Birthday Trap 2
Upon arriving at the palace, Liliana and Clyde headed straight for the venue of the birthday celebration. Nobles had already gathered, conversing in various groups around the room. The grand hall where the event was held boasted a particularly splendid view within the palace, and the doors were already open. However, the food had not yet been served. The colonnade surrounding the courtyard offered a pleasant view, and guests were enjoying welcome drinks and engaging in casual conversation.
“We have a stop to make first. Let’s go together,” Clyde whispered in Liliana’s ear. Nodding in agreement, Liliana followed Clyde as he guided her away from the main venue. They proceeded through the colonnade and ascended the stairs to a room labeled as a waiting room.
“Excuse us, it's Clyde Benito Clark,” Clyde announced as they entered.
“Come in.”
As Clyde spoke and entered, he found Riley and Austin already seated inside. Both men’s eyes widened as they took in Liliana’s attire. Riley’s face broke into a broad smile as he stood up and extended his hand to Liliana.
“It’s been a while. You look wonderful, Liliana. You resemble the fairy princess Fiondi.”
<Why, that’s too kind of you, Your Highness. You look quite fitting as well.>
Riley was dressed in formal attire for a prince, with a base of white fabric adorned with gold and silver threads, and his red cloak was decorated with colorful gemstones. Austin, still an apprentice knight, wore a nobleman’s outfit fitting for a duke’s family, though not as elaborate as Riley’s.
Riley took Liliana’s small hand and gently kissed the back of it before inviting her to sit on the sofa. As Riley took a seat next to Liliana, Clyde sat beside Austin. Riley then cast a soundproof barrier around the room and began speaking.
“About that cloth, have you learned anything new?”
Riley was referring to the cloth obtained from a merchant of the Yunatian Empire, which had been passed to Petra for analysis. As Liliana had suspected, the embroidery on the cloth was a form of curse magic. It was of the eastern type, which made analysis difficult, and while they could not determine the details, it was identified as a spell intended to “search for something.” Although it was certain that specific conditions were involved, the exact details remained unclear. Petra’s assessment was that it was a spell for searching for not a particular “thing” but something that met certain conditions.
When Liliana reported these findings to Riley, he was surprised by the quick work but soon adopted a serious expression, deciding to investigate further in secret without informing the advisory council. Liliana was skeptical about the feasibility of such covert investigations, but Riley gave a small smile and said, “Of course, I will need your help.” Riley then coordinated with Austin and Clyde to discreetly check if similar patterns of cloth were being sold through their connections with other nobles, emphasizing the need for secrecy. Although Liliana doubted how well this promise would be kept, it seemed that Riley’s actions had not yet become widely known. It appeared that Riley had inherited his father’s “shadow” before turning ten, and they had managed to do their part in the investigation.
“The cloth seems to be most actively sold in territories governed by neutral nobles. Currently, it’s being sold in large quantities in the territories of Baron Kennys and Baron Calvart,” Clyde reported.
“I’ve received similar reports. There were some trades in the Alcasia region as well, but it appears to have been a brief visit, and I couldn’t confirm the buyers,” Austin added.
Riley listened with furrowed brows and then spoke in a low voice, “Although it’s not certain, I suspect there may be a connection between the recent spate of kidnappings of ‘northern immigrants’ and this curse.”
There were commonalities between the regions where the kidnappings of northern immigrants were frequent and where the cloth had been circulating. This was something Liliana had also considered. Clyde fixed a serious gaze on Riley.
“So, you think the curse on the cloth was meant to search for ‘humans’ rather than ‘things’?”
“Yes, that’s what I believe.”
“Indeed—the patterns align. It’s frustrating that there were no records for the Clark Duchy, so I can’t confirm it,” Clyde added, looking vexed. It seemed he had also checked with the butler, Philip, but received only evasive responses.
If Riley’s hypothesis was correct, the issue would be identifying the mastermind. Considering the involvement of a merchant from the Yunatian Empire, it was reasonable to suspect that the neighboring country might be scheming something.
“Do you think they are considering an invasion?”
It was Austin who voiced the concern. Riley and Clyde both wore somber expressions. Riley answered with a serious tone, “I don’t know.”
“There have been no suspicious movements reported at the borders,” Clyde said. “But given the possibility that news of His Majesty’s condition might have leaked, it wouldn’t be surprising if their country is at least probing the situation.”
Riley nodded in agreement with Clyde’s observation. Austin turned to Riley.
“Do you know anything about the emperor’s character?”
“No, unfortunately, I don’t know much. Just rumors about him being an ambitious and formidable man who has ruthlessly discarded subordinates who opposed him.”
The Yunatian Empire and the Kingdom of Slibegrad had limited royal interaction. The Kingdom of Slibegrad was originally part of the Yunatian Empire and gained independence after the three hundred years of darkness. Despite the non-aggression treaty between the two, the Yunatian Empire still regarded Slibegrad somewhat as a vassal state. Although Slibegrad had married off royal family members to Yunatian nobles to show goodwill, it was not eager to engage further.
“It would be helpful if we could gather more information from our spies in their country,” Riley muttered with frustration. Austin and Clyde exchanged glances. Both the Ealdred and Clark Duchies likely had spies in the neighboring country, but neither was in a position to access that information yet.
(I should look into this more thoroughly.)
Liliana silently listened to their conversation, contemplating. If Riley’s suspicion was correct, there was a possibility that the neighboring country might strike against the Kingdom of Slibegrad, making it imperative for Liliana to focus on more than just maintaining her status as a fiancée candidate. As the saying goes, “The victor is the rightful ruler; the loser is the bandit.” If they lost a war with the Yunatian Empire and became a true vassal state, it was certain that not only the royal family but also high-ranking nobles and their families would face execution.
Currently, Liliana had a magically enchanted rat infiltrating the palace to obtain information. Though it appeared as an ordinary rat, it was a magically created entity capable of entering any place Liliana wished. However, the information retrieved was fragmentary. Moreover, Liliana still could not find a suitable “shadow” to serve her. Attempts to contact information brokers in the underworld, who could provide such personnel, had been unsuccessful, likely due to her noble status, as they did not show up at the agreed locations.
(Recruiting from the slums would also face the challenge of subsequent training.)
Liliana couldn’t teach the skills required for espionage or assassination, nor did she have contacts to find a suitable instructor. The man named Kamakiri, whom Liliana had previously sought for guidance, was specialized in assassination and was not familiar with espionage. Even if training could be provided, it was uncertain whether the children would prove effective until the training was complete. Liliana did not have the time or resources for such an endeavor.
“Is the advisory council aware of the possibility of the neighboring country launching a war?” Austin asked.
“Yes—likely,” Riley replied. “But it hasn’t been a major topic of discussion. It’s business as usual.”
This response implied that while influential nobles were aware of the neighboring country’s movements, they were not currently prioritizing it. Riley gave a wry smile.
“More importantly, the palace has been in turmoil over the recent increase in monster attacks. The frequency and scale have expanded, and the areas of occurrence have widened. The magic research department is probably the most affected.”
Liliana gave a small nod as Riley’s gaze fell on her. It was known that Liliana had connections with the Vice Director and his subordinates in the Magic Research Department due to the cloth brought by the Yunatian merchant. Seeing Liliana’s reaction, Riley shrugged.
<You seem even busier than before. There appears to be a significant imbalance in the distribution of work.>
Liliana used her bracelet to communicate this information, prompting Riley to narrow his eyes and ask for more details. Austin and Clyde could not hear Liliana’s voice. “Indeed, the Magic Research Department seems very busy,” Austin agreed.
<The Vice Director and his subordinates—the two responsible for analyzing the cloth brought by the Yunatian merchant—are reportedly being assigned an unusually high volume and complexity of tasks> Liliana added.
This was a gripe Liliana had heard from Petra. Nicholas Bergson, the Director of the Magic Research Department, had been vehemently cursing the impossible tasks he was being assigned. His schedule was tightly packed, with travel distances requiring teleportation spells. It seemed as though the intention was to drain not only their stamina but also their magical power. However, being the "geniuses" they were, both individuals had managed to adjust their magic use to avoid unnecessary depletion.
Riley furrowed his brow, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then quickly closed it. He was clearly troubled by Liliana’s comments but refrained from questioning them to avoid revealing the existence of the telepathic bracelets to Austin and Clyde.
“—We should also keep an eye on the activities of the Magic Research Department,” Riley eventually said, the words sounding natural and consistent with Liliana’s input, even though she wasn’t audible to the others. Liliana smiled slightly, impressed by his perceptiveness.
Austin tilted his head in confusion.
“Is there something going on with the Magic Research Department?”
“It’s related to the abnormal occurrences of monsters,” Riley explained. “I disputed the conclusion that they were naturally occurring, but there has been no re-investigation yet.”
“Oh, that topic,” Austin said, acknowledging the issue. Riley’s explanation seemed somewhat like a justification, but both Austin and Clyde appeared convinced. Riley sighed, his expression sour.
“Actually, I was opposed to today’s birthday celebration. Several other nobles were against it as well. Given the current situation with my father and the unpredictable nature of monster stampedes, it’s undesirable to keep the knights and mages stationed at the palace under the guise of protection.”
“It seems the Magic Research Department also resisted the instruction to allocate only the minimum personnel for this celebration,” Clyde added.
Both Riley and Clyde looked pained by the situation. It was particularly the senior mages with a strong sense of privilege who had resisted. They seemed to view attending the prince’s tenth birthday celebration as a matter of pride, though the underlying motive was likely their desire to ingratiate themselves with high-ranking nobles.
As a result, most of the mages, including the Director and Vice Director, were expected to attend the celebration.
“There was a monster stampede on a road just outside the capital late the night before yesterday,” Austin said bitterly. The stampede was sizable, causing one town to become dysfunctional. Consequently, nobles from distant areas who were scheduled to attend the birthday celebration had been delayed and could no longer attend. However, some nobles still planned to bring their offerings to the prince as soon as the road was somewhat cleared.
Despite this, the mages remained immobile at the palace. The knights had received no orders from above and could not attend to the scene due to the critical nature of their duty to guard the royalty and nobility. This likely meant that the town’s recovery would be delayed. A heavy silence fell over the room.
(—I see, so that’s what’s happening.)
Liliana suddenly recalled a scenario from the game.
The heroine, Emilia Navy, lived in the distant Navy Baronial Territory. According to the game, she should have been attending the prince’s tenth birthday celebration. However, the scenario indicated that when Emilia was thirteen, she would first meet the targeted characters. It seemed Emilia had been unable to attend the celebration due to the monster stampede that occurred the night before.
Although Liliana understood that reality and the game were different, she felt an unavoidable sense of determinism, causing her to shiver slightly.
—