Prologue: Target
In the Kingdom of Beltrum, inside the capital of Beltrant...
The wedding ceremony between Charles Arbor, eldest son of the Duke Arbor family, and Celia Claire, daughter to the Count Claire family, was suspended.
After having his bride kidnapped, Charles met with Reiss, the Proxia Empire ambassador, in the drawing room of his estate. Reiss was clad in formal dress, its subdued coloring conforming to that of a military uniform.
He sat down on the sofa opposite to Charles. “What a terrible misfortune this has been. You must be most pained to have your beloved fiancée abducted like this. As a long time friend, I’d like to express my deepest sympathies for your woes,” Reiss consoled in a low and calm voice.
Meanwhile, a somewhat panicked expression flickered over Charles’ face. “I-Indeed. I am most grateful for your kind words. It fills me with shame to have you come all the way to our kingdom only to be subject to such a spectacle— I fear that this incident may have caused inconvenience to the Proxia Empire...” he said, watching Reiss’ expression.
“Unfortunately, that is correct,” Reiss agreed without mincing words. “At present, the situation is terribly regrettable from the viewpoint of the Proxia Empire too. The current Beltrum monarchy led by the Duke Arbor faction must always be at its best, after all. Surely the negative impact to your country in this incident cannot be overlooked, don’t you think?” There had to be a considerable number of nobles in the capital that secretly held antipathy towards Duke Arbor’s faction, and he was asking if they could be silenced.
“...There is no need for you to worry about that. The current capital has no opposing nobility with any power.” Despite nearly tripping over his words, Charles managed to reply calmly. “In that case, all is well. But there has been movement from the Huguenot faction to create ties with the Galarc Kingdom. There will be trouble if the rebels left and drifted that way instead, yes? For the current Beltrum monarchy to be weakened any further,” Reiss said in a somewhat dubious tone.
“Of course, I am aware of that.” Charles nodded with great vigor, his voice squeaking in a strange manner.
“That is wonderful to hear. If the alliance annulment between Beltrum and Galarc were to be taken off the table, then it is possible my kingdom would back out of the friendship treaty,” Reiss said nonchalantly.
“T-That would be a problem! That isn’t what we agreed on. We have already started to distance ourselves from the Galarc Kingdom, as we negotiated. There is no way we can compromise at this late stage!” Charles objected, suddenly taken aback.
“That is why I am saying that the Duke Arbor regime must maintain a tight grip of the reins on the Beltrum monarchy... at all costs. I’m counting on you. There’s no turning back at this point.”
It is because of you Arbor factionists that the Kingdom of Beltrum is like this, after all... Reiss added in his mind, a cold sneer lingering on his mouth.
“Guh... B-But of course. This much will be of no concern.” Charles was rendered speechless for a moment, then agreed in a panicked voice as though he was trying to convince himself. After finally making a comeback when it came to his own honor, he couldn’t afford to stumble here.
Reiss appeared satisfied for a moment. “How reliable to hear. That will allow me some peace of mind. But, that aside... Are you taking any actions to solve the kidnapping case of your bride?” he suddenly inquired. “...In the name of the Kingdom, the perpetrator has been eliminated. However, as you know, Celia’s whereabouts cannot be determined at this moment in time. The perpetrator most likely had a hidden accomplice who took her away. My subordinates have sealed all the roads in the residential outskirts near the capital and are searching every nook and cranny, but...” Charles grimaced with a bitter expression as he offered somewhat useless information.
“Oh? Eliminated, you say? I only saw him from afar, but he seemed to be quite the skilled individual... My, my, how splendid indeed.” Reiss widened his eyes exaggeratedly.
“...He was indeed a handful to deal with. But according to the report, the man was struck by a single blow from Alfred of the Royal Guard and was blown apart, leaving no remains. A fitting fate for a bandit.” With no corpse to be confirmed, it would have been more correct to say his status was unknown, but Charles exaggerated the facts without hiding his disdain.
“Is that so... If the renowned strongest of the Beltrum Kingdom—the King’s Sword—took him on, then your conclusion makes sense. How unfortunate for that bandit... No, it was a reckless attempt to begin with.” Reiss nodded contemplatively.
He probably just concealed his whereabouts well. After the commotion, the powerful spirit aura disappeared outside the capital. It seems reasonable to assume that the spirit materialized and took the bride away. The bandit was most likely a powerful spirit arts user, too. Why, the whole thing is so daring, it could even be called a work of art... Reiss analyzed quietly in his heart, contrary to his spoken words.
“...Truly, there should be a limit to how reckless, foolish, and shameless one can be. How despicable...” Charles fumed with gritted teeth, tone dripping with deep-set hatred.
Even with the perpetrator dead, as long as Celia was missing, Charles and the Duke Arbor family would remain in a state of shame. He was trying to remain collected in front of Reiss, but he was seething with rage underneath the surface.
Reiss could see clearly through Charles’ current state of mind and condition. I don’t know what the bandit was aiming for by abducting the bride, but it wouldn’t be good to have only the Beltrum Kingdom continue to suffer blow after blow. It would be best if the Duke Huguenot faction could cause some significant damage to the Galarc side... Goodness, this man is a handful to deal with indeed, he thought tiredly to himself as he watched Charles fuming before him.
“At any rate, I pray that you can find your bride as soon as possible. I will inform my country of this incident in a way that doesn’t disadvantage the Beltrum Kingdom. It is the least I can do to lessen your burdens right now, as a friend,” Reiss said cheerfully, pasting an empty smile over his face.
“...I am most grateful for your consideration.” Charles sighed in relief, bowing his head at Reiss with utmost respect.
“It is nothing. Our fates are already intertwined. Let’s see this through to a successful end, yes?” Reiss said, chuckling quietly.
“Indeed.” Charles nodded with great vigor.
“Ah, speaking of which. I heard the president of the Ricca Guild, Liselotte Cretia, is among the invitees. Out of all the invitees from the Kingdom of Galarc, isn’t she the most important?” Reiss suddenly changed the topic, recalling the matter.
“Hm? Yes, she was invited in place of the royal family. The Ricca Guild’s influence in our kingdom is fairly deep-seated, after all,” Charles said somewhat uncomfortably. He was probably thinking about how undesirable it was to invite a great noble of Galarc amidst the current peace negotiations with the Proxia Empire, which were leaning towards the distancing of their relations with the Galarc Kingdom.
“Well, it’s true that you cannot ignore them outright. I’ve heard that she’s quite the talented woman, that Liselotte Cretia. The Ricca Guild’s name has reached even the Proxia Empire, after all.” Reiss showed no signs of concern towards the fact Liselotte was invited to the ceremony, chatting as though he was gossiping instead.
“Well, she’s still a fifteen-year-old girl. I’m sure the capabilities of her father, Duke Cretia, played a big part...” Charles said, watching Reiss’ expression carefully.
“However, that economic influence cannot be ignored, yes? For our future, too,” Reiss said with an implying tone.
For now, I suppose I can make an attempt at meddling with her. It’s a bit early in the grand scheme of things, but we originally planned on attacking Amande anyway.
The corners of his mouth turned upwards faintly in a repulsive smile.
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