My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 276. Three-Way Pact

The usurpation that had taken place in the Empire.

The chaos that followed.

If the Empire alone had been thrown into turmoil, it would not have mattered as much. But as its formidable military power continued to gather and grow stronger, it had become a problem for the entire continent.

No one could easily object and rise up against it.

If there was one possible solution, it would be the Grand Ducal Council, the body responsible for mediating conflicts throughout the Cerdes Continent.

However, the Grand Ducal Council would not be convened unless the movements of the Demon Race became clear.

In the case of the Heinkel Kingdom, they had believed that a council meeting was necessary, but the matter had fallen through because the Empire and the other kingdoms claimed that they could resolve it themselves.

And in the end, humanity had succeeded in resolving the matter.

Because such a precedent existed, even if this incident were eventually proven to be connected to the Demon Race, the Grand Ducal Council would not move first if they judged that the situation could be resolved on its own.

Therefore, they needed a justification to gather from different parts of the continent and discuss this grave situation.

By chance, Ferda had been able to seize that opportunity.

The Far East was an object of great interest, and there were plenty of desirable goods there—enough that it would not be strange for high-ranking nobles to take part.

It would not be strange for Ahmed, a great noble of the South, to come either, and it would be equally unsurprising if an important guest from the North arrived afterward.

The ones who had come from the North were House Purity.

Valeri Purity, the head of the family, and Igor Purity, the heir.

Igor was dressed up to the fullest, but no matter how one looked at him, his large physique made him seem like a barbarian pretending to be a noble.

Valeri, on the other hand, possessed the dignity befitting a noble. His eyes contained a sharp gaze tempered by the passage of time.

He entered the reception room, and Ahmed and Ferda rose from their seats to greet him.

"Have you arrived, Duke?"

"It is good to see you so often, Regent."

"The Far East has been so eventful that you seem to be making the long journey here quite frequently."

"Isn’t it a good thing that we get to see each other so often?"

When his eyes shifted toward Ahmed, Ahmed politely bowed.

"It is a rare occasion indeed to meet the man known as the Golden Tree of the South."

"It is an honor to meet you, Duke Purity."

"I heard that warriors from the North, including some particularly disgraceful deserters, are working as gladiators in Halim."

"Haha! How could we possibly know anything about that? We’re merely people who put on shows."

Valeri Purity poured out a gaze that made one tense up, while Ahmed Hashim smoothly brushed the matter aside.

The first to back down was Duke Purity.

"Rather than bringing up such matters, we should first put out the most urgent fire."

"Indeed. Let us think about the problems we can solve together first."

The head of the family sat down, while the heir stood behind him and watched the situation.

The representative of the South and the representative of the North.

With the representative of the Far East as well, an unofficial meeting was held among the three of them.

"The reason we have an opportunity like this must be our common enemy, Grand Duke Valdemar Golt, correct?"

"Who could have imagined that old man would kill the Emperor in a single stroke and seize the throne?"

Neither of them had expected it.

"But looking at the current situation, it is leading toward tyranny, and with the Crown Prince’s life or death still unknown, the situation is practically on borrowed time."

"The problem is that this ticking bomb is on borrowed time. The fuse has already been lit, and we don’t know where or how it will explode."

"Will it be a bomb that explodes in my hands, or one that falls at our feet...?"

Ahmed and Duke Purity shared the same concern.

They were worried that the Empire might divert its internal discontent toward territorial expansion.

Ferda realized that they still did not know what Valdemar’s true intentions were.

"I would like to know what he intends to do. Could you perhaps share how things are being observed from the Far East?"

They knew that the Far East possessed special autonomy, but regardless, it was still part of the Empire for the time being.

"One thing is certain. Their military power is going to continue growing."

"May I ask what led you to that conclusion?"

"I’ll be frank. The blueprints for the Magitech Rifle are going to make their way into the hands of the Empire."

"An intentional leak."

The two men were both well-versed in political history, so they quickly figured out the reason.

It explained why the Far East had not been placed under severe pressure.

"But rest assured. Grand Duke Golt is not gathering troops to conquer the North or the South."

"You shouldn’t make such an easy guarantee, Regent. We have many families to protect. How can you expect us to simply believe your words?"

"I agree with what the Great Warrior of the North has said, brother. Words can be changed as easily as turning over one’s palm, can they not?"

Their eyes were saying one thing.

Give us the means to resist as well.

Ferda told them his plan.

"Please hear me out. At present, our side is exporting weapons to the capital of the Empire. After exporting them in large quantities, we will hand the blueprints over to the Empire."

"And what do you intend to do after that?"

"When the blueprints fall into the Empire’s hands and they begin full-scale production, an interesting incident will occur."

"What kind of incident?"

"Some group that upholds justice will supposedly be unable to stand by and watch the Empire’s tyranny, so they will scatter the blueprints in large quantities in every direction."

Upon hearing those words, Ahmed and Duke Purity smiled pleasantly.

"So you’re saying that this will allow us to make the weapons as well?"

"Once the blueprints are leaked, we will have no choice but to use them, won’t we?"

"Exactly. Weapons are like that by nature, aren’t they? You continuously improve them and search for greater convenience and efficiency."

"The things that were supposed to be raised against the Demon Race will now be turned against each other."

That was what Vernel had feared the most.

Yet surprisingly, when such a plan had first been conceived, the person who feared it most had been Ferda.

Anxiety had suddenly washed over him.

Could this be something I will eventually regret?

Surprisingly, the one who had agreed to the plan was Vernel.

He was the very man currently facing an extreme situation in which an explosion fanatic was trying to kill him by sending a bomb his way once every week.

Whether that situation had somehow given him greater creativity and confidence, or whether he had simply gone mad, it was impossible to tell.

But one thing was certain.

Judging from the prospects of the technology, there was a very real possibility that he could pull it off.

"It would be nice if the leak creates an interesting picture. That aside, Regent Ferda."

Ahmed spoke.

"I heard a rumor that you’re planning to build a glass factory. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Glass isn’t exactly something that can be handled easily... Still, I dare not disregard the Insight of the Far East, so I’d like to ask you one question. Would that be all right?"

Ahmed’s eyes gleamed.

He had caught the scent of money.

"If the question isn’t too sensitive, I’ll answer it whenever you wish."

"You’d better think carefully. The region with the most sand is our South."

There was a subtle threat hidden in his words.

Just as technology was meaningless without raw materials, Ferda had planned to establish the major supply contract in the Southern Region.

That meant Ahmed unquestionably held the upper hand.

"I happened to find someone who knows a manufacturing process for glass that makes it resistant to breaking."

"What kind of business do you intend to conduct with it?"

"We can make windows in the form of flat panes, allowing people to see clearly outside while making them inexpensive and durable."

Unlike Ferda’s confident answer, Ahmed’s reaction was skeptical.

"No matter how durable they are, what good will they be if something goes wrong during transportation?"

There was insight in Ahmed’s eyes.

With sand practically everywhere in their region, they must have considered going into the glass business themselves.

His position at the top of an organization capable of smoothly running the Entertainment City was clearly not based solely on bloodline.

"It seems you’re planning to transport them using automobiles made through Magitech Engineering, but even those are ultimately just carriages that travel on the ground. No matter how much you pave the roads, wouldn’t the glass easily break from the vibrations of the carriage?"

The reason he knew this was because it was the business Stephan was involved in.

Stephan must have explained it in Halim as well in order to attract funding.

"That’s why an idea was recently proposed."

"What kind of idea?"

"Combining the rails used in mining sites with Magitech power engines to create a new means of transportation."

What Ferda had proposed was none other than what would be called a railway and train.

If the Mana-powered Automobile was a product intended for nobles and the upper class, the railway was something that could be used for trade between nations.

That made Ferda’s proposal extremely attractive to two high-ranking nobles such as them.

"However, from what you’re saying, it sounds as though an enormous amount of iron ore will be required. How will you solve that problem?"

"Isn’t there somewhere with plenty of iron ore?"

Ferda turned his gaze toward Duke Purity.

Since ancient times, the North had been a land where high-quality iron ore poured forth, which was also why they frequently traded with the dwarves.

Duke Purity owned quite a few mines in the North, enough to supply the construction of the railway.

"Heh heh. Do you really think I’d help with your business when I have nothing to gain from it?"

Valeri Purity smiled benevolently, but there was a sharp blade hidden behind that smile.

"You don’t need to worry. The first place the railway will connect to will be the North and the Far East."

"I must have a poor head, because I can’t quite see what benefit I’d get from that."

"Business between the North and the Far East will become much smoother. You know a great deal about railways, so you can estimate their transportation capacity, can’t you? As exchanges become easier overall, the frequency of imports and exports will also improve."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

His expression said that it wasn’t enough.

Then Ahmed stepped forward.

"We aren’t trying to leave you out, Duke. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the North and South could begin interacting with each other through this opportunity?"

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I know a little about how the people of the North think of the people of the South. I also know what kind of image exists in our Halim. Isn’t that why the two sides are so hostile toward each other?"

"I can’t deny that."

"That is precisely why we need to gradually get to know each other. I’d like to suggest that we do so through the Far East. In fact, during this recent visit, the special envoys were able to experience many cultures through their interactions with the Far East and discover many things that could be improved. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a place where we could interact with one another were established around the Far East? Besides, we could occasionally send our sincerity to the North as well."

"Heh heh. That does make sense."

Even Ferda was impressed by Ahmed’s way with words.

From the beginning, Ferda had calculated that he would first lay the railway to the North in order to appease them.

But Ahmed had turned it into a reason why the North and South could both be developed simultaneously.

"To do that, we’ll need to properly establish the foundation from now on. Let us begin preparing little by little so that those Empire bastards cannot pull any tricks."

"Let’s do that. We’ll use the Far East as our meeting point and proceed as discreetly as possible."

"Now that we’ve been talking, we’re turning Hestia into a den of criminals plotting treason. Is this really all right, Regent Ferda?"

"There’s nothing to worry about. I neither saw nor heard anything here."

The conversation seemed to end there.

The timing was also appropriate, so Ferda placed his teacup down and rose from his seat first.

"It should soon be time for the auction to begin. Shall we all attend?"

"Of course. We shouldn’t let the main purpose of our visit be forgotten."

"I hope we can pick up some good items. Haha!"

Having laid out their predictions regarding the political situation, they headed toward the hall where the auction was being held.

***

Many wealthy magnates and nobles had gathered inside the auction house.

Some of them were even wearing masks to conceal their identities.

As long as they could verify that they were the person named on the invitation, they were permitted entry, so those who did not wish to reveal themselves had chosen to do so.

The event was being hosted by Stephan, who owned only 20% of the shares.

What he needed right now was more connections, so he had no choice but to give his absolute best to ensure everything he had prepared went well.

Ferda sat in the VIP section on the upper floor and looked down below.

He had checked the entire list of invitees, so there was no one particularly suspicious.

But his cautious personality would not let him relax.

He was the kind of man who needed to see everything with his own two eyes and understand every possibility before he could be satisfied.

Therefore, he personally examined everyone who had received an invitation.

"...Hmm?"

Because of that personality, Ferda eventually found her.

Among the countless spectators sitting on the lower floor, there was one woman who stood out particularly.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to call her a girl.

Her slender physique and clothing showed that she was probably only in her early to mid-teens.

She looked like an ordinary young lady one could easily encounter anywhere.

But Ferda instinctively realized something.

She isn’t a young lady.

If she were truly a noble young lady, she would inevitably have attendants accompanying her.

Yet despite wearing an inconvenient dress, she moved alone through the crowd as naturally as flowing water and simply took her seat.

For a young lady of noble birth, she was far too bold and relaxed.

Unlike her outward appearance, she was definitely not an ordinary person.

Ferda observed her more closely.

Her hair, braided down over her right shoulder, was a brilliant, shimmering silver.

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