Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A week had passed.

At the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's 60th birthday banquet was currently underway.

With the Emperor's seat still empty, only the Princess and Crown Prince remained at the banquet.

“Olivia, it seems you put quite a lot of effort into Father's 60th birthday banquet.”

Frey wore an artificial smile, clearly conscious of the eyes around him.

But his eyes were completely cold.

Frey Arcadia.

The Crown Prince of the Empire, who was currently considered the most likely person to become the next Emperor, and Olivia's only older brother.

At first glance, his words sounded like an ordinary compliment between siblings.

In reality, they were nothing more than complete mockery.

“...Yes, Brother. Of course I should put effort into His Majesty's 60th birthday banquet.”

After lightly greeting the nobles attending the banquet, Olivia turned toward Frey and spoke sarcastically.

“After all, there's nothing uglier than someone who doesn't put in any effort. Isn't that right, Brother?”

Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled.

Behind that smile was an icy gaze.

Even so, Frey's expression did not change in the slightest.

Instead, he gave a quiet laugh as if he found her amusing and continued.

“I heard you've been doing something interesting lately. You made contact with the Players who recently arrived, didn't you?”

“You certainly take a great deal of interest in me. I can't say I'm nearly as curious about you, Brother.”

“Haha, isn't that only natural? You're my one and only little sister. Of course I can't help but worry about you.”

Frey gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Grip.

“Ugh....”

His hand slowly pressed down on her shoulder.

Olivia's expression twisted slightly from the pain.

Frey naturally rose from his seat, showing the nobles around them the image of a close and affectionate pair of siblings.

“So always be careful. You never know what might happen, or when.”

“...Ha.”

Olivia let out an incredulous laugh while thinking to herself.

Disgusting.

Everything had been decided from the moment they were born.

The only reason the brother before her was Crown Prince was because he was the Empress's son.

The nobles always greeted Olivia politely to her face.

But behind her back, they were quick to insult her for having lowly blood.

Whenever that happened, the young Olivia would hide somewhere and cry by herself.

Every time, her mother would find her and comfort her with a warm smile.

“Olivia, don't take their words too deeply to heart. Not everyone in the world will think the same way.”

“Hic... what does that mean...?”

“No matter what others say, Olivia, you are the one who decides how to live your life. Live your own life.”

After that, Olivia worked even harder.

She stopped caring about how other people looked at her.

She simply continued moving forward, hoping that at least her mother would be treated differently.

Then one day, the moment when others finally began acknowledging her arrived.

“Based on the paper Her Highness published, we should be able to earn enormous profits from this trade!”

“Haha, I heard from one of the scholars that Her Highness mastered imperial studies in only a week.”

Her reputation grew with each passing day.

Even the nobles who had ignored her until then began looking at her differently.

There was a reason for that.

The Emperor had still not officially named his successor.

It had never been publicly announced, but practically everyone already knew why.

It was because of Frey's behavior over the years.

Since childhood, whenever something did not go the way he wanted, he committed all kinds of cruel acts.

He had even killed a maid who had cared for him simply because she annoyed him.

Frey had never received any real punishment or proper investigation.

The ducal family, which led the noble faction and was related to the Emperor through marriage, supported the Crown Prince along with many other nobles.

Perhaps because of that, the nobles of the Emperor's faction, who felt threatened by Frey, naturally began turning their attention toward Olivia.

“Your Highness, we will stop here for today. You worked hard.”

“Not at all. Then I will see you next time.”

As usual, Olivia finished studying and headed back.

But along the way, she noticed something strange.

She saw several maids running past with pale, terrified expressions.

Just as Olivia began wondering what had happened, she came across a horrifying scene.

The floor was covered in dark blood.

Her mother lay collapsed while still holding a cup.

“M, Mother...?”

“...I am sorry, Your Highness. She has already passed away.”

The culprit was a maid who had no connection to her mother.

Even the maid's testimony was crude and inconsistent.

Despite that, the case was quickly closed.

Simply because Olivia's mother had been a concubine from a fallen noble family.

“......”

Returning from her thoughts, Olivia grabbed Frey's hand resting on her shoulder and gently removed it.

Then she stood up.

As if deliberately putting on a show, she linked her arm with Frey's and gave him a harmless smile.

“Haha, you should be careful too, Brother. There's no guarantee you'll be able to remain in that position forever.”

Grit.

“Whether you leave it willingly or not, I truly hope you'll be careful.”

For an instant, Frey's expression twisted.

It was closer to contempt than anger.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”

As the Emperor appeared, the two immediately returned to acting like affectionate siblings.

Frey quietly muttered.

“...Yes. Just as you said, I suppose I should be careful.”

At that same time, a carriage was traveling along a mountain road toward somewhere.

Because the road had not been properly paved, the carriage shook violently.

[ Slurp...! This is so delicious, nya! How can something taste this good, nya?! ]

Leon sat on my lap with the happiest expression in the world as he continued licking something.

The package looked strangely familiar.

Every time he squeezed it with his paws, a thick liquid came out.

[ What was the name again, Chu... Ah! Churu? Do you have another one of these, nya? ]

He casually dropped the empty wrapper onto the floor and held out both paws.

I shook my head.

Unless you plan on becoming a pig, you should stop there. Look at your stomach.

Flinch.

[ I, I barely ate anything, nya...! And where would you ever find a cat as slim as me, nya...?! ]

Right. You barely ate anything.

Flash.

At the thought that he might receive another Churu, Leon's lips immediately curled upward.

He even swallowed his saliva as he spoke with a wide grin.

[ T, then just one more...! ]

I don't think someone who already ate two grilled fish and three Churu should be saying that.

Flinch.

I'm surprised you still have room left.

Apparently realizing that even he had eaten too much, Leon quickly turned his head away and awkwardly began whistling.

Then he clicked his tongue in disappointment.

[ ...Tch. You're so stingy, nya. You can make plenty of them, but you're doing this on purpose, aren't you, nya! Miser, nya! ]

What Leon had eaten was Churu.

Normally, it was something that could not be obtained inside the Tower.

The reason I could make it was, of course, because of my Trait, Synthesis.

In the past, I experimented with all kinds of foods to raise the rank of Synthesis.

Churu was one of the things I discovered by accident.

If you behave yourself from now on, I might give you...

Before I could even finish the thought, Leon changed into a masseur costume and began kneading my shoulders.

[ Do you need anything else, nya? Tell me if it hurts, nya! I'll give you the full course, nya! Is it here, nya? Feel free to tell me anything, nya! ]

Press. Press.

He kneaded my shoulders while repeatedly pressing down with his paws, telling me to leave everything to him.

It did not really feel good.

Still, his effort was admirable enough that I was considering giving him one after we arrived.

Rattle!

Screeech.

The carriage stopped.

The coachman hurried over, lifted the curtain, and spoke.

“Oh, we've arrived. This is the territory of the Ahern Count's family.”

When I stepped outside, the scenery before me looked miserable even by the standards of a rural baron's territory.

No.

It was so bad that the word desolate seemed more fitting.

We passed through the gate and went deeper into the territory.

The land was dry, and the stench of rotting corpses filled the surroundings.

Even the coachman had already wrapped a cloth around his nose.

“But... are you really going to be all right? The rumors we've been hearing lately aren't exactly just rumors, haha....”

“......”

“I'm sure you already know, but people say the territory ended up like this because of a curse. It used to be so lively every time I came here. I wonder how it ended up like this....”

Just as the coachman said, the rumors were not false.

If one wanted to call it a curse, then it really was one.

That was the true reason I had come all the way here.

[ ...Ha. I almost had him convinced, and then this coachman had to ruin everything. He has no sense at all for a coachman, nya! ]

Leon seemed disappointed because he thought the coachman had ruined his chance to eat another Churu.

I took out a pouch filled with Coins and handed it to the coachman.

“Thanks for bringing me here. This is your payment.”

“W, wait, you're giving me this much...?! Thank you!”

The pouch contained 100 Coins.

It was quite an expensive amount for a carriage ride.

But it was enough to keep his mouth shut.

“If you're grateful, I'd prefer that no unnecessary stories spread once you return to the capital.”

“A, ahem! My job was simply to bring you here. That's all. Haha!”

He struck his chest two or three times as if telling me to trust him.

The coachman laughed loudly before climbing back onto the carriage.

“Please be careful. Then I will be on my way.”

He lightly tipped his hat in farewell.

Then the carriage departed.

[ Hmm, is there really Moonstone in such a remote place, nya? Don't tell me this place ended up like this because of the Moonstone too, nya? ]

“Correct.”

[ ...Slurp, since I got it right, then maybe just one more Churu... ]

Rustle.

I sensed suspicious presences all around us.

Their movements were too clumsy to belong to people properly lying in ambush.

Step. Step.

Residents appeared while holding rusty farming tools in threatening positions.

They were so thin that it looked like they had not eaten in days.

Some of them were even trembling because they barely had enough strength to stand.

“W, we don't know who you are, but... hand over everything you have....”

The hand gripping the farming tool trembled.

The others were the same.

It looked as though they had reached the end of what they could endure and were making one final desperate attempt.

“...Fine. If you need it, I'll give it to you.”

Countless sacks poured out of my Inventory.

Every one of them was filled with food.

“H, huh?”

The residents stared blankly at me as if they could not understand what was happening.

[ ...So that's why you bought so much food earlier, nya? You really planned everything, nya. ]

Children hurriedly stuffed food into their mouths.

Some residents collapsed onto the ground and cried endlessly.

Even those who had been hiding began coming out while cautiously watching me.

“There's plenty of food, so everyone come out and eat. If you share without fighting, I'll give you more.”

At those words, the residents began eating as if they were holding a feast.

After some time passed and everyone had eaten their fill, they respectfully bowed their heads to me in apology.

“We are sorry. To think we pointed weapons at our benefactor instead... we have no excuse.”

They had not done it simply because they themselves were hungry.

They had done it because they wanted to save at least the children who remained alive.

“You don't need to apologize to me. This was something I needed to do anyway.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that...?”

Just then, a group of people came running toward us from far away, covered in sweat.

“Haaah, haaah...!”

At the front was a man whose body was just as thin and dried out as everyone else's.

Two soldiers guarded him from either side.

After catching his breath, the man stood with their support and spoke.

“...I am Carlson Ahern, Lord of Ahern.”

He was speaking to me, but his eyes could not leave the food.

The two soldiers behind him were the same.

They had probably gone without food for several days, or survived only on something like thin porridge.

“I'll give you as much food as you want.”

Carlson hesitated for a moment.

Then, as if making a decision, his expression hardened and he carefully spoke.

“You want something from me in return, don't you?”

“Good. You understand quickly.”

“If you walk a little farther, you will reach the baron's mansion. We can discuss the details there.”

Even in a situation where anyone could tell he held absolutely no advantage, he did not immediately bow his head.

The Moonstone was not the only reason I had come here.

Carlson Ahern, lord of Ahern, a small territory on the outskirts of the Empire.

This shabby-looking man would become a great merchant who controlled the Empire's mineral market in the not too distant future.

Rustle.

“Fill your stomach first. Not just you, everyone here. You need to eat before you'll have the strength to talk.”

“......!”

Carlson looked surprised when I offered him bread.

Seeing all the residents eating their fill while crying, his pupils trembled slightly.

Grab.

As if deliberately showing everyone, he took a large bite of the bread.

Then he gulped down water.

The soldiers beside him swallowed their saliva.

“Phew... You two should eat as well. Call everyone inside the mansion too.”

“Y, yes, sir...!”

Carlson looked at me before lowering his head and expressing his gratitude politely.

“Whatever your reason may be, thank you for helping us. It seems we have much to discuss, so let us continue the conversation at the mansion.”

Even after receiving such a favor, he did not carelessly say something like he would never forget the debt.

Interesting. So he knows how to separate personal feelings from business.

“Let's do that.”