“Let’s wait here for a while.”
After running into the school building from the courtyard, we ended up taking refuge in the library’s archive. We came to a stop in front of the door to the director’s office. And having just realized that I was still firmly holding her hand, I let go in a fluster.
“S-Sorry.”
“It’s alright. It was a relief to have you lead me here, Ricardo.”
The sight of this girl illuminated by the skylight reminded me of the time I met her in this room, and the tender warmth that was lingering in my hand stimulated my memories of the dance.
“...I wonder if Clau and Louisa are alright,” Alfina muttered in a concerned tone.
I recalled what Claudia said before we left the tent. It was a situation dire enough for that knight to leave her precious princess to me. Well, if I had the time to think about such weird things, I was better off getting all this new information in order.
“Can I ask what exactly is going on here?” I asked in a dry voice.
Alfina went on to tell me about the welcoming party at the royal palace for the imperial envoys. Apparently, the prince went up to Alfina on the king’s orders just to give her a greeting, and when she tried to excuse herself afterward, he overbearingly tried to take her hand for a dance. Claudia had stepped in and stopped him at the time too.
Immediately after that, they received reports of a reaction from the crystal, and Alfina returned to the cathedral without any further problems.
“Well, that’s unforgivable... I mean, how high-handed of him.”
It really is an extremely unpleasant story... No, think about this rationally. It certainly is an extremely overbearing and unpleasant story. However, even so, Claudia and Louisa’s reaction earlier seemed to be excessive. Isn’t it more natural in that situation to just talk a little and give evasive answers?
At any rate, the one they were dealing with was an international problem. Even though it had been 40 years since the last war, there were still people alive who remembered the clash itself. On both sides, of course.
“...It has to do with what happened 20 years ago. One of the reasons my grandfather did such a thing was because he was instigated by the Empire... Even my mother said so...”
Alfina’s expression turned grim. What she spoke of was far more recent than the war 40 years ago. Considering the location of Felbach’s territory, it was possible that the Empire intervened. Even I had heard the rumors.
However, up until the suppression of the rebellion, and in the period after it was done, the Empire never made any overt moves. The peaceful relationship between the Empire and the Kingdom continued for 20 years since then.
But Alfina’s mother was practically directly related to these events. There was definitely something there. Meaning... this pairing was one the royal palace absolutely did not want to get in contact with each other.
Contact with imperial royalty, regardless of the details, would only invite unwanted fear towards Alfina by the state. Dealing with the cleanup after the Felbach Rebellion must have been accompanied by a suitable amount of chaos and conflict. And the very symbol of all that was the girl standing before me. I could at least understand Claudia and Lousia’s actions now.
“But it seems the prince is far more interested in Quell’s Crystal than he is in my birthplace.”
“It’s certainly a possibility that the Empire desires information on the crystal as a means of predicting damage done by monsters...”
The eyes that prince had earlier certainly did give off the feeling of someone looking at a useful tool. The ability to predict the movement of monsters was something the Empire should have been coveting to the point where they would be trying to attain it by any means.
But was there any guarantee that Quell’s Crystal could predict the movement of monsters?
Hang on... He mentioned an ancient magitech tool, and silverblood. Does that mean that the Empire knows a fair amount about the crystal itself? This isn’t working. I can’t make a judgment based on the information I have right now. This is a matter I should be thinking about together with Fulsig.
The first hypothesized problem I had to deal with was the prophecies of disaster. That was why I was developing the antenna together with Fulsig. But it was unknown whether that would be sufficient. Just the possibility of enemies appearing from within the state at the time of the next prophecy making a bid for its power was more than I wanted to deal with.
And now it’s possible we even have enemies from outside the country... I’m severely lacking in information on the Empire. I wonder if Jacob and Remy will be able to get anything worthwhile from their investigations? Dammit, the more I try to put things in order, the more problems are overfilling the capacity of my brain.
“Ricardo?”
Coming back to my senses, I saw Alfina looking up at me anxiously.
It wouldn’t be all that strange for a young man to be captivated by her regardless of the prophecy’s power, would it? I wondered if the reason I was thinking about this was because she was so close that I could easily hold her in my arms from here.
“Um, sorry. My presence near you really is causing you nothing but trouble, isn’t it...?” Alfina said as she cast her gaze to the floor.
Apparently, my silence had made her worried. Her platinum hair dangled down and brushed against her cheeks.
The faint sound of the hustle and bustle outside could be heard through the walls. It made me even more conscious of the silence here in this room with just the two of us in it.
How should I answer her? Actually, what stance should I even be taking with this girl? I realized that it was a little late for that while standing here, finding it difficult to come up with a reply.