“Is that even possible?”
Eren’s low voice, which hadn’t wavered at any news until now, rang out with a frightening ferocity.
Perhaps feeling that murderous intensity, Ail swallowed dryly.
“I don’t know whether it’s possible, but for now, the magic tool examination results keep coming out the same.”
“I believe the ones who ambushed us previously were subjected to the same examination. Were their results the same?”
“The ambushers were confirmed as unmeasurable. Because of that, we had only been speculating that it might be due to drugs circulating in the back alleys. If it were a known substance, there would have been a reaction in the magic tool examination.”
Eren sharply furrowed his brow and muttered as if to himself.
“That would mean they are not simply ordinary humans.”
“That seems likely.”
Liselotte agreed readily.
Still, a question remained.
“Eren. You said the Word of Command is passed down only through nomad bloodlines, right?”
“That is correct.”
“Then if nomad blood were transfused, would it not be possible to use the Word of Command?”
There was no way the power of Eren, who had naturally inherited the Word of Command, and an artificial imitation created through transfusion would be the same.
And hadn’t it been said that the Word of Command used by the ambushers was weaker than his?
“But the man brought from Gelloa Village and the ambushers have different magic tool examination results, don’t they?”
“That could be the role of the green thread. We don’t know exactly how it is used, but…”
Liselotte, who had been about to continue, closed her mouth for a moment.
Sometimes, when focusing on facts and evidence, she would forget to be considerate of others.
Contrary to her concern, Eren continued the cut-off thought.
“If we consider those who died in Gelloa Village to be failed transfusion subjects as well, the circumstances line up.”
“I think so too.”
It seemed the meal was ruined.
After a conversation like this, there was no way meat would go down her throat.
She had never even imagined that someone could carry out such inhuman experiments.
Yet weren’t all the pieces of evidence before them saying the same thing?
Eren rubbed his forehead as he looked over the investigation results.
“Come to think of it, there were no shops for making a living at all in Gelloa Village.”
“The report my brother sent said the same thing. That there were no taverns.”
“In Lergo Village, there were taverns, florists, and butcher shops, but here, instead of those, there were weapon shops, clothing stores, and craft shops.”
“The fact that a craft shop exists in such a small village, even without a restaurant, already makes no sense.”
How could a craft shop producing luxury goods exist in a place where money didn’t circulate enough for people to even eat out?
That meant it wasn’t a shop crafting luxury goods at all.
Eren set the documents down with a complicated expression and muttered with a sigh mixed into his voice.
“Whether this place is connected to Duke Gloria is a separate issue.”
“They said the entire surrounding area was land bought up by House Diconu, though…”
Then where, exactly, had the money they received as investment been used?
At the answer that suddenly surfaced in her mind, Liselotte’s and Eren’s gazes collided in midair.
At the same time, the same words burst out.
“Funding.”
“Funding!”
So startled that she covered her mouth, Liselotte continued.
“Yes. If we stop thinking of it as a village and instead see it as one massive laboratory, it makes sense. The cost of maintaining a village wouldn’t be small either.”
“Let’s check the flow of funds of House Diconu and House Gloria. If they are still providing support, there will be overlapping points.”
As she nodded vigorously in agreement with Eren’s words—
Knock, knock. Along with the sound, Marsha’s troubled voice came through the door.
“Your Highness. I’m sorry to interrupt while you’re talking.”
Marsha entered with a dazed expression, an invitation in her hand.
The invitation handed to Liselotte bore the seal of House Gloria plainly stamped on it.
And yet, it wasn’t a letter, but an invitation.
Not an official document from the court, but an invitation.
When Liselotte only blinked, Marsha spoke as if she could hardly believe it herself.
“Well, um… Lady Diana is holding a banquet and says she would like to invite you…?”
***
Thud, thud, thud. Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridors of the Gloria mansion.
Anix burst into Diana’s room with a deathly pale face.
The face that had been brimming with anger quickly changed into a smile the moment he saw the startled face of the tailor who had come to fit the dress inside.
“Oh, you were getting a dress fitted. If you had let me know beforehand, I wouldn’t have interrupted.”
Ahem. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Anix stood straight near the doorway and waited.
With him so openly waiting, the tailor felt pressured, her hands trembling with tension.
Diana, wearing only a slip dress, glanced at Anix and then smiled brightly at the tailor.
“It’s fine, go ahead and finish what you were doing.”
“I-I have taken all the measurements. You have lost even more weight since last time, but it should be fine if we just reduce the fit a bit.”
“Then will it be possible according to the schedule?”
“Of course. I will have my staff come to the mansion soon.”
“Alright.”
At Diana’s reply, the tailor hurriedly gathered her measuring tapes and tools, bowed deeply, and fled the room as if escaping.
Only after the door closed with a click did the smile on Anix’s face instantly turn vicious.
“I heard that someone from the North went to investigate Gelloa Village and brought back some rag-wearing bastard. Did you hear?”
“Yes. I received word early on.”
Anix ground his teeth and lowered his voice.
As if afraid someone might overhear even though no one was around, his eyes anxiously darted from side to side.
“What happened? You said all the ones who remained were dealt with.”
“When I went with Valen, there was no one there. He must have escaped and then been drawn by nomad blood.”
Unlike Anix, who was seething with rage, Diana calmly draped a shawl over her shoulders as she answered.
“Taking measurements came first, so I planned to explain everything properly afterward.”
She walked slowly to the desk, picked up an invitation she hadn’t yet finished sending, and handed it to him.
“What are you talking about?! Where would we get the money to hold a banquet right now?!”
Snatch. Grabbing the invitation, Anix irritably read through its contents.
Yet Diana didn’t reveal even a trace of emotion.
“This time, he made a mistake, so he agreed to cover the banquet expenses instead. So don’t worry.”
At the words that the funding had been taken care of, Anix’s expression softened noticeably.
With the rumors about House Gloria already unfavorable, holding a grand banquet would help their reputation even a little.
Those who attended banquets were, after all, people who loved to gossip, so there was no way they would ignore an Eastern invitation perfect for finding something to talk about.
Still uneasy, Anix paced back and forth restlessly as he spoke.
“For now, I’ll have someone take care of that bastard. If he’s of the same stock, it’ll actually be easier to deal with.”
At words that were, in a way, only natural, Diana flinched.
While Anix was preoccupied with planning, she subtly adjusted her shawl and erased the emotion that had briefly surfaced.
“Is it really necessary to kill him? He is a failed product.”
“He has to be killed because he’s a failed product. The Magic Tower is already backing the North, so it’ll only be a matter of time before we’re exposed.”
“…Alright.”
Diana didn’t press the issue further and carefully perched herself on the edge of the bed.
Now much calmer, Anix asked stiffly.
“So, the Imperial Princess?”
“The North’s defenses are too strong, so they asked us to draw the Princess out of the North no matter what.”
Letting out a short sigh, Anix curled his lips into a grin.
He clapped his hands a couple of times and nodded.
If a banquet were held, she would have no choice but to leave the North.
Until now, Liselotte had been staying firmly in the North and barely moving, unlike before, making it hard to find an opening.
Only then did Anix fully grasp the situation, and without further complaint, he patted her shoulder.
“Good. Then host the banquet properly, make it grand.”
