Chapter 56: Nightmare Day - 1
"Wait a minute!"
"Shiro-dono?"
The king made an outrageous remark, so I'd like to confirm it here.
"I understand that Sermus should hear this story."
“Umu. Hence, I am about to explain."
"I'm just an adventurer, you know?"
Sermus is a Count
And since he's involved in this, I know he should hear it.
But I am a man of no position.
It's not a given that I'm on the king's side.
"Fumu. Frontier Count, is this man trustworthy?"
"Ha, there's no problem at all. This Shiro-dono here is extremely brave and honest, reaching out to save those... Ouch! Shiro-dono! Why are you hitting me?"
Is this guy trying to make me a saint?!
"Hahaha! Seems a little twisted, though."
Shut up!
"Now that I've got the endorsement of the Frontier Count, I'll explain in detail. Do you know what sugar is made of?"
“Gala root?”
I asked Sermus to explain it later.
Gala is a kind of root vegetable.
The root is huge and its juice is very sweet.
But only the juice of the root is beneficial.
The leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds are bitter and the fibers stay in your mouth.
Some people get sick to their stomachs if they swallow it.
Maybe it's like sugar beets.
"Yes, but recently a different kind of material has been imported from the south."
From the south? From that hot place?
"Further south. If I remember correctly... was it the Kingdom of Geldaria? Something like that."
"I've never heard of it. Do you know Shiro-dono?"
"No."
Of course not.
I've never been out of this country.
Well, I said I've come from a far way, so it can't be helped
"Reed juice, I think that's what it's called?"
"I heard that it's popular in the royal capital."
"That's right. It's a sugar substitute that's on the rise."
"Reed juice" is probably made from sugar cane, or something similar.
"Oh, I get it. Sugar consumption has gone up?"
Compared to sugar beets, cane sugar is vastly more refined, with the added bonus of being easier to make.
Furthermore, the squeezed lees could have been used to make paper and other materials.
Long ago on Earth, there have been politicians who had a great deal of political influence because of the profits they made from sugar.
"That's right, now it's a situation where reed juice is indispensable in the royal capital. In that case..."
“The influence of the lords in the south is getting stronger, right?”
“Are you really just an adventurer? You're awfully perceptive"
"Imagination is important for an adventurer. So, you think the four lords are connected to the south?"
"...For now it's fine, but when others are watching, please speak respectfully. It will give them an opening."
"Got it."
"And recently they started making some claims."
"Claims?"
“It is a claim that Viscount Kyrigy's daughter is to be my son's wife.”
"Eh, the Viscount's daughter?"
"She'll be 28 this year. My son is only four years old."
It's a clear political takeover.
"Twenty-eight and four. The country is going to fall apart, right?"
If the deeds happen when he's 12, we have 8 years to go.
That would make his wife 36.
Can she still give birth?
"Then, worst-case scenario, we'd have to adopt a child."
"And then they could make someone even more convenient to be the king."
I don't think it will be easy to take over
It would be rough for sure.
And if there's internal strife to go along with it, it's just too much to contemplate.
"It's just as you said. The country will fall, perhaps even be destroyed."
"If we're going to stop the viscount, we'll have to find some way to stop him."
"It's not a certainty, but it's a possibility."
"I see."
The king lays out several sheets of paper.
Maps.
"This depicts the sewer system that runs through the royal capital."
"What is this red circle?"
"This is the possibility of destroying the viscount, the residence that the viscount uses in the royal capital."
"What's in there?"
“When the Viscount is in his residence, the sewers around here turn red.”
"Eh?"
"Is it blood?"
"Probably, it flows in large quantities every morning."
What's going on inside the mansion?
"Is there nothing from the neighborhood?"
"The neighborhood is all related to Kyrgy"
Information control seems to be perfect.
"Until when will the Viscount stay in the royal capital?"
"Probably about four days."
"I'll move now, take care of Wince and Sedona. Can I have this map?"
"It's a copy, I don't mind. If you want to enter from the outside use the northern outer wall, I've got a royal guard mixed in with the guards there."
"All right, I'll be back as soon as I can."
On this day.
I would discover a world where even nightmares seemed like heaven.
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