It was Leorino who reacted to his words. Walking up to Gravis’s side, Leorino clasped the man’s hand and dropped to his knees. He silently gazed up into his eyes.
Gravis smiled faintly, as if to say he was all right, and squeezed Leorino’s hand back.
The men watched the two of them in silence.
“The last war began when the marquis’s half brother—the king, my father—fell ill. To destroy the country, he joined forces with Zwelf, who had annexed his mother’s country of origin—that must be the truth behind the betrayal of the Marquis of Lagarea.”
“Vi…”
Hearing Leorino’s concerned voice, Gravis once more nodded to assure him he was fine. Then, with a calm expression, he urged the chancellor to continue. “Ginter. What we need is more solid evidence of treason.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about the flow of iron out of our country, and the financial situation of the Marquis of Lagarea?”
“Unfortunately, as far as domestic tax payments are concerned, this, too, is under the jurisdiction of the Palace of the Interior. I was unable to investigate in detail. However, regarding the amount of iron flowing out of the country that can be ascertained from the Palace of Foreign Affairs, I have reviewed all the records since the last war, and the total amount of iron produced, distributed domestically, and exported abroad matches the total amount recorded for the entire country.”
“I’d like to see some hard evidence of treason, but I suppose it won’t be that simple…”
Everyone sighed deeply.
Gravis mulled it over.
“Theodor, I don’t care how trivial it is. Did the spy find anything suspicious in Lagarea’s domain?”
“No, my lord, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. The marquis’s domain is a source of iron, but there seems to be no change in the amount of iron produced. There was, however…”
“However?”
“Now, it might be completely unrelated, but I was told that in the last few years, working men have been going missing in the mines of that region, and that the residents refer to it as ‘the curse of the mines.’”
Gravis’s eyebrows twitched.
“The curse of the mines? Did anything similar happen outside of the mines?”
Theodor looked over the report.
“No, I’m afraid the disappearances were… No, one moment, please. Outside of the mines, there have been a few disappearances here and there. Only men. Of prime working age.”
“Are there any records of the occupations of those who went missing?”
“…? Would their occupations be of import, sir?”
“Just tell me.”
“We lack the information for some of them, but… Wait… This is…”
Theodor’s eyes widened. When he looked at his master, Gravis’s eyes urged him to continue.
“They all seemed to be miners or…blacksmiths.”
At that moment, Gravis exchanged glances with his adjutant. Next, he looked to Lucas and Ginter. They, too, nodded, their expressions rigid.
“…That was our blind spot.”
Dirk groaned. “Dammit… Is this what my father was worried about?”
Leorino reacted with a start. The father Dirk was referring to was David Bergund…Leorino’s father from his previous life.
“Vi, Dirk, please tell me. What does the missing people’s occupation have to do with this?”
It was Gravis who answered. “It was not iron that the Marquis of Lagarea was sending abroad.”
Leorino’s violet eyes flickered with anxiety as Gravis brought him to his feet. He then took both of Leorino’s hands in his.
“…Leorino, listen. There are signs that Zwelf will soon wage war with us. By the end of this year, or in the spring at the latest, we will likely be at war with Zwelf again…a repeat of eighteen years ago.”
“…Is this really happening?”
Leorino was shocked. The men watched his paling face with concern.
“Yes, it’s all true. War is coming. And this time, our opponents will be fiercer than before.”
“Fiercer…?”
“According to the information we acquired, Zwelf has hired the mercenary state of Gdaniraque. They obtained the necessary funds through iron.”
Leorino was surprised.
He looked at his father, August, who apparently already knew. He nodded with a stern look on his face.
“Zwelf sent arms via Gdaniraque to the warring Jastanya Islands in the east. That enriched their treasury and provided the money to hire Gdaniraque. But there is a limit to the how much iron is in Zwelf’s possession. So we suspected that the Marquis of Lagarea, with his iron mines, was secretly sending iron out of the country. But…”
“Lord Leorino,” Dirk spoke up, “my father told me that recently, in the blacksmith’s union in the royal capital, there’s been talk about union members disappearing. Men who never got into any trouble suddenly vanished without a trace.”
“What does the iron have to do with blacksmiths going missing? You don’t mean…”
Leorino looked at Dirk with wide eyes. Dirk nodded.
“Perhaps it is not iron that the Marquis of Lagarea has been secretly sending abroad, but ironworking technology…which is to say, human beings with the skills to make weapons.”
“No…! But to kidnap so many people without anyone noticing… If these kidnappings are taking place not only in the Lagarea domain, but also in the royal capital, there must surely be witnesses. And yet, that doesn’t seem to be an issue. How can that be possible?”
Sudden disappearances in the Lagarea domain.
Blacksmiths going missing in the royal capital. Vanishing without a trace.
Theodor added in a grim tone, “According to the report, the men who went missing disappeared abruptly, just as Dirk’s father described.”
At that moment, Leorino had an epiphany. Then his face turned sheet white.
No way, no way, no way.
Leorino looked to Ebbo, who had also gone pale. Ebbo’s face was filled with anguish. They had come to the same conclusion.
Next, Leorino turned to Gravis.
He could see that the same answer was already forming in Gravis’s mind.
Yes, Vi had said the same thing. Someone among our enemies had the same Power as him.
Eighteen years ago, that boulder had suddenly appeared to block the gates of Zweilink.
Who could have done that?
After the war, Fanoren had been enjoying peace and stability. However, behind the scenes, the enemy had already been steadily encroaching on their daily lives.
It was tempting to turn his eyes away from reality, but even so, he couldn’t help but confirm his suspicions.
“Vi…the disappearance of the blacksmiths, was it the work of someone with the same Power as you?”
His face rigid, Gravis pulled him closer.
“The same person who brought that boulder before the gates that day is…still with the Marquis of Lagarea, kidnapping our craftsmen for the next war?”
Hearing Leorino’s heartbroken murmur, the men clenched their fists tightly. Gravis’s arms also tightened around him.
“If it comes to war…will the fighting reach Zweilink again…?”
“Yes. But I will not let that land turn to a sea of fire again. I promise. You can rest assured.”
So many lives will go up in smoke again.
The flames of that day flared in Leorino’s mind.
Were the flames that took the lives of so many soldiers that day caused by the vindictiveness of a man whose life had been toyed with by the royal family?
No flames… Please, not again.
But Leorino’s wish was in vain. The footfalls of war were already steadily approaching Fanoren.