Chapter 162 - Walking on Eggshells (2)

Chapter 162 - Walking on Eggshells (2)

A sudden decision was made.

The more he talked to Arthus, the more Alfred realized how important it was to win the upcoming Fief War.

He felt a lot of pressure because the battle he had requested out of anger had become a trigger that would change the history of the entire continent.

Nervous and with a sense of urgency, Alfred had initially concealed his concerns, but he eventually told Arthus about them.

“Uh, Duke, I actually... have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor? Go ahead.”

Arthus kept a calm expression, and thanks to that, Alfred gained the confidence to speak freely.

“Please allow me to meet Aubert.”

“Aubert?”

“Yes. It’s not really my place to say anything because I have to fight Eisen, but I must meet Aubert in order to secure a clear victory against him.”

“What’s the reason?”

“Aubert has something I need.”

“Hmm...”

Neither of them knew that Aubert was dead.

Henry had made sure that no information about Aubert and his family would be shared with outsiders. Moreover, even though Salgaera was actually under Henry’s control, publicly it was still being managed under Eisen’s name. Therefore, the fact that Alfred wanted to meet Aubert in such difficult circumstances was ridiculous.

However, Alfred was being genuine, and he was also desperate.

The Egg of Evolution was essential in order not to disappoint Arthus and win against Eisen.

Arthus squinted and stared at the anxious-looking Alfred. The latter’s gaze resembled how one might’ve viewed a pitiful and pathetic lamb struggling to face even a single person, just like Eisen.

However, this was none other than Alfred. Ever since the empire had united, Alfred had been Arthus’ hands and feet for a long time, so he could do at least this much for him. It was just that Arthus was just a little disappointed in Alfred because he wasn’t really confident, which made it difficult for Arthus to fully trust him.

After concluding his thoughts, Arthus said, “Alright. I’ll try to make that happen.”

“Thank you, Duke...!”

Now that the emperor was addicted to the Pink Swamp, Arthus could easily break Eisen’s control over Salgaera if he so desired to.

In addition, Eisen had no real reason to hold anything against Arthus, so meeting with Aubert was bound to happen.

‘It’s done!’

As soon as Arthus granted him permission, Alfred’s eyes filled with joy and desire.

All that was left now was to try every method to get Aubert to talk.

As Arthus watched Alfred become excited, he thought to himself.

‘Hmm, Aubert...?’

Although Aubert Crimson had lost everything in vain due to a single mistake, he was actually far more useful than Alfred. Moreover, Aubert had made that one single mistake because he had been trying to please Arthus, so his loyalty to him was something unimaginable.

‘I’ll have to bring Aubert back as soon as the rebellion ends.’

The more talented people he had, the better it was.

Arthus immediately wrote a letter to Aubert and a letter of recommendation for Alfred to enter Salgaera.

He handed the two letters to Alfred and said, “Give this to Aubert when you see him.”

“Alright.”

This was the end of their conversation.

After receiving the two letters, Alfred gave his sincere thanks to Arthus and left the mansion.

After a while, when the butler appeared, Arthus said, “Summon all the nobles in the palace at once.”

“Yes, Duke.”

After giving the order, Arthus rose from his seat and prepared to leave.

“Should I prepare a carriage?” asked the butler.

“No, it's alright.”

Arthus made a few hand gestures in the air and suddenly disappeared.

* * *

Henry rubbed his palms together, leaving his hands clean.

Ten still looked shocked on account of having just witnessed magic.

“You look quite shocked.”

“L-Lord Henry? N-no, I mean, Sir Henry...! What did I just witness...!”

“I understand. Of course you’re surprised.”

“What?”

“My name is Henry Morris. I’m a secret disciple of the late Archmage, Henry Morris. Coincidentally, we share the same name.”

“Whatttt?”

Ten was once again shocked, this time by Henry’s self-introduction. Ten was already baffled by the fact that Henry was a wizard, but he was also a secret disciple of the great Archmage?

Henry smirked and said, “Now do you understand why we have to prepare for war?”

Nod nod.

The disciple of the late Archmage had anticipated the war and was preparing for it in advance.n(.O(-v-/e-)l-)b-(I()n

Since Ten was quick-witted and well-informed about the news, he knew exactly what this meant.

‘They say that a wise man’s revenge is never late, even if it takes ten years. I guess it’s true...!’

Ten had chills running down his spine because this had all been meticulously planned and prepared in order to avenge his master. However, at the same time, Ten couldn't hide his smile, looking like he had just won the lottery.

‘This is amazing!’

As a businessman, he instinctively tried to predict the future.

A disciple of the late Archmage had been acting out a play all this time. It was clear that the ending of the play would also conclude just as Henry wanted, given that he had achieved everything he wanted so far. Thus, Ten strongly believed that Henry would continue to direct things in his favor even in the future.

In addition, wasn’t he Henry’s comrade that Henry himself had acknowledged?

“I could become someone even greater than the Golden King!’

Ten’s eyes were glowing with ambition as he concluded his calculations.

As Henry saw the spark of ambition in Ten’s eye, he smiled and said, “Anyway, Ten, aren’t you accepting my word a bit too easily?”

“About what?”

“What if I’m lying about being a disciple?”

“Hmm, I guess you could be, but for some reason, I don’t think you’re lying.”

“Why?”

“Well, I’ve always been suspicious about how in the world you had dug up the business secret of a perfect sword-fighting champion. However, if you were a disciple of the Archmage, then it would explain everything.”

“That’s your reasoning?”

“I don’t think I need a better reason to trust you, since I believe that you’ll keep the promise you made to me either way.”

‘Not bad.’

Ten's trust stemmed from an indescribable and unwavering belief.

Feeling good, Henry said, “I’m glad you think that way. Anyway, no one knows about this other than Hagler and Von, so watch your mouth from now on.”

“Of course, you can trust me!”

Ten had changed the way he addressed Henry from ‘Lord’ to ‘Sir’, indicating a swift change in his attitude. He was no longer obsessed with Henry’s insignificant status of being Eisen’s only vassal.

“Now, I’ll tell you how we need to prepare for the war.”

Henry had finally revealed his identity to Ten, which allowed him to save him more time and run his plans more flexibly. In addition, now that Ten knew Henry’s identity, he was fully able to act on Henry’s behalf and be on his side.

“Soon, Mayor Vant will send you a construction permit for the city wall. Once you receive it, you’ll hire the engineers I sent you and start extending the wall.”

“Does that mean I have to supervise the workers?”

“No, I actually don’t need a supervisor, since all the engineers are from Monsieur. If anything, you might actually get scolded if you interfere with their work.”

“What? Then what should I do?”

“Please supply the engineers with all the materials they require, and at the same time, buy extra food from every merchant in the city. Food gradually becomes more valuable than money the longer the war lasts.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll also set up a teleportation gate inside the mansion, so make sure the workers can come and go freely.”

“What? By teleportation gate, are you talking about the same one that’s inside the Magical Spire?”

“That’s right.”

“W-wait a minute. Excuse me for asking, but Sir Henry, how far have you gotten as a wizard?”

“The 6th Circle.”

“What?”

“You heard me right. I’m not registered in the Magical Spire, making me the only unofficial Archmage in the empire. Oh, by the way, not even Hagler and Von know about this.”

Henry nonchalantly revealed his secret.

At this point, Ten decided to just give up trying to think any further.

* * *

After Henry installed a teleportation gate inside the mansion, he immediately left for Monsieur and requested to have a private meeting with Gorba Vulcanus, the mayor.

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“I’m letting you know that there is going to be a war soon.”

“Lord Henry, your jokes are going too far. You suddenly show up and bring up war out of nowhere.”

His reaction was the same as Ten’s. So just as he had done to Ten, Henry revealed his true identity to Vulcanus.

“Wow...!”

Was it because of the many years of experience he had?

Vulcanus was surprisingly calm to the news, and instead of looking shocked, he closed his eyes and fell deep in thought.

He opened his eyes after a while and said, “I always thought that you were extraordinary, but I didn’t expect you to actually be someone like this...”

However, there was no time to go into an in-depth explanation about his past, just like it was the case with Ten. Henry cut off Vulcanus and immediately got straight to the point.

“The current situation is terrible. Arthus has been preparing for a rebellion for quite some time, and the vast majority of nobles are already on his side, so we have to come up with countermeasures as soon as possible.”

Henry’s most valuable asset was Gorba Vulcanus. Therefore, Henry told him everything without leaving out even the smallest details, and he was soon able to get Vulcanus to be on the same page.

Vulcanus couldn’t help but sigh as soon as he heard about the Chimeras in particular.

“Although Arthus is preparing for a rebellion, if things don’t go his way, he’ll release the Chimeras to the public at any time,” said Henry.

“Then all the more reason why we should come up with a solution.”

“Which is why I’m thinking of transforming the free cities that have signed a solidarity agreement into something like a fortress.”

“Are you talking about fortifying the cities?”

“It can’t be helped for those who live on a fief... but shouldn’t we at least protect the people in the free cities?”

“Absolutely. The inhabitants of a fief fall under the authority of the nobles, so we can't prevent them from conscription. However, we can ensure the safety of women and children.”

“Of course, the damage done will depend on how long the war lasts, but please know that all these measures are because of the Chimeras.”

“Hmm, I understand. Then we must finish preparing as much as we can before Eisen and Alfred start the Fief War.”

“Please convince all the craftsmen in Monsieur, and I’ll also install a teleportation gate in the city hall blacksmith shop. I’ll also provide as much money as you need to fortify the cities.”

“If I don’t have enough money, I will definitely use yours, but I don’t know if I’ll really need it.”

“What do you mean?”

“There's still a substantial amount of money left in the budget allocated by the empire to Monsieur. With the war just around the corner, that budget will soon become redundant. So, whoever makes use of that money first will claim ownership, correct?”

“As expected of you, Mayor.”

“Soon, that title of ‘mayor’ will also become redundant. Let me know as soon as the gate is installed. At the moment, I need to convene a gathering of all the chief executives and devise a fortification plan.”

Vulcanus became more comfortable with Henry after learning about his true identity.

Henry smiled and nodded.

Everything went smoothly.

After installing the teleportation gate, Henry named it ‘Monsieur Gate’.

Having finished his business in Monsieur, Henry headed toward Enkelmann, the city Von had protected.