“You may already know this, but… Grandfather didn’t collapse due to physical weakness.”

“…Then?”

“He fell into a coma after being given some kind of drug by one of our relatives. I tried tracking down the one who gave him the drug, but that person was already dead.”

In order to pursue the culprit who had cut off loose ends and gone into hiding, Cedric willingly accepted the position of imperial aide, which was only offered to the top graduates of the Imperial Academy.

He then delved into the secret intelligence division, scrutinizing every accessible piece of information.

“There was confidential data on the trials, rifts, and magic scattered about. However, I couldn’t find any information about the culprit. I have a feeling it’s related to some crucial matter that was excised from all records.”

“…”

“Perhaps if I cooperated more closely with His Majesty the Emperor, I could learn about that missing piece.”

He seemed to have some idea about this crucial matter, but found it difficult to articulate without certainty.

Mulling over his words, Rosha softly asked:

“…Then let me ask just one thing. Do you truly believe in and follow His Majesty the Emperor?”

“The only ones I believe in are you and Cassis.”

Contrary to her concerns, Cedric answered immediately. After all, if one genuinely believed in and followed a clear-eyed madman, they would question their own perception.

It was then that he suddenly posed a probing question.

“Then allow me to ask one thing as well. Are you and Duke Echerzen truly not involved at all?”

“What, what do you mean?”

“It’s strange, the Duke taking such an interest in you. The Duke I knew at the Imperial Academy was never like this. He showed no interest in anything.”

“…”

“Yet that same man is now lending you his strength in the trials and even frequenting our mansion to help you. It’s rather confusing.”

Cedric scrutinized Rosha’s expression closely.

He had hoped she wouldn’t get too close to Duke Echerzen due to the lingering suspicion that the Duke had poisoned his predecessor.

Of course, Cedric didn’t actually believe the Duke had killed his own father, but with no explanation forthcoming, he undoubtedly considered him a dangerous individual.

Yet Rosha deliberately replied with an nonchalant face:

“Froy and I aren’t involved at all.”

“…Froy, you say?”

As she nodded as if asking ‘what’s the problem?’, her complexion gradually paled.

It seemed she had grown so accustomed to using his name that it had become ingrained.

“…That is…”

Stuttering, Rosha tried to offer some explanation, but it was already too late.

“You call the Duke by his name? Then what does he call you?”

Cedric’s gaze sharpened intently.

In the end, she had to admit that she and the Duke addressed each other by name.

Afterwards, he grilled her for a while with questions like ‘So he’s been good to you?’ and ‘How many times a week do you meet?’

Before they knew it, time had quickly passed, and it was nearing midnight.

“…It’s grown late, so let’s continue the rest tomorrow.”

There was more to discuss?

Rosha looked at Cedric with an exasperated expression, but he seemed to have more to say.

“Oh, and delegations from the Kingdom and Principalities will arrive within the next three days.”

Just as he was about to leave her room, he suddenly mentioned:

“When they reach the imperial capital, there will be a small welcoming ceremony followed by a monster hunt. An invitation for you should arrive tomorrow as well, so be prepared.”

…A monster hunt.

For some reason, it sounded like an ominous phrase.

* * *

It was a clear and refreshing autumn day with a bright, warm sun.

The boundary between the blue sky and white clouds was exceptionally crisp, and the vast city spread below welcomed travelers.

Valier, the capital of the Marcia Empire.

Around midday, a group of people entered the city.

“Oh…”

“This is my first time in Valier, but it’s much larger than I imagined. So populous, with well-paved roads too.”

“It’s hard to believe this was the site of the first trial, judging by the scene before us.”

Along the Empire’s southern coastline, the kingdoms and principalities huddled together, their borders meeting.

These were delegations arriving from those regions.

Nardil, the second prince of the Atica Kingdom and head of this delegation, surveyed the capital while on horseback.

It was his first time in the imperial capital as well, and it was quite an impressive city.

Despite being ravaged by a great calamity, the people appeared quite lively, contrary to his expectations of gloom and devastation.

They also seemed to carry books much more frequently than anticipated.

Considering books were quite expensive and primarily an indulgence of the nobility, it was rather surprising.

It seemed one of the delegates shared this observation, as he remarked:

“Hoh. Seeing the commoners carrying books so casually, they must not be too costly here.”

“Or perhaps they’re all carrying the same book…”

Scrutinizing the passersby, another responded.

As he said, those carrying books all held the same single tome.

“What does it say on the cover? The Fundamen… tals of Magic?”

“Pardon? A book on magic, did I read that right?”

“But I occasionally sense faint traces of mana from those walking by. At quite a high rate too.”

Nardil murmured in his pleasant voice.

With sun-tanned, earthy skin and a lean physique, he wore rather light clothing.

His loose top exposed his toned chest muscles, and a crescent-shaped longsword was strapped to his back with a leather cord.

Though it was well into autumn with cooler temperatures, Nardil’s innate ability enhanced his physical state, so this level of cold hardly bothered him. He could likely strip down in the midst of a blizzard and remain unaffected.

Furthermore, having been raised in the warrior culture of Atica where minimal clothing was the norm due to the hot climate, his current attire was relatively well-covered.

Of course, it didn’t seem to be viewed that way in the Marcia Empire.

“Oh my, how indecent.”

“Who is that large man leading them? A foreign noble?”

“Such exotic attire. They must be from the Empire’s southern regions.”

Passersby whispered as the delegation procession caught their eye. In truth, most were openly gawking at Nardil himself.

Regardless.

After confirming the distant imperial palace, he leaned over and asked one of his subordinates:

“So she is definitely here, correct?”

“Yes, it’s certain – the Empire’s Guardian Knight, Lady Roshanak Aper.”

“Then the issue is how to bring her back to our country…”

Nardil murmured softly.

Roshanak Aper, the third child of the Empire’s Count Aper family.

Only seventeen this year, but it was a known fact across this land that thanks to her, the Marcia Empire had endured two trials.

Hence, the Empire had even bestowed upon her the First-Class Guardian Medal, an honor reserved for historical figures.

‘Hmm… As the Guardian Knight, she would never willingly leave the Empire.’

Especially not in the current era beset by the calamity of the trials.

However, the problem was that Atica’s preeminent fortune-teller, whose predictions greatly influenced the kingdom’s affairs, had requested that she be brought back by any means necessary.

“Huuh…”

Roughly ruffling his short gray hair, Nardil glanced at a flower shop they happened to pass and said:

“No matter what it takes, I must bring her back. So… let’s start by ingratiating ourselves first.”

“What do you mean?”

“Send her flowers first. No one in this world dislikes flowers.”

It was a notion stemming from Atica, where half the land was desert and flowers were considered precious.