*

　September 43rd year of the imperial calendar -- the port of Sylvania is about two meters lower than the city. The slope of the stairs connecting the harbor to the city is quite steep.
　This was a remnant of the natural topography of the city. When the number of merchant associations using the harbor was limited, I didn't pay attention to it.
　However, when the commercial union of Emperor Kai's direct control territory was welcomed, and it was certain that the number of merchant associations would increase further, it would be better to rebuild it.
　The number of warehouses in the harbor is limited, and new traders have no choice but to set up their warehouses on the outskirts of the city.
　Transporting a load from the port to the outskirts of town is hard work, and they didn't want to change the competitive landscape between the old and new entrants.
　With that in mind, Crono sat on the stairs connecting the port to the city and watched the port - or, more accurately, the unloading - in a daze.
　Lizardmen and Minotaurs carried the loads unloaded from the ships belonging to the Commercial Union and crossed the pier and placed them on a large eight-wheeler in the open.
　The distance they can travel on the eighteen-wheeler is as far as the stairs where Crono is. The distance the cart could travel was limited to the stairs where the chrono was located.
　This process went on and on.
'Would it be a little easier if we had a crane? What do you think?
We have limited space to set up in, so no.
　Elaine's answer was not a sticky one. I looked next to her and saw her bare legs. It was only natural since she was wearing a highly revealing dress.
　Crono likes to dress like a clerk, but Elaine always wears revealing clothes when she's showing off her honeymoon with powerful people.
''Has she ever complained like she was treated differently?''
I'm not getting it.
Really?
You're a skeptic.
　When Crono questioned her, Elaine said with a sigh.
''It wouldn't make much difference if we had a warehouse in the harbor or on the outskirts of town. Either way, we'd have to go over the stairs.'
Yeah.
　Crono couldn't help but exclaim. He had been so focused on carrying a load to the warehouse that he had lost sight of that and beyond.
'Why am I hauling loads to the warehouse when I don't even have a store?
　The question is asked while looking at the ships belonging to the Commercial Union. The first thing they did when they were able to do business in Crono territory was to build a warehouse.
'We're evacuating them because of the poor wheat crop this year.
What?
　I ask the question back. It's true that I've heard that the harvest will be affected by the bad weather this year, but the situation shouldn't be that bad.
　Sion said that thanks to the increase in farmland, the yield of the territory itself would not change, and the tax collector was of the same opinion.
''I haven't heard anything about it being that bad?
In Lady Crono's domain, yes.
　Elaine gave a meaningful smile. He had invested a considerable amount of money in the 'Yellow Earth Temple' until now, so I wonder if it had paid off.
''Hmm~, but that's last year's wheat, right?''
Yes.
'Isn't it strange that you're bringing a bad crop into my territory?　They'll just buy you cheap if you bring them into our territory.
　In short, it's a matter of supply and demand. If supply exceeds demand, prices will collapse, and if demand exceeds supply, prices will soar.
　Wouldn't it be better to keep it in Emperor Kai's direct domain? Crono thought that far and realized the intentions of the Commercial Union.
''Could it be that they're trying to drive up the price of wheat?''
You're right.
I wish you wouldn't use us for that.
　Crono let out a deep sigh. I feel as if I'm on the receiving end of a scam.
He's not using Master Crono because he can't do it under the Emperor's direct control.
What's your heart?
They'll confiscate it if they find out you bought it all while the price of wheat is rising.
　It's a tone of voice that says it's only natural.
''I guess that won't change in my territory either~''
You're going to confiscate it?
'As the case may be. Of course, I'll write you an IOU.
I can't believe you rented that piece of paper.
It's the devil's work to manipulate the market.
Deliberately driving up prices is a noble business.
Great.
　Crono's idea of a respectable business is one in which a win-win relationship is established. A relationship in which only one side benefits is called exploitation.
'Really, it's at times like these that I feel the limits.
　They use the same word but have different meanings. That's because couples who have been together for many years are getting divorced, and wars don't disappear.
So many people are suffering. Is it good to eat a meal next to someone who is crying?
Yes, it's so good!
You have a nice smile!
　Elaine smiled more briskly than ever before, and Crono let out an ever-larger sigh.
　However, as long as there are those who are trying to make the price of wheat skyrocket, the toll tax needs to be restored in some cases.
　We can't even see the price skyrocketing because of the spill of wheat in our own territory. We must prevent the outflow of wheat by charging an exorbitant toll tax.
　It would be better to cooperate with other fiefdoms as well, he wrote down in his mind's notepad.
''Then you can see that we're carrying wheat a lot.
Of course it is. It's our members that carry the load.
　Elaine ruffled her hair.
'What do you mean?'
'I make a small fortune doing hauling work for them. We're not the only ones doing it, but other trade associations do it too.
It's like being a mercenary.
　The word "outsourcing" snatches your brain, but in terms of business and undertaking, they are the same thing.
　Well, Kane and Sif would be offended if they heard it.
'New jobs just keep popping up, don't they?
'Yes. But as far as this job is concerned, the peculiarities of the territory are huge.
Is it so special?
　There are a few rules that must be followed, but they would be the same in any territory.
''There are penalties for violence against slaves. As a businessman, I would avoid that kind of risk.
Elaine and the others don't seem to see it as a risk, do they?
We have the know-how.
　Elaine said, as she should.
'What about confidentiality?'
It's a given that they'll leak the information. Besides, they can get information from our members, so it's a win-win situation.
　The fact that he's openly passing information to Crono means that he signed a contract without any provisions regarding confidentiality.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more information on the subject. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a petulant person that I think that way.
But then again, there's a lot of business to be done.
It's a windfall for you, though.
　Crono chuckled and poked his cheekbones into his thighs for support. If he listened carefully, he could hear the sound of nails being hammered in with a hammer.
　He is building a workshop for the artisans who have come from Emperor Kai's direct control territory. Quite a few of them have already migrated there.
　Some have set up their workshops in Sylvania, others in pioneer villages.
'Does the food taste good with the lumber flowing from right to left?
It's good.
　Crono was miffed and said back. The pioneers cut down the trees in the Coma Forest, and Crono paid to buy the trees and sell more lumber to those who needed it.
　This is a win-win relationship. In other words, the land where the trees were cut down would be used as fields for the pioneers.
　Not only the crops but also the settlements themselves are worth money. The pioneers continue to cut down trees at a frightening rate.
　They have Zion to oversee them to prevent flash floods and other disasters, but in a hundred years, the Coma Forest may be gone.
'A second golden age?'
'I'd love to have a golden age any time without being petty about first or second.
Well yes.
　Crono couldn't help but feel a chill at Elaine's words. Hundreds of years from now, it could be Elaine who was installed in Sylvania.



　The nature of the security operation is quite simple. Two battalions surround the slum before dawn and set fire to it from all sides.
　One more battalion would exterminate the panicked inhabitants. That's all there is to it, but a plan should be simple.
　The slum is engulfed in flames and people are screaming and running for cover. If left unchecked, the majority of them would die in the flames and smoke.
　The Third Order of the Kingsguard, led by Argena Dios, is on their heels. The slum dwellers are beaten down without a care in the world.
　The slum dwellers are overwhelmed in terms of numbers alone, but they are far apart in their abilities. Their superiority in numbers can easily be overturned.
　Even so, if they could mount an organized rebellion, they would be able to limit the damage. After all, there are only two battalions surrounding the slum - the 4th and 7th Kingsguard Knights.
　With only two thousand men, there's no way to hope for a siege that won't let even a single baby ant through. Depending on the method used, they can escape.
　But the slum dwellers are scattered by flames, pierced by spears, and trampled to death one by one in their fallen places.
"You've drawn the short straw, haven't you?
　Roy Akbens let out a small sigh and scratched his head. He had no special feelings about the slum dwellers being killed.
　I'm sure his men must feel similarly. No, maybe they feel that they are doing a good thing.
'He got away!'
Hey, yeah.
　Argena shouted and Roy spun around and turned his spear. Several men and women are running towards us.
　Roy let out a sigh and speared the man in front of him in the chest and quickly pulled him out. The man went down as if a thread had been broken.
　It was possible to slaughter them all, but it wouldn't be necessary to go that far. As if he understood, Argena went back to work without saying anything.
''....Why?''
Are you still alive?
　Roy walked up to the man and pointed the tip of his ear down.
''Well why should we?''
You guys have gone too far.
　It hadn't done much harm so far, so it had been overlooked. Of course, there were times when slum dwellers would commit dickish crimes in the Imperial City.
　But crimes such as assaults and murders were basically happening in the slums. There was a certain amount of segregation, and there were rules.
'There's such a thing as an unpleasant pest to look at, right?　I've got a quality to kill as fast as I can, but there's a chance some of them will let me off the hook.
　'But,' he continues.
'When those nasty vermin start crawling around on the floor with their faces to themselves, they'll start killing the people who missed us, right?　And if you do anything to poison them, or spread an epidemic or anything like that, you're going to have to kill them, right?　I mean, that's what it's all about.
　I can still forgive the slum dwellers for invading the imperial city. But I can't forgive them for disturbing the order in the imperial city and killing the guards who are the guard of the law.
　Not only the criminals, but also the slum dwellers must die a miserable death in order to show that they are not alone.
"Oh, we have to live
I know. You stole, you raped, you killed for a living. I understand. Society put you in a corner, didn't it?
　The person who created this situation was Emperor Alfort. Every measure that started with the construction of the mausoleum has backfired.
　It tilted the empire's finances, created a large number of poor people, and discredited the empire.
''If.........''
Even thieves have the rule of thirds, though. I can't stand it when they justify their misdeeds by using the rule of thirds.
....
　The man doesn't answer.
"Tsk, he's dead.
　Roy let out a sigh and returned to his original position.
'Huh, I've really hit the poor end of the stick.
　I let out a sigh that I don't know how many times.
　What passes through my brain are the images of my colleagues. Leonhardt and Brad have turned down missions, and Rio and Neige have turned down missions due to ill health.
　Even Prime Minister Piske hasn't been approached, and the head of the military affairs department, Ralph Libra, hasn't come to the scene, despite the fact that he planned this operation.
　After all, Roy and Argena are the only Konoe Guard commanders participating in this operation.
''Well I thought I had a good point.
　Roy let out a sigh and looked at Arjena. Even if the other party is a woman and child, the way he mercilessly thrusts his spear into the air is just like an evil demon.
　At least it's not the place of the Commander of the Kingsguard. Probably, this is the selection of the person who anticipated that.
　The leader of the Konoe Knight Commander has a distortion somewhere. The only sane person is Count Ernat of the Second Kingsguard Order.
''Well, it's the same for me that's distorted.
　Roy reminds me of my mother. My mother was a woman in love. She flitted like a butterfly among the powerful aristocracy, and at the end of it all, she carried Roy in her arms.
　It's not clear if they are really related by blood, but the Earl of Akbens recognized Roy. But he has no right to inherit the viceroyalty.
　It's a bastard, so to speak. I don't know why Count Akbens recognized me. It may be that he was trying to keep Roy's mother in line.
　If this is the case, then Count Akbens is out of line. My mother did not take any notice of Roy's presence in her life.
　When I was ten years old, my mother died. She was stabbed by one of the men she wore on her sleeve. Roy challenged him to a duel and killed him.
　It was a fight that, when I think back on it now, can only be described as hapless, but it was worthy of a life of its own.
　The heat was overwhelming. There was a pleasure that made holding a woman seem like a fart. Roy had become a soldier for that heat and pleasure.
　The only miscalculation would be the death of his two older brothers and the fact that he would be taking over the reigns of the family.
'No, there's another miscalculation?
　Roy gazed at Argena, alone. A blush crept across Arjena's cheeks as the behavior of the inhabitants changed from order to order.
　'I don't think this is the kind of thing that makes you forget yourself.
''I knew you had drawn a poor one,''
　Roy looked up to the heavens and let out a sigh.

*

　Bettyl jumped out just as the boxcarriage was about to stop or not, and tumbled unceremoniously.
　He smashes his face into the ground hard.
"Betildaan - Prime Minister!
Leave it alone!
　Bethyl restrained his subordinate as he tried to run up to him with his hand and raised himself up with his trembling arm. It was not from pain.
　He trembled in anticipation of the tragedy he would see.

　He looked up and was speechless. Betil had never set foot in a slum like the rest of the nobility had.
　Only once he had seen it from a distance. A hut that looked like it could collapse at any moment was spread out all over the place.
　What lay before me now was a ruin. Most of the huts had burned down, and only a few of the walls remained burned down.
　The smell of burning and choking blood wafted around. The Konoe Guards that carried out the operation are already gone.
　The guards covering their mouths with cloths carry out the charred corpses and the speared corpses and arrange them on the ground.
　It was a nauseating sight. It wasn't the smell of the corpses that made him nauseated. As a military man, Betil was used to the smell of dead bodies.
　He had killed many people in his life. He has laid hands on not only enemy soldiers, but also soldiers who do not follow orders.
　More than once I've killed a bandit savagely as a warning. But there was a good cause.
　There was pride, even if it was only a means to an end.
　But this was just a slaughter. Yes, Bethyl was nauseated by the fact that the Kingsguard had committed a massacre.
'Wha, how dare you?'
　I finally squeezed out that one word. He had a bad feeling about it.
　The recent meeting had been a calm one, but he had a bad feeling about the way Ralph Libra, the Director of Military Affairs, was looking at him.
　So he was acting with extreme caution. He even gathered information from Nicole so that he wouldn't get underfoot.
　Still, he couldn't shake the bad feeling. I felt as if I was walking on a floating board of water.
　And so my premonition came true.
''....Why are you doing this?''
　Betil punched the ground. It was obvious that the security of the imperial capital would deteriorate if the slums were left unattended.
　However, wasn't it Alfort who had sown the seeds of this? How could he easily cut off the poor people who were born due to his own mistakes?
''...Survivors, no survivors?''
　Bethyl stood up and began to stagger away. The ashes were still hot, even smoldering, but he didn't care.
　He wandered through the ruins for a while, but there were no survivors in sight. Death and destruction had engulfed the slum.
''Oh....''
　Bethyl gave a small gasp. I know. I know. I know that the tragedy that unfolds before me is my own fault, too.
　He has never once tried to correct Alfort's mistake before. The result was the ruins and pile of corpses that spread out before him.
''........Ah.''
　Bethyl finally bent his knees. He felt the heat radiating off his knees.
I know, I know, I know.
　I've surrounded myself with a number of mistresses. It wasn't because I wanted them.
　I wanted the fact that I kept my mistresses around.
　It's the same reason I'm looking for a survivor.
　I just want the fact that I'm not like Alfort.
　I just wanted immunity.
　I wanted to think I was better than him.
　That's when I heard something crumble.
　Bethyl looked up and saw a boy and a girl there. Probably a brother and sister.
　They were both covered in soot all over.
'Oh, well, you're safe,'
Get away from me!
　Bethyl stood up and tried to walk up to her. But the boy stood to protect the girl and held up his weapon - a blade that seemed to have been made by pounding a long nail - and he held it up.
'Throw that thing away. I'll help you.
"You guys killed my dad and mom!
　The boy held out his weapon menacingly.
'Stop it,'
　Bethyl slowly stepped closer, holding out his arms to show that he had no intention of attacking. A few more steps and he would be able to reach him.
　Then he could take the weapon away.
'Brother.'
Stay away from my sister!
　The boy screamed in a rage and thrust his weapon into Bettyl's thigh. Not only did he stab it, he gouged it out.
''........heh, heh.''
　The boy's smile was tinged with madness.
'Vizier Betil!'
"-Oh!
　As soon as he could, Bethyl hid them both behind the burnt-out wall and drew his weapon, which was stuck in his thighs.
'Stay put here,'
　A thought occurred to me, and I drew the dagger, sheath and all, from my sword belt and held it out.
"Run north towards the Marquis of Erakis. "Run north towards the Marquis of Erakis, but do not use this dagger. "But don't use this dagger, sell it to fund your escape.
　The boy made no pretense of picking up his sword, so he put it on the ground.
'Vizier Betil!
I'm here!
Don't worry about it.
　As Bethyl emerged from behind the wall, his men patted his chest. But the look of relief didn't last long.
''Be-Betil Prime Minister!　That's, well, that's a wound!
I just hooked it to a post.
　His subordinate shouted with a pale face. Despite this situation, Bettyl chuckled.
'Calm down,'
Shh, but!
'Before you became Prime Minister, you didn't make this much of a fuss about your injuries.
Yes, that's true, sir.
　The subordinate's shoulders narrowed as if in fear. Rank is absolute in the military, but it's bearable when your attitude is so blatantly changed.
'I'm sorry, but can you give me a shoulder?
Ha, gladly.
　Bettyl began to walk on his men's shoulders. Looking behind him over his shoulder, he saw a boy running with the girl's hand in tow.



　A deadly silence dominates the main tower of Alfilk Castle. Fana walks past the knights with a tray of food in her hand.
　The person in charge of guarding the main tower is a member of the Seventh Order of the Kingsguard - a member of the Seventh Order of the Kingsguard - under the supervision of the Director of Military Affairs Ralph Libra.
　He climbs the stairs and stands in front of the last door. There is no checking of belongings. It's probably the result of the conceit of being able to handle a blade or two brought in.
'Call me if you need anything,'
Yeah, I know.
　After a routine exchange, the knight opens the door. Beyond that was a room with the minimum amount of furniture.
　The owner of the room - the former vizier of the Cepheus Empire, Alcor, was sitting at the table in a well behaved manner.
''It's time to eat.''
Oh, I'm waiting for you. After all, food is all we enjoy here.
　Fana set the tray on the table with a raised eyebrow. Alcor happily slid his hands together and bit into the herb-grilled chicken.
'You're looking a lot more bloody,'
I think this life suits me better.
　That's brazen, I have that impression. Even though there's a big window, I'm still imprisoned, not knowing when I'll be killed.
　Fana would be heartbroken. Despite this, Arkol looks healthier than when he served as vizier.
　Come to think of it, Princess Tyria was in good health too, he exhales with a sigh. Ramal V's petulance had made his heart sick, but his daughter's spirit was sturdy to the point of being appalling.
　That girl would survive wherever she went with her boldness, strength and brazenness. You can't help but wonder if she really is a princess.
'Looks like Count Ralph Libra has wiped out the slums.
I'm the director of the War Department now.
　Alcor sips his soup with zubi zubi. The question is not on his lips. There was so much smoke up there. Unless you're an idiot, I know.
"d*mn, he's the military director. It's so predictable, it's not surprising at all.
Unexpectedness isn't always a good thing, is it?
But the opposite is also true.
　I feel like it's a good idea if you ask me. If they think you don't know what you're going to do, you can split the other person's thoughts even more.
''How's the situation in the Imperial City?''
I don't know about that, but Alfort sucks.
Don't use the word 'worst'.
Why is that?
"Hmm, this is something I've learned in my life, but...
　Alcor punctuated his words there.
'As long as you think it sucks, there's still a bottom in it.
I hope this is the bottom.
　Fana let out a deep sigh.