Peleus gave up and decided to play along with his niece.
"Your Highness, the Princess! Where are you!"
Saya's voice calling for Bea was heard from afar. The child's pupils shook as if an earthquake had struck.
"Come on, let's do this! Uncle, let's go!"
Bea snatched off the pouch hanging on her arm and shoved it into Peleus's bosom like dust.
"...?"
In the midst of the chaos caused by the change of ownership of the stolen goods, the music box, which had not yet found a place, slid down to the floor.
"Secret friend! Shhh!"
The child did not forget to turn around and silence the other person before entering their room.
Perhaps it was because she inherited Cesare's blood, but Peleus didn't realize how quick that tiny thing was.
Peleus swallowed his laughter at the cuteness, yet saw an exceptional talent in his niece's extraordinary movements.
'It looks like another 10-star will appear in our family.'
"Your Majesty? Why are you here? Did you happen to see our Princess Bea?"
Saya, who had turned pale, gasped as if she had fainted upon seeing Peleus spring up from the bushes.
"Bea has returned. Tell Dea that everything in here is a sacred artifact of the Central Temple and to put it back in its place."
Peleus handed the heavy pouch hanging precariously from his chest to Saya.
He can't let the Saint's daughter become an outlaw of the Central Temple. Bea is probably going to get a good scolding from Dea until she cries her eyes out.
"A... a holy object?"
"And from now on, have Neriel guard Bea's bedroom instead of you."
It seems that Saya and the ordinary maids are no longer capable of handling that little outlaw with their current skills.
"Yes, yes, I will do so, Your Majesty!"
“Go ahead.”
"Yes!"
Peleus let out a short sigh as he watched Saya leave, fully disciplined.
Just as he was about to take a step.
"This"
A music box engraved with "Saint Augustine" had fallen under a pile of bushes and was half-open. A pair of figurines was visible inside.
The moment his hand picked up the music box and accidentally touched the spring, a melody flowed out.
The sunlight on the hill tickles my cheek.
When the wind embraces me, if I close my eyes, will a gentle landscape come to me in my dreams?
Peleus paused.
The lyrics of the song his mother used to sing were playing from the music box.
"It has been confirmed that Her Highness Bea has arrived safely at her bedroom, Your Majesty."
"D'Angel, did you hear that just now, too?"
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you hear... the song just now...?"
"Who sang the song? Shall I find out if they are sending a password?"
Peleus looked down at the music box at D'Angel's bewildered yet serious expression.
Was it just my imagination that the clockwork had turned? No sound was heard.
"Your Majesty?"
"I must have heard wrong, D'Angel. Don't worry about it."
Peleus turned his body as if to shake off the thought.
"This is a relic of Saint Augustine, so give it to Medea separately, and this key as well."
It seems he became sentimental after meeting his sister for the first time in a long while.
Seeing how he keeps recalling childhood memories, which is uncharacteristic of him.
Then, D'Angel added.
"Your Majesty, news has arrived regarding Northern Karkan. I will provide the details upon my return to Valdina, but..."
“I understand.”
Peleus turned his back. Then he resumed walking with his familiar strides.
The thoughts were brief, and there were still too many lines waiting for him.
***
Valdina Imperial Palace.
The young Emperor entered the room.
Although he had not long since returned from the Continental Empire of the Holy Kingdom, there was not a trace of fatigue on his beautiful face.
"I have the honor of meeting Your Majesty!"
D'Angel and the other subjects stood up in unison.
"A message came from Karkan."
Before Peleus even sat down, he asked his subjects.
"Is that Lord Osric? Is he using monsters as an excuse again to ask for funding?"
Karkan.
The place that naturally surrendered and was integrated into the territory of Valdina as Peleus seized control of the western steppes.
Lord Osric, who ruled Karkan, was an ordinary subject who never caused any particular trouble, except for occasionally complaining about the cold and poverty.
However, Sissair's expression was stiffer than usual.
"This time, it is not a subsidy, Your Majesty."
He placed the velvet pouch on the table. A black, gleaming stone rolled out through the half-unzipped opening.
"This is 'Ice Iron,' which is said to be found only in the Karkan iceberg region."
"Ice Iron?”
Peleus's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Yes, it is mined only in the icebergs of Karkan, and because of its high strength and excellent magical conductivity, it is primarily used for refining magical weapons."
And among those 'acquaintances' was Sissair's wife, Violet Lekes, a genius fire mage of Magic Tower.
"I heard that it is especially optimized for smelting cannons."
A tense shiver ran through the room at the word "cannon," a word that could by no means be taken lightly.
"In fact, Lord Osric concealed the existence of the ice iron mine in Karkan. He has been amassing wealth by smuggling this heat overseas, disguising it as low-grade iron ore. The estimated duration is approximately two years."
"..."
"The main seller is the Kingdom of Barmia. We have also recently detected indications that Mithril is being leaked along with it."
Barmia.
This small nation situated on the border of Valdina raised its own ground forces and looked for an opportunity to expand its territory.
However, Peleus knew that although they had not been able to significantly expand their power due to their geographical limitations of being located further north than Valdina, their ambition was no less than that of Valdina at one time.
If they hold cannons and mithril in their hands, they will attempt to disrupt the balance of the borders at any time.
A cold sneer hung on the corners of Peleus's lips.
"I hear that a winter harbor is being formed for me in my country."
Peleus rose from his seat. The young Emperor's decision was swift, and his command was brief.
"Get ready, I am coming to Karkan."
"I will go! Your Majesty. Leave it to me."
"It is dangerous. We have lost contact with the envoys dispatched to Karkan last week. They may have realized that Your Majesty has learned of this fact and is trying to lure us in. If anything were to happen to Your Majesty, how could we possibly handle the repercussions?"
Karkan is an isolated region far from the center. Moreover, there was a possibility that Barmia's forces were already lying in ambush.
Although his subjects repeatedly tried to dissuade him, Peleus shook his head.
"Are they the only ones looking for an opening in Valdina?"
He knows.
In war, the most important thing was always the first move.
That leader creates the flow and ultimately determines the outcome of the war.
"It is time to correct the continent's perception that Valdina is generous. Even to those who harbored ill will under their shadow."
Osric was sufficient to be the first example.
“I’m going to Karkan."
The young Emperor's voice rang out.
***
Valdina Northwest Border Karkan.
This harbor, backed by huge snow-capped mountains, was always filled with foul language.
An isolated coast reached by a three-day drive from Karkan's Bead Castle.
The water depth formed where the glacier and the sea met between the sheer canyons was suitable for medium-sized vessels to pass through, and even better for burying secrets deeper than that.
Because it was located far from the base, which was already in rugged terrain, the port was a lawless zone beyond the lord's control.
Or it could be the lord's intentional neglect.
A dock where thick fog has settled.
Lou, a boy with an old hat pulled low over his face, crossed the chaotic market.
The loud shouts of gamblers echoed along the streets, and objects of unknown origin were passed around in the dark corners of the alleys.
Lou walked on without hesitation, as if the entire scene were familiar to him.
"Lou, you came at just the right time."
Titus, the butcher holding a slaughtering knife, urgently called out to the boy.
"Take a look at this. It's a contract the Black Anchor guys gave me, but I have a bad feeling about it."
Titus held out a crumpled parchment.
"My wife will take care of dinner instead."
The reason this frail, skinny boy can safely move around the harbor must be that Lou is one of the few people in this town who knows how to read.
"Yes. Aunt Hailey's cooking skills are well-known."
Lou quickly scanned the contract handed to him. Although he was shabbily dressed, the eyes revealed beneath his hat were unusually sharp.
"Mister, you didn't sign this, did you?"
"Uh, not yet... Why, what's the problem?"
"Hmm..."
Lou's white, slender index finger touched the very bottom of the contract.
"Hmm. It says that if payment is delayed by even a single day, not only the goods but also the slaughtering rights will fall into their hands."
"What? There was no mention of that! Let me see!!"
Titus's voice grew louder.
"Here, it's the special clause."
His index finger, white and graceful for a boy in his prime, pointed to the tiny text written at the bottom of the contract.
"They even calculated the 'day' based on the time their ship leaves the port. In reality, it amounts to less than half a day."
"Good heavens, those thieves know I'm illiterate and are determined to rip me off."
Titus's face instantly turned ashen.
"I'm going to chase after these bastards right now and grab them by the collar! Even if it means getting beaten to a pulp, I can't sign an exploitative contract like this!"
Enraged, he spat out phlegm. On one hand, he was afraid of the retaliation he would face from the outlaws of this port, the Black Anchor gang, but...
"There's no need for that, sir."
Lou casually lifted his old hat and spoke.
"Don't refuse immediately; instead, explain that the volume is large because the Lord's birthday celebration is coming up soon, and that the contract needs to be submitted to the Lord's castle for the inspection records."
"Oh!"
"Since he knows you supply to the Lord's Castle, he will know and step down."
They wouldn't want to upset Lord Osric, their backer, by trying to line their own pockets for no reason.
"Thank you. Thank you, Lou. What would I have done without you?"
At Titus's intense gratitude, the corners of the boy's mouth curved slightly upward.
Titus was one of the few acquaintances who unsparingly extended a helping hand to the boy, even in this dilapidated street.
"You always have to be careful; there are a lot of scammers in this neighborhood."
The boy warned indifferently, yet firmly.
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