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I thought another storm would pass with Erena’s arrival, but surprisingly, it didn’t.
Estelle frowned, giving away that she somehow knew about her arrival.
“What are you doing here?”
I asked, and Erena snapped her fan shut.
“I came to see the festival with my father. The Crossing festival is refreshing since it’s my first time.”
“Didn’t your father pass away yesterday?”
“That’s why I came.”
Nobles often didn’t stay throughout the festival period due to busy official duties, but depending on their importance, they would leave a substitute in their place.
This gesture was meant to cater to the hosting family’s preferences, showing how highly they valued them.
To do this to someone like a viscount like me, it seemed like they genuinely wanted to involve me in their faction.
“Goodness, your father is quite tenacious.”
“Well…”
“Well, if our families were to join forces, it could be quite entertaining. We could converse without worrying about others listening.”
“Do you have plans for our families to join forces?”
“I don’t know. I’m not the head of the house.”
“Oh, then there might be a real possibility.”
I was prepared to respect whatever choice Max made. After all, I was already halfway out of the family, building my own influence.
“If that happens, as you say, it could be fun. I wouldn’t have to pretend at the Academy anymore.”
Erena smiled. When I smiled back, Estelle grabbed my sleeve and protested.
“Rather than that, you said you were going to buy all the books?”
“The amount should be sufficient. I’ll take the books then.”
“Wait. Today, it’s also for promotional purposes. You can’t take them all. Just take about ten.”
“I’ll take care of the promotional aspect. I have many friends who love books around me. Besides, I have a stake in those books, don’t I?”
“Ah.”
Certainly, if Erena were to promote the books, it would be perfect.
She instructed the butler to gather the books.
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“But Als, as I mentioned earlier, what kind of service do you provide me?”
“Yes?”
“You were very eager to sell me a book. Since I bought them all, shouldn’t you accompany me for the whole day today?”
“Ugh… You’ve been watching me all along?”
It seemed that the difference in temperament was evident here.
While Erina seemed to understand why I was acting like that and was observing, Estelle charged in immediately. Perhaps if Estelle hadn’t barged in, she might have observed until the end.
Feeling grateful for that consideration, I thought of giving it some time, but Estelle, who had been nervous all along, hurriedly intervened.
“Erina! Don’t you have an appointment with me today!”
“Hmph, for such a thing, didn’t you say something about selling books together from now on?”
“W-well…”
“Fine, then. Shall we go?”
I was momentarily taken aback.
“Just a moment. You two have an appointment?”
It felt like they were having a confrontation at the meeting yesterday.
Erina casually replied, unfazed.
“We built a friendship back then. So today is an appointment, and that’s it. Services will come later.”
The two left. Despite claiming to have built a friendship, the air still felt hostile, but nonetheless. Thanks to them, the book promotion could be successfully concluded.
* * *
Thanks to Erina, I had finished work early and was planning to rest at home, but an uninvited guest had come to my mansion.
In terms of unwelcome guests, he was close to a level that was almost impossible to deal with.
“Ha… If you’ve come to see the festival, go to Anton.”
I ignored him and tried to go back to my room, but he stubbornly approached me.
“Hmph, you’re cold.”
“Of course. It’s more unreasonable for you to rudely invade my space.”
“Haven’t we agreed to leave the past behind?”
The guy, Jurass, pointed to a chessboard he had set up.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t come to enjoy the festival. I am busy too. Once our conversation is over, I plan to leave by tomorrow. Please bear with me for a while if it’s okay.”
“…Fine.”
It seemed better to just engage and quickly send him away, so I sat across from him and held a chess piece.
“Is your visit for consultation related to the ‘Three Realms and Nine Provinces’ we talked about before?”
“Exactly.”
In that case, I had to listen to what he had to say.
Jurass carefully moved a chess piece and made his move.
“Als, what do you think was the reason I didn’t conquer Beccabia?”
“Me? You’re beyond arrogant. Do you want to be a king?”
“I have that kind of power. Not to be presumptuous, but I can seize the position of the Lord whenever I want, although I haven’t felt the need to do so.”
“You speak as if it’s a trivial matter.”
“Wouldn’t the Lord be pleased? Juon finally harboring ambition,” he said.
It was frightening how plausible that sounded.
“So? What’s the reason for not conquering Beccabia?”
I was curious about that too.
Crossing, which could have easily destroyed Beccabia through the Three Generals War, had abandoned them for a reason.
Jurass explained that reason in one word.
“It’s a bait.”
“Bait…?”
What exactly are they trying to lure?
‘The fact that this guy brought up a conversation at this point means there is someone they are trying to lure through Beccabia at this moment. However…’
Who could be the target of this lure?
Svenner was in no position to start a war, and Blyrang was preparing for a civil war.
Albad is an ally of Beccabia, and Balas is famous for not starting a war.
Caliper had some resources left, but the expedition distance was too long through Crossing, and there was still a gap in military power due to the absence of General Dunan.
So, there was only one remaining force.
“Could it be to lure the Western people?”
“Correct. At this point, they are the only ones with the resources. It is also the right time to attack Beccabia and expand into the continent.”
“You…”
This monstrous guy.
‘How far did you plan ahead?’
If that was the plan, it made sense in many ways.
If Crossing had occupied Beccabia during the Trilateral War, many issues would have arisen.
The biggest issue would be the aftermath of the occupation. There would be no way to accept Crossing’s harsh rule of enslaving the citizens of the occupied country.
So even if Crossing were to destroy Beccabia and occupy the territory, proper governance would be impossible for the next 3 to 5 years.
However, if the Western people were to launch a preemptive attack, the situation would change.
If the Western people were to attack Beccabia first and Crossing were to support them, they could more easily merge Beccabia’s territory by gaining the image of saviors.
Despite Crossing’s unfavorable image, it would be better to be called savages by the Western people.
‘Then! No, there’s no way…!’
I was in confusion.
The current story could be fully applied to the game’s plot.
In the game, Crossing had not merged with Beccabia for unclear reasons.
If that was a scheme by Juras to lure the Western people.
‘What was the protagonist’s faction, really?’
The faction of the protagonist who pacified the Beccabia region and established a nation. They represented the faction of the Western people.
When the protagonist tried to pacify the Beccabia region, Crossing had aggressively intervened.
‘If that’s the case, the protagonist’s faction is closely related to the Western people.’
In this case, it even made sense for one of the protagonist’s close aides to bring up the Three Swords.
‘Could it be that the protagonist was originally affiliated with the Western people…?’
Since the protagonist’s past was shrouded in mystery, that possibility was quite plausible.
‘Or perhaps the protagonist was deceived by a spy of the Western people…?’
In that case, Alz, who had escaped, gathering a militia to help the protagonist, made sense as a move of caution.
Before pondering over that question, I asked Juras one more thing.
“I have a question. What specific faction are the Western people?”
“You must have done some basic research. You want to know about the hidden side, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“In short, they are avengers.”
“Avengers…?”
“You must already know, but the Westerners’ ethnicity and our roots are not different. The only difference is that they were the defeated ones.”
It happened in the past when Pencilon unified the continent.
“Pencilon Empire expelled various factions to the Western wilderness during the unification process. The Erebonia Kingdom, Deltan, Thurland, and others that often appear in history books. Pencilon dealt with troublesome rebels and nobles in that manner.”
“It seems there were many of them.”
“Indeed. However, the Western lands they settled were rugged wilderness with dense jungles. It’s a challenging area for stable agriculture. Most of them either couldn’t settle or perished due to civil wars they fought among themselves. That’s the story of the early days of the Pencilon Empire.”
They went through a long period of pain and eventually achieved integration.
At the time when the Pencilon Empire was declining, they were entering their golden age.
“The Westerners, divided into three factions, achieved a balance and quietly grew their power, seeking revenge against the Pencilon who expelled them, and dreaming of expanding across the continent.”
“Then why didn’t they act at the fall of Pencilon? If revenge and continental expansion were their goals, that would have been the opportune moment.”
“If the Westerners had attacked at that time, it would have served Pencilon well. They could have pacified the discontent of their people under the pretext of repelling external invasion. Moreover, no matter how powerful the Westerners had become, at that time, Pencilon was a unified empire. There was an overwhelming difference in national strength. Therefore, the Westerners decided to watch Pencilon tear itself apart after its demise. If there was a mistake on their part, it was that the swiftly formed Svenner Kingdom blocked their path after Pencilon’s fall.”
“Couldn’t they have taken down Svenner?”
“Svenner’s founding king, Beltron, was a cunning politician even during the Pencilon Empire era, with a high reputation. Yet, he held a strong stance against the Westerners. What do you think would happen when such a person became a king?”
“He quickly established diplomatic channels with other countries to prepare for Western invasions.”
“Exactly. When Svenner moved in that manner, it put the Westerners in a difficult position. They were virtually unable to do anything for nearly 20 years.”
The problem arose when King Beltron died, and the course changed.
Around the same time, Svenner, who had failed in the Brurang expedition, decided to ally with the Westerners.
“I continuously monitored the Westerners after obtaining that intelligence. Meanwhile, I left Bekabia as bait to lure them out.”
“I generally understand. So, what is it that you want to consult with me about?”
“Because you are also a business partner. I came to ask how you want to proceed. Will you hand over Bekabia to the Westerners to legitimize their power and stand on the same stage, or will you repel the invaders who attacked Bekabia according to the plan?”
“Asking that implies there has been some movement.”
“That’s correct.”
Juras said, raising the corner of his mouth.
“The Westerners are rapidly amassing their military forces.”
“…!”
“We don’t have much time to wait for your decision. I hope you reach a conclusion soon.”
“Understood.”
This was no small matter. Juras had come to consult for a reason that was understandable.
“Leaving that aside….”
Juras shook his head in disbelief.
“Even with my attention diverted elsewhere, such strength. Surprising.”
The chessboard was already tilting in favor of one side. My knight surrounded his king, signaling the end of the game.
Juras, perhaps driven by competitiveness, requested a rematch, but I decided to end it with a win.
***
Meanwhile, as Als and Juras discussed war stories,
Erina and Estelle were sharing tales of romance over a snack.
“Take this for now.”
Erina handed about 20 of the 50 books she had purchased to Estelle.
“You need them too, right? Share them with your friends.”
“Yes… I’ll gladly take them. I’ll pay you back later.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t give them to burden you. Rather, shall we read the books first? They are written by Als. You must be curious to read them too, right?”
“Al’s book…? Seems like you know something.”
“Well, Al was selling a book.”
“But I feel like there’s more to it. Selling a book could simply mean someone asked him to do so.”
“That could be true. In fact, I helped Al write the book. So, I know its contents.”
“…I see.”
Estelle smiles meaningfully and says, “If that’s the case, when I share this book with others, I’ll read it with them. It’s better that way if we’re going to have a book club.”
“That’s a great idea! I should do the same.”
“Let’s talk about what we were going to discuss rather than the book.”
“Alright. Let’s get straight to the point then.”
With a determined expression, Erina asks, “Who do you think it is?”
It was a brief question, but Estelle understands it well.
“I don’t have a specific person in mind. Al is always surrounded by so many foxes.”
“Did you just say foxes?”
“Yes, I said foxes. Why?”
“Does that term apply to me too?”
“You… let’s leave you out of this. It seems like you’ve known Al longer than I have…”
“Hmm. Impressive.”
Erina secretly admires Estelle. She found it refreshing that someone her age would show such respect for her.
“So, Erina, what about you? Is there someone who was Al’s first target?”
“At first, I thought of Beril. Close family ties, long history together…”
“Beril… as expected.”
“But it turned out not to be her. When I asked her, she clapped her hands. I’ve never heard of such a thing, and even if I did, she would have rejected it.”
“Well, Beril seems to like someone named Luan something.”
“Harmless.”
“So, is that it? Is there anything else?”
“There is one more hint… Al mentioned casually before. There’s a woman he exchanges letters with. It’s not serious, but it’s related to confidential talks.”
“A woman exchanging letters… Confidential talks… Who could it be? Angela, Alisa, Kelly, Emma, Forte…. Was the letter he was writing at that time meant for her….”
Estelle mutters with a dark aura, causing Erina to calm her down.
“Stop with the dramatic reactions!”
“…Oh my. I should, too.”
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Estelle points out that the person Erina mentioned is crucial.
“Finding out who that person is should be our top priority.”
“Yes. Until then, we agree to cooperate… right?”
Erina appeared relaxed on the surface, but inside, she was feeling anxious.
It all started when she found out that Al was engaged.
If that was true, officially, she couldn’t be with Al.
Becoming the second wife of the nobleman was something that couldn’t happen even if the sky turned upside down, due to the family’s dignity.
Having successfully concluded their alliance, the two began sharing stories to get to know each other better.
Erina’s eyes widened upon hearing about Estelle and Al’s first encounter.
“Al did such a thing?”
“Yes, despite suffering from a severe illness, he willingly approached her.”
“That’s strange. He’s not someone who would act so gallantly…”
Erina couldn’t understand it easily. Even if Estelle had a tough attitude towards Al usually, she wouldn’t have willingly gotten involved.
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“What do you mean? He’s not that kind of person. So, did he approach me with some ulterior motive?”
“If that sounded unpleasant, I apologize. I think… I have a rough idea.”
Erina speculated that Wade might be involved. At this hint, Estelle furrowed her brows.
“As if you know everything…! You. You said you know some secret about Al. What is it exactly?”
“Sorry. I can’t speak about that one thing.”
“Argh…! Tell me!”
“hehehe.”
Estelle, eager to know the secret, paced around anxiously.
Erina watched her with amusement.