Conspiracies

Lavia and Paula wanted to keep the new home secret, so Hikaru didn't pester them about it. On the other hand, what he learned was something he had to tell them right away—the magic rocks found in the animals, dragon stones, and the slow spread of evil throughout the continent.

As he finished, Hikaru took a sip of his tea that Lavia brought with her from their continent. It was running low at this point.

「Th-That sounds serious…」Lavia muttered in a low voice.

Hikaru was sure no one was listening in on them, and he couldn't really sense anyone nearby.

「It's just a guess, though.」

「But I think what you said makes sense, considering the current situation.」

「I'm glad you said that. Basically, the enemy is cautious, rational, and willing to take their time.」

「The reason people here can't use magic is because they're contaminated by the dragon stones. Is that what you're thinking?」

「Yes. Not just thinking, I believe that's the case. While the ecosystem is different, the environment here is the same as ours in terms of human survival. If the only other difference is the stench that Drake smells, then we can a.s.sume that the dragon stones are the cause of the people here losing their affinity to Spirit magic over the past hundreds of years.」

「Wait, you mean we shouldn't have eaten the meat they served?!」Paula exclaimed, recalling the dish they had at Zagin.

「I don't think eating a little does anything, but it should be safer to just avoid their food altogether. There's nothing wrong with you, right? Can you use your healing magic?」

Fortunately, the girls both could use their spells.

「Thank goodness. From now on, I won't sell animals I kill that have magic rocks sticking to their hearts.」

『Dragon stones, not magic rocks.』Drake cut in, as it was an important distinction to drakons.

「Yeah, yeah.」

「I can see why Drake thinks the people here stinks, if they're also afflicted by this evil.」

「I see…」

「I see…」

『I see now…』

「No, you, Drake, should've seen that sooner.」Hikaru said.

Then again, this is Drake we're talking about. He's not very bright. Nothing we can do about that.

『You just thought about something rude, didn't you?!』

「No, I didn't. Anyway, looks like we have to make our move soon. We wouldn't want you two losing your powers all of a sudden. How's the new house going? Will it take some time?」

Lavia and Paula exchanged glances.

「In that case, let's speed things up a bit.」Lavia said.「Let's go see the property tomorrow. How about it?」

『That ape Silver Face sure is an eyesore.』a man said.

『Indeed. He's become more of a nuisance now that he's joined forces with Duinkler.』

『We need healing magic too, but Sir Duinkler is managing the order of who gets it first. We haven't even received any healing yet.』

『I heard they can't even heal illnesses. Curing His Majesty was a blatant lie!』

A man struck the table hard. Grucel simply listened to the conversation indifferently.

Silver Face stated that healing magic couldn't heal illnesses. So to cure the king, he changed the man's condition to an “injury” instead, which required surgery. Dream Maker's citizens, however, had no knowledge about abdominal surgery, so some thought Silver Face used trickery.

『Sir Grucel. How's the plan to win over Silver Face going?』

『It's not going well.』Grucel answered.

『We're counting on you as someone who's known Silver Face as long as Duinkler. It seems the stories of your secretary committing a blunder in Primeval is true.』

『Deena has nothing to do with this. Everything is my fault.』

『My goodness… You sound unreliable for the leader of a clan in charge of our military.』

『Indeed.』

『If you find the responsibility of commanding the army too heavy, we can help you.』

『Indeed. We are, after all, brethrens from the wonderful nation of Dream Maker.』

Grucel closed his eyes. He simply let the men say whatever they wanted.

『The point is, what do we do for this country's future?』

『There's only one thing to do: gain total control of Primeval. I heard our navy crushed Vireocean's forces.』

『No, no, no. We managed to kill a Yamamaneki. Shouldn't we prioritize controlling this continent first?』

『That is too slow. It would take countless men and time to develop the whole place. I suggest we use those Primeval apes as slaves to do the job.』

『Didn't His Majesty strictly ordered to refrain from such imperialistic ideology?』

『His Majesty wishes for peace. As his subjects, we have to consider his feelings. If he doesn't want to get his hands dirty, I will destroy Vireocean myself.』

『No, my clan would like that honor. After all, we're a clan of military might.』

『How about we let His Majesty rule Dream Maker, while we take control of Primeval?』

『That's a great idea.』

『Indeed.』

The discussion went on.

『Welcome back, young master. It's very late.』

An elderly woman greeted Grucel as he returned home. She had served his family for a long time, managing all the household matters.

『I told you I'm too old to be called young master.』

『You'll always be young master to me. Oh, someone who claims to be Miss Deena's messenger is here to see you. They're in the reception room.』

『Okay.』

She was like a mother to Grucel, having raised him. He didn't mind being treated like a young master. It made him feel at ease after a depressing meeting.

I really can't stand meetings like that. It's just not for me. Yet he still had to attend them which made it hard to bear.

『I just arrived. What did Deena—』

As he stepped into the reception room, he noticed the figure wearing a hood. For a moment he thought it was Silver Face, but it wasn't. Grucel's eyes widened in surprise.