On the night that the magic meter was announced, Crabbe Arbent was seen in the Royal Castle of the Kingdom of Rynor.


　The place was one of the gardens in the castle.
　It was not a garden used for tea ceremonies for distinguished guests.
　It is a place for the king's private use.


　The garden is decorated with "glittering glass" that glows like fireflies, creating a fantastic effect at night.
　There are lights reminiscent of antique lanterns.
　Lights on the low poles marking the approach.
　There are recessed lights here and there.
　There are recessed lights here and there, and lights that look like grapes hanging from the trees.
　It's like a modern day garden that is lit up.
　It is comparable to that.
　The form.
　The contrast.
　The beauty of its appearance.
　The amount of money spent on it is even more impressive.


　All that is planted are blue flowers.
　The vivid blue shines in the light of the [shining glass].
　At the center of the garden is a marble pavilion.
　A glass table as clear as crystal and a light source that emits a faint glow beneath it.


　Crabbe was kneeling outside, bowing as a vassal.


　Meanwhile, inside the pavilion, there was a man.
　He was a young man with long golden hair, which was common among the nobility of the kingdom.
　His appearance was youthful and fresh, as if he were a young man.
　He wore a jacket embroidered with a lot of gold.
　The shirt he wears inside is unbuttoned and bare to the chest.
　In addition, there is a certain wildness in his expression that gives him a dignity more suited to the word "champion" than "king.


　Sinlle Crosselord.
　That is the name of this man.
　He is the current king of the Kingdom of Rynor and the strongest mage in the kingdom.
　Shinru sits on a marble chair.
　His legs are crossed.
　Cheekbones on the railing.
　His languid manner is even more so than that of his son Ceylan.
　He looks like a man who has lost all sense of nobility, but this man is allowed.
　No, all is forgiven.
　All is forgiven because this man sits at the top of this nation.


　...... The purpose of Crabbe's visit here was to inform Shinru of the existence of the magic meter.
　However, there is no sign of the creator, Arx, here.
　The current Arx does not have the status to meet with the king.
　That is why Crabbe is alone in the garden.


　King Shinru sipped lightly at the glass of wine on the table and lifted the tool that had made the mages so excited.


"Oh dear, I didn't know you were doing this without telling me.

"Well... It's such a big deal, after all.

Stop it, stop it. I get goose bumps when you use honorifics. It's just the two of us now, so we can talk as usual.

I see. Then I'll do what I always do. Alright.


　With that, Crabbe stood up and walked into the room.
　He sits down to face the king.
　It was a bit too much of an insolence, but it was also out of character for these two.
　Their relationship began when Shinru went to the city in secret.
　That's why Shinru wants Crabbe to behave the way he did back then.


"And?　Why didn't you tell me first?　How are you going to explain that to me?　Beheading?

"Yes, yes, yes, beheading. You can't blame them for this.　If you show them something that's half finished but not accurate, they'll be the first to point it out.

I'll check it on the spot.


　That's right.
　Even now, Shinru is releasing magic power into the magic meter to check the condition in detail.
　If you ask him what it is, he will immediately start to check it, and if it is not satisfactory, he will surely scold you for making him feel guilty.


"And if you've built it, you're supposed to move on to the next thing, right?

"Of course. I've made a tool to measure magic power. Then what's the plan for production? What's the performance? Isn't it normal to ask that?　I'd be tempted to chop your head off if you said you hadn't decided anything yet.

That's right. You're really like that, aren't you?


　Crabbe turned his eyes halfway to Shinru and pointed a finger at him.
　This is a pointing out of a statement that is difficult to tell whether it is a joke or not.
　The boundary between Shinru's joking and not joking is difficult for ordinary people to discern. Shinru is feared by his subordinates because he can say such things without hesitation even though he is a great man.
　It's a good thing that he has never beheaded anyone because of his mood.


　Shinru Kroselord is a king.


　A king is still a king, despite his jovial attitude.
　What's not for the good of the kingdom.
　Things that threaten the country.
　As soon as he realizes that, he cuts people down as if he were dealing with a useless tool.


　Of course, he's not without humanity.
　It's just that the responsibility of being king trumps humanity.
　Ordinary people are afraid of the king because they don't understand that.


　Anyway, if that were not the case, Crabbe would not have made any friends.


What's the point of being a king if the people are scared of you?

Is that so?

What?　You think I don't have the power to win people's hearts?

No, you don't.


　No, you don't. As he said, the people and many others are enthralled.
　No king in the history of the kingdom has ever been more trusted by his people.
　Crabbe is one of them.


"If you're getting ready to go into production. How is it going?

"The Mages Guild got together in the evening. That's why there's an urgent call out to the mage corps right now. The national army's mage units can start training with it tomorrow.

"ugh ......, I see, I see.


　Shinru let out a sly smile.
　You can't hide the joy in his voice.
　And then.


It's ...... great. You can immediately raise the strength of the army?

"Yes. We've got the groundwork in place, and in six months you'll see the results.

"Equalizing the combat power of mages is an insurmountable task for an army with mages. It's not as if it's going to be this easy to achieve.

Godwald's old man was very happy about it.

I'm sure he was. I'm curious to see what happens when that scary ...... face smiles.

"What?　Of course it's going to be scary.

Hahaha!


　The guild leader's scary face is a lot of fun.
　I'm not sure if he's serious or joking, but Shinru even suggested that the guild leader change his street name to [strong-face mage] earlier.
　You can find many different types of mages in the world.


So, as the one in charge of the mages of the national army, what do you do first?

I'm sure. The first thing you have to do is to properly measure the amount of magic power the mages have. Uniformity and standardization will follow.

"That's what that thing is for, huh?


　In front of Shinru's gaze, there was a huge magic power meter.
　It was designed to measure large amounts of magic power.
　A special, one-of-a-kind instrument. It was delivered to the royal family and no one else was going to make it.


Yes. It's big enough to fit the royal family's authority.


　This is to show the mages of the national army that 'the royal family has already received such a special one' and 'the first special one will be delivered'.
　It seems too obvious and childish.
　That's why it's enough to show off.


"First, I'm going to lend this to the mage troops from the royal family, and measure each one of them.

Will the soldiers be moved to tears when they find out the correct amount of their magical power through royal patronage?

I don't know.


　Still, the mages will be grateful for the straightforward benefit.
　They will be the first to use the special items delivered to the royal family.
　If you are in the national army, you will be treated well.
　In turn, this will boost the morale of the mages.


Is this part of your plot with Godwald?

"Yes.


　Crabbe said, and took out some magic meters from his bag.


"These are for His Highness.

He'll be pleased. He's going to be in his room for a few days.

You too, right?

Yeah. He's a hard-core witch doctor, just like you and me.

Do your duty.

If you neglect it, it's on you. Are you ready for that?

That is one of the most unreasonable ...... things I've ever seen, isn't it?

Hahaha!


　Shinru is laughing with amusement.
　It had been a long time since Crabbe had seen such joy in his eyes.
　Lately, he had been in a somewhat bad mood due to diplomacy and other things.
　It was a good thing for his friend that he had been able to take some of that away.
　Shinru laughed for a moment, and then his gaze turned serious.




　And.


"Now it's time to make a public announcement.


　I guess.
　That, of course, needs to be carefully assessed.


The developer is your nephew, Arx. He's ten years old and already out of wedlock. He's hated by the head of Raytheft. Huh, I've heard that story before.

He's worse than I was. I haven't measured it properly, but it's probably around 2,000.

What about you?

I'd say a little over 13,000.

I'd say I'm about three times that.

"Your Majesty is the only mage who can rule the kingdom.

If you're going to say something flattering, think about it.


　Let's not talk about that.


It's also the reason why Arx created this guy, right?　If you can correctly measure your own magic power, you can use magic systematically.

"Of course. When I taught him magic, he was the first one to ask me for a way to correctly measure the amount of magic power I put into him.

So it's an obsession?

No, he just found it by accident.

And you got it right. I'd like to see what's inside your head.

...... Don't tell me you're taking my brain out.

If I could understand what other people were thinking, I'd have no trouble.


　After that conversation, Shinru remembered something.


"...... Oh, by the way, Raytheft has a daughter. Is she as capable as you?

Yeah. I think she's better than most of the heads of the family.　Maybe it's because my brother is always ahead of me, but he's also very ambitious.

I see. If I'm not good, your brother will be.

I love him, but I'm not sure he'll ever be ....... I don't think he'd go that far either.


　Joshua loves Risha, and he's raising her well.
　Joshua is taking good care of Risha and is raising her well. The servants and Noah have told me that he is strict with her but not unreasonable.
　In Crabbe's opinion, the knowledge of Arx's great deeds may make him more passionate about education, but it won't make him hit the mark.
　It's hard to say for sure once you're out there.


...... So, what's your answer?

I'm sure you're aware of that, but I'm going to use the producer's announcement for political purposes.

I'm sure he's thinking about it. I'm sure he's thinking about it. He's not going to ask you to announce it right now.


　Political use.
　Of course, it's to show national strength.
　If there is a negative impact on the national policy, the announcement of ARX's achievement will be a distraction.
　Even if not, this invention is a huge card.
　As was said at the presentation at the Mage's Guild, it's so revolutionary.

　The kingdom will probably be excited about this rare invention.
　Of course, it can be used not only for domestic purposes, but also for foreign transactions.
　The king would want to choose his use carefully and freely.
　Then, the awarding of the medal would have to be in the same year as the public announcement, which would naturally be postponed.


The royal family will have to offer a reward. You know what they're going to want?


　The money will come from the guild and the honor is already promised.
　On top of that, what do you think Arx will want?


A backer.

"It's ....... Don't you have to wear a collar?

Don't try to tie a kid up with that.

f*ck you. The best thing to do is to lure them with sweet nothings and keep them stuck. It's more merciful to not keep them.


　Shinru said, giving him a disturbed look.


I'm not sure what to make of that.　Isn't that crazy?

I'm not sure. The money has been decided at the guild meeting, and a great book is promised. So what's next, right?


　Suddenly, Shinru's attention turns cold.


"Is that how ambitious you are?

"Well, I'm just trying to get ahead. I didn't think so at first, but I don't know who seduced me. ......


　It's only in the last year or two that Arx's ambition has visibly increased.
　Before that, it was just a matter of becoming a mage and looking back at his parents, but now his goals have grown.
　That in itself is not a bad thing. If anything, it's a good thing.
　But still, ambition is not something a ruler can overlook.
　As long as you don't know the extent of the ambition, you want to be on your guard.


"Is anyone approaching you?



Not at the moment. But the generals who were present when the announcement was made may make a move.

"What about Clemelia?　If Perth was there, he'd be on board, right?　I'm sure she has a daughter there about your age.

What the hell? You're wary of Perth's old man?

It's not that I doubt Perth's loyalty. I know he's the most loyal of all the military leaders, east, west, south, north and south, and I know he's the most loyal to the crown. But...

"More power than necessary.


　I don't want the noble families to have too much power.
　It's a natural thing for a king to do.
　Shinru trusts Perth and doesn't think he'll betray him even if he has the power, but that's for Perth.
　Even if Perth does not betray him, there is no telling what will happen to his vassalage if his children and grandchildren continue.
　It is not uncommon to hear that a successor has been disgraced by a breach of trust.


"There are already connections between Perth and Arx through Clemelia and Raytheft. That's good enough for me.

Even if Arx starts a new house?

Of course not. If Arx insists, the ...... royal family will only make concessions up to the second wife.

So you're saying the royal family has no say in the marriage?

What choice do I have?　The magic meter (this) is clearly too much. Besides, Arx isn't the only one, is he?

Probably. He's probably still thinking about it.

Then we'll decide on the marriage.


　Credit where credit's due.
　If he wanted to marry, he would make sure that his first wife was the daughter of a nobleman with strong ties to the royal family to prevent her from being overpowered by her relatives.
　Of course, this is only if Perth, Charlotte and Arx are willing to do so.


　...... Crabbe has also swallowed that part of the story.
　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.
　Of course, it was a mutual love affair.
　But when he returned to the kingdom, he couldn't bring her home.
　It is the intention of both royal families to live apart from their families.
　Sapphireburg has a connection to a national mage.
　The Kingdom of Rynor wanted to interfere with the Sapphireburg on a regular basis.
　Of course, Shinru has taken care of this, and has given me an excuse to visit him often.


　Unstable marriages are the fate of the ...... noble families, or rather, of their superiors.
　However, the royal family now has the assurance that they will be protected from any conspiracy regarding marriage.
　Among the nobles, there are many who use their high position as a shield to force marriages.
　In such cases, they are often inconvenienced, but now they no longer have to worry about it.


　Shinru is also a mage.
　He knows that research will progress better if mages are left free.
　I'm sure he'll be able to use the right amount of encouragement and discouragement in this regard.


He's in trouble.

"He's going to have a hard time." "Oh, well, if it comes to that, I have an adoption plan. It's not so restrictive.


　When we've reached a certain point.


"Cheers. Come on.


　King Shinru arrogantly holds out his glass, and Crabbe lifts the bottle in a dignified manner.


"Yes, yes. "As you wish, Your Majesty.

"For the good of the kingdom, I ask that you continue to do so.

"For His Majesty the King's sake.


　And with that, they both slurped down the contents of their glasses in one gulp.