently came by to give her thanks to the princess for taking care of Lilka and the others.
The daughter of the Culinary Guild’s second-ranking gold company may have managed to “keep” just enough power to oppose the Carlests with what happened over the course of the festival. I was going to need her to do her best to bear the full brunt of the Carlests’ strongest obstructions. That was my ulterior motive in helping them this time.
However, that wasn’t reliable enough, thinking of what was to come. If they don’t at least take the seat of guild representative... Nope, let’s stop there, no point in thinking about an unsolvable problem.
“Weinder... That’s a rather ominous look you have.”
“O-Oh, sorry...”
Wait, hang on... Is it really unsolvable? It’s problematic for the Carlests to wield such power. Are we the only ones thinking that? Is it only Euphylia and the other western regions who are troubled by the Archduke of the East taking control of the Culinary Guild? They’re not.
I thought back to the condition of the two student council members I saw earlier.
“Maria. It seems the Kendalls will be able to make it through the preliminary elections, right?”
“What’s this all of a sudden? Yes, we managed to gather a considerable number of ballots from the independent companies and the former Dreyfan companies. We won’t be able to win against the Carlests, but our conclusion is that we’ll fill out the regulated ballots to become a candidate.”
Maria looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“But any more than that seems unreasonable...” I said.
“Didn’t you say so yourself? We can’t win if we make it a confrontation between the east and west,” Maria replied.
Just for argument’s sake. Really, just on the off-chance, for argument’s sake... Say I convinced Euphylia to recommend the Kendalls together with Duke Aleberg. They would get two votes, while the Carlests would get two votes from the Archduke of the East and the prime minister. That would make it a tie.
“Considering the current balance of power, my aunt and Duke Aleberg won’t be able to win against the Archduke of the East, though,” Louisa said.
Not only would they not win, it would only aggravate the confrontation between the east and west even further. In the worst case, it could turn into a full-on conflict over the succession of the throne.
That was a state of affairs nobody wanted. It wasn’t like I had any feelings of wanting to give some prince I’d only met that one time the throne, either.
If it were going to end up a confrontation between the east and west, Euphylia wouldn’t endorse the Kendalls. Even if she did, it would be Duke Aleberg who would choose to withdraw.
“So the problem that has to be solved right now is, how do we get the Kendalls to win the election without provoking a confrontation between the east and west...”
I could define the problem. Now then, is this really unsolvable?
“What are you saying? If such a thing were possible...” Maria looked troubled, and Louisa shook her head.
They’re right, normally that’d be unthinkable. The powerful Carlests were backed by the powerful Archduke of the East. They were completely capable of winning fair and square. However, something about this was caught on my mind. The information I gathered during the Academy Festival was whispering something to me.
The Academy was a microcosm of the Kingdom. The human relations in the student council, the peak of the Academy, reflected the state of the royal palace to a certain extent. For example, the president was Archduke Kurtheight’s daughter, and the vice president was the prime minister’s grandson. And during this incident, I discovered that their relationship wasn’t solid.
I recalled the state of affairs between the president and vice president of the student council. Both Hilda and Leonardo’s parents belonged to the second prince’s faction. They were both from families of grand nobles.
Hilda was the second prince’s fiancée. Leonardo was the grandson of the prime minister, who was the second prince’s boss in the office. Both of them were nobles of the east, their territories were close to each other, and it seemed the economic connection between them was quite strong. At a glance, there were no problems between them.
Was it just their personalities that didn’t mesh together? Hilda brought her vanity out to the very fore, but Leonardo gave off a very serious and business-like vibe. The two had poor compatibility.
But at that level, they should have been prioritizing the relationship of their families. At any rate, it was not the seat of the guild representative that was on the line to them, but who the next king would be.
The prime minister was the one to propose the disarmament of the military. It was only natural that he would prefer the second prince from a political standpoint as well.
But something was still bothering me...
“Miss Morland, could you tell me about the factions the nobles who came to greet Princess Alfina during the Academy Festival belonged to?”
“Yes, it’s like I said before. Probably due to President Hilda’s intentions, people gathered to greet her regardless of their relations to the east or west on the first day.”
“There were those who were neutral, or perhaps part of the eastern faction who aren’t particularly close to Archduke Kurtheight or the prime minister, right?”
As I said that, Louisa looked somewhat puzzled as she searched her memories. The result was just as I expected.
“I understand what you’re trying to say, but this level of discord exists in any faction.”
That was the point. There were no perfect factions. That was nothing more than what they wanted others to think. The moment they had seen the appearance of a common enemy, the (fictitious) third prince’s faction, the two of them ended up cooperating.
Just one more thrust. Where’s the crux of this problem? I have the clue I need. It’s the culprit who attacked Plura.
“Maria. Could you tell me a little more about the former Dreyfan companies who were forcefully absorbed by the Carlests?”
“Yes, I don’t mind, but...”
All that’s left is Jacob and Remy’s knowledge. If my read on this is right, the situation with the guards is driving a wedge in the second prince’s faction. I recalled the image of the old man seated directly beneath the king during the Spring Festival.
“I don’t have any airtight proof, so I can’t say this for sure. It’s likely just a small possibility, but I’ll just ask you anyway. Do the Kendalls have any interest in winning the final election for the seat of guild representative?”
It was far too insolent a question, coming from the heir of a mere copper company, but Maria gulped, then slowly nodded.
“What should we do?”
“First, please begin by spreading rumors that the Kendalls are endorsing the promotion of the Weinders to a silver company.”