chapter 163
163 – Big Deal 5
After the meeting with the emperor, Bahamut and Bertina come out.
The overall progress plan and outline of what was to come was over, and all that was left was fine-tuning.
To vent dissatisfaction against the Church, thereby causing division and confusion among the nations of the Continent.
It was relatively easy to achieve if the Sakiels currently under the leadership of the Beden Merchant and the monarchs in debt to them were appropriately used, and the related funds were to be supported by the Dragona Empire.
‘It was revealed through this war that it is difficult to break the continental states from the outside. That’s why this time, I’m going to make a rift from the inside.’
While roughly grasping the emperor’s intentions, Bahamut headed for the inn.
And, while walking side by side with him, Bertina was also caught up in this and that thought.
‘It’s the continent’s chaos.. As long as this is fully executed, it will bring great profits to the upper ranks of Beden and Uranus.’
The monarchs of each country, who have already owed astronomical debts to the two upper tiers due to the last war, if something happens to them and they cannot pay it back within the deadline, this side naturally has the right to demand debt collection against the country.
And this means that soon, little by little, they will be able to control the economy of the continent as they want.
In other words, it could mean that Bahamut will be able to hold wealth and power in one hand.
‘Really… It feels like things in the world are going the way we want them to. Going with the flow is what I mean by this. If it goes well like this…’
Just as Bertina was thinking about that, a familiar face suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
“! Oh my goodness. Prime Minister.”
“yes? You must…”
Bertina bowed her head as she expressed her joy without delay. The young man in front of her greeted her with a bit of surprise.
“Mrs. Minerva… No, should I say Mrs. Fernandez now? Anyway, it’s been quite a while. Did anything happen in the meantime?”
“Yes, Prime Minister, thank you for waking me up and helping me, I am doing well. Oh and… I think you’ve already heard, but this is my husband.”
“You are my husband, so you must be the famous Bahamut.”
A man who shows considerable interest in Bertina’s introduction.
In response, Bahamut also bowed his head while recognizing who this person in front of him was.
“Yes that’s right. It’s an honor to meet you, Chancellor of the Dragona Empire. Your Excellency, Duke of Selibras.”
Recognizing what kind of person the person in front of him was, Bahamut immediately began to envision a rough profile of that person.
‘Selive Lass.. The priest of the Dragona Empire and a man of power who is above all and above all. He was the closest aide to the emperor and had a relationship like a brother and sister, so he was a person who could talk unflatteringly to the emperor in private, right?’
Apart from his close relationship with the emperor, he himself is a mage with great skills and one of the greatest nobles in the empire.
As such a person, Bahamut treated him as politely as possible, and while showing a little satisfaction with his appearance, Duke Selib spoke to them in his characteristic light tone.
“I’ve heard a little bit about the story from His Majesty. I didn’t know that the merchants coming here were newly married couples who had just gotten married?”
“hahahaha, the gift you sent at that time was well received. It is truly embarrassing that His Excellency pays attention to such a part.”
“Yeah, that was what I had to do. How much money did I earn thanks to you? Oh, why don’t we have a cup of tea at the annex? I’m leaving the room right now, so let’s talk for a while.”
“Ummm..”
At his words, Bertina suddenly felt that there was something.
However, as there was no particular reason for refusal anyway, she answered with a smile on her lips again.
“great. Because our schedule for today ended with this. Now then, shall we go honey?”
“I will.”
Bahamut agrees with Bertina’s words.
However, while accepting this, he was paying more attention to the man called Selibe in front of him than Bertina.
‘Selive Lass.. On the outside, it’s a light personality and in reality, but this is a limited part of everyday life. In the public sphere, he is by no means an easygoing person as he has been the prime minister of this country for 70 years. A man like that asks us for an interview? There must be something.’
Even they had no way of knowing what it was. You’ll find out more once you get there.
As there was no justification for rejecting the chancellor’s invitation anyway, Bahamut decided to watch the situation in silence.
*
“It’s been a while, how have you been?”
“… ”
Looking at the familiar face in front of her, but not wanting to see it, Ophelia automatically began to show cold eyes.
Currently, she was waiting at the inn for a while in accordance with Bahamut’s orders.
Originally, she and the escort were going to follow, but because of the incident in the last war, it was decided that only Tilda and the adventurers would accompany the emperor to the audience.
In addition, Ophelia herself followed the spot and avoided the spot for the time being as the atmosphere would be quite awkward if she met the White Dragon Princess.
Suddenly, the White Dragon Princess came to visit her at her lodgings, putting her in a more embarrassing situation.
‘What should I do… How should I deal with this woman now that I don’t have a master right now…’
From Ophelia’s point of view, it’s a question that doesn’t have an answer at all.
When she was feeling so embarrassed,
Looking at Ophelia like that, the White Dragon Princess, Elios Noshelat Dragona said with a deep smile on her lips.
“Looks like you’ve locked yourself in a place like this on purpose to avoid me… that can’t be the case. It’s not that easy to hide that intense presence of four years.”
She speaks in a voice full of joy. Ophelia immediately pulled out Carl’s great sword.
OK.
“Ahh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to fight you right now.”
“!..”
With those words, the life that disappeared in an instant like a candle goes out.
Ophelia put on a somewhat dazed expression as she felt as if the sky, which seemed like it was going to explode at any moment, changed into a place where the sun was shining in an instant.
And, seeing her like that, Elios came into the room on his own accord and sat down on a chair.
“You sit down too. I’m here today simply because I want to talk to you. Of course, I’m thinking of setting up a place later, but that’s for later.”
“… Sigh..”
At those words, Ophelia sat down on the bed for now.
I didn’t particularly trust the woman in front of me, but I thought that it was unlikely that the famous princess would make a fuss in her own country’s imperial castle.
Especially when it comes to beings that wield that much power.
“therefore. What do you want to say?”
Ophelia asks the White Dragon Princess in a cold voice.
In response, Elios said to her with a pleasant smile.
“It’s nothing special, it’s just that I’m interested. About your terrifying talent.”
“..You don’t think it’s particularly great, do you?”
“Well? Will it be so?”
With those words, the White Dragon Princess sneakily raised her leg.
There, the scars Ophelia had inflicted on her the other day were clearly visible.
“A gift you gave me. Although there were many times when I was injured while moving around the battlefield. This was the first time I’d been so incapacitated by a wound. So, I decided to leave the traces behind, even though the inside was completely restored.”
“…Unfortunately, it seems difficult to sympathize with your unusual taste.”
“I don’t mean that. Now I’m saying you’re the only one who fatally wounded me. For the first time in 80 years.”
“!… ”
At those words, Ophelia finally realized that she had been caught up in something more troublesome than she thought.
Seeing her like that, Elios’ eyes began to sparkle with pure yet passionate curiosity, like a child who had the best toy in his hands.