Law of Space and Time

Chapter 7: Nighttime Scenery of Sarus

Nighttime at the Sarus royal palace.

Cameron VIII massaged his own eyes as he looked at the files piled up on his desk with a wary expression. He then stroked the graying sideburns on either side of his face, and he couldn't help but lament the effects of age.

"Your Majesty, Prince Lazaar's actions have been growing stranger and stranger in the past few years. I believe it would be wise to be wary of him," Governor Jenkins said with a grim expression, and his sentiment was supported by several other ministers. 

Cameron had already lost count of how many times Jenkins and these ministers had come to visit him in the royal palace.

"In addition to that, Prince Lazaar has been getting closer and closer with Bishop Sirius these past few years," Governor Jenkins continued. "The True Light Church has already sent many advanced magicians to the province of Burmen."

"I'm sure you're aware of what the situation is like in those mountain ranges up in the north in Burmen. Lazaar approached Bishop Sirius in order to borrow magicians to slay the monstrous beings there. He's already reported that to me, so I think your concerns are unnecessary," Carmen said with a smile.

"But Your Majesty, we can't just ignore this latest incident of Prince Lazaar's daughter attempting murder on a noble in public in the capital!" Governor Jenkins countered as he looked directly at King Cameron. "He clearly already has no regard for the nobles of Sarus, who knows what he's going to do next?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty. The victim on this occasion is the son of a count. Next time, it could be the son of a marquess or a duke. After that, he could begin going after the royal family itself!" Prime Minister Fuller said with a grim expression.

The other ministers began to discuss spiritedly among themselves upon hearing this.

"I've sent some people to investigate the matter, and the incident isn't something to be concerned about. It was just a scuffle between kids," King Cameron replied with a smile. "Having said that, Lazaar's daughter really did take things too far. Thankfully, Friar is not the type of man to hold grudges."

"But Your Majesty..." Jenkins opened his mouth in protest again, but Cameron waved his hand in a dismissive manner, indicating that he didn't wish to speak about this matter any longer.

"By the way, how are the preparations for the Pillow Sword Tournament coming along?" King Cameron changed the subject as he turned toward the prime minister.

Fuller nodded as he replied, "The preparations are already complete, Your Majesty. All that's left is for the tournament to begin."

At the mention of the Pillow Sword Tournament, everyone became a lot more relaxed. This was a triennial event, and everyone was looking forward to seeing all of the exceptional young talents showing off their skills. Many of the officials serving in the royal court had high hopes for their children to perform well during the event.

"Now that I think about it, Onean is about to be back soon." A proud smile appeared on King Cameron's face at the mention of Onean. She was the most exceptional talent in the royal family.

"Is Princess Onean about to return? In that case, it looks like the winner of the Pillow Sword Tournament is already decided," Governor Jenkins said with a smile.

"Her Highness has been exceptionally gifted in magic from birth, and she's already been studying under Master Piro for so many years. Surely she's already far more powerful than the average magic mentor at this point." Prime Minister Fuller was also full of praise when it came to Princess Onean.

"Weren't you always going on about how talented Lazaar's children are? I had no choice but to summon Onean back for the tournament. I'm looking forward to seeing these young kids put on a show," King Cameron chuckled.

Governor Jenkins and the other ministers all nodded in agreement. They knew that Prince Lazaar's children were all exceptionally talented, and King Cameron had most likely summoned Princess Onean back for the tournament in order to one-up Prince Lazaar. Onean's natural aptitude for magic was unmatched, and she had been taught by a renowned master from a young age, so she was sure to put on a stunning performance during the Pillow Sword Tournament.

...

Rivers Mansion.

Larwood, Kaiba, and Chase were chatting casually with one another in a deluxe booth, and the premium Joffen red wine on the table had barely been touched. What was even stranger was that they hadn't called for any hostesses.

"If you ask me, I'd say there are some complex circumstances behind Prince Lazaar's return to the capital," Larwood said as he picked up his wineglass before inhaling the scent of its contents.

Chase was lying spread-eagled on a luxurious suede sofa, and he turned to look at Larwood as he asked, "Did you hear that from your father?"

Larwood didn't give him a direct reply. "Even though Prince Lazaar has always been stationed at the Terarody Mountain Ranges these past few years to prevent the ancient creatures residing in those mountain ranges from invading the kingdom, his contributions are not to be neglected."

Kaiba and Chase both nodded in agreement.

Larwood's tone suddenly shifted slightly as he continued, "However, I've heard that many ancient creatures have slipped through the cracks during the past few years, and Prince Lazaar is using different excuses to recruit large numbers of troops in the province of Burmen. In addition to that, he's recruited many magicians from the True Light Church. I'm not sure His Majesty would be too pleased to see all of this."

Chase sat up on the sofa as he looked directly at Larwood before asking, "Are you saying that Prince Lazaar is about to betray the kingdom?"

"Shh! Keep it down!" Kaiba urged as he glared at Chase.

"That's hard to say," Larwood replied as he took a ship of wine. "In any case, my father told me to interact as little as possible with people from Prince Lazaar's manor."

Chase nodded in response, then said with a smile, "After what they did to Erwin, I'm sure all of the nobles in the city will stay far away from them."

"That may not be the case. I heard that many nobles and officials in the capital are keen to take advantage of this opportunity to establish good relations with Prince Lazaar," Kaiba said.

"Indeed. As friends, I thought it was important to give you guys a warning," Larwood said as he turned to Chase and Kaiba. "The situation is very murky at the moment, so it would be wise not to pick any sides for now."

"Then what about Erwin?" Kaiba asked as he looked back at Larwood. "It looks to me like Prince Lazaar's daughter has her eyes set on him."

Larwood shook his head in response. "If you ask me, I think she's only interested in Erwin's magic."

The trio was reminded of the strange spell that Erwin had unleashed earlier.

"To be honest, I'm really intrigued as well," Larwood said with furrowed brows. "You guys both saw what happened, right? That spherical light shield was extremely strange-looking, and it looked like Erwin's magic power was on the verge of being sucked dry."

"Well, it only makes sense that someone as weird as Professor Hawk would teach Erwin weird magic like this," Chase chuckled.

"I don't think we need to worry about Erwin. There's no way that His Majesty would suspect Count Friar of any foul play," Larwood said.

"That's true." Chase nodded in agreement.

All of the nobles in the capital were very familiar with one another's exploits. Count Friar was a loyal subordinate to King Cameron who had saved the king's life on many occasions on the battlefield, so there was no way that King Cameron would suspect him of any wrongdoing.

"Man, that chick really is super hot though... I'm kinda envious of Erwin," Chase chuckled.

"What was her name again?" Kaiba asked as a sly grin appeared on his face as well.

"It was Lana," Larwood immediately replied.

"Her name is so beautiful as well," Chase said as he sighed up to the heavens. "How come we were the ones who hit on her, but Erwin's the one getting lucky in the end?"

"Getting lucky? He almost died that day!" Kaiba chuckled.

"There's no point in thinking about that now. Let's call in a few hostesses. I heard from the front desk that they received a new batch, so you can just treat them as Lana," Larwood said with a sly expression.

"You're not wrong there," Chase replied with a sly grin of his own.

...

That night at the prime minister's manor.

Fuller dismissed the servants in the room, then turned to stare at the red curtain before him in silence.

"Show yourself," he said in a solemn voice.

"I pay my respects to the esteemed prime minister." A figure wearing a black leather suit emerged from behind the curtain.

Fuller had no interest in exchanging pleasantries, and he asked, "What do you need from me?"

"The organization instructed me to give this to you." The young man in the leather suit pulled out an envelope before placing it respectfully onto Fuller's table.

Fuller took a look at the envelope to find that it was a white envelope with orderly round vines printed onto each of the corners. In the instant that his hand came into contact with the envelope, the black vines began to slither toward the center of the envelope from the four corners, and the vines came together to produce a glowing green dagger, which was hovering in mid-air and revolving above the opening of the envelope. Fuller used his index finger to tap the dagger a few times, and the projection of the dagger faded, following which the black vines on the envelope receded, and only then could the envelope be opened.

This was a special confidential letter from the Lodais Organization, and only the designated receiver of the letter could open it. No one else would be able to trigger the spell for opening the envelope, and if the letter were to be forcibly opened, then the spell enclosed in the envelope would immediately destroy the letter inside.

Fuller was supporting his own head with one hand while staring at the letter with tightly furrowed brows.

"Isn't your organization supposed to be able to get your hands on anything?" Fuller suddenly asked out of the blue.

The young man was waiting off to the side in a respectful manner, and he was quite taken aback by this question. "Er... That's true, but only if it's within the capabilities of our organization."

Fuller nodded in response before beginning to write a letter on his desk.

"This is my reply to General Gilgen, please send it to the Skycourt Kingdom as quickly as possible," Fuller instructed with a serious expression as he pulled out a special envelope from the Lodais Organization before slipping the letter into it.

"Also, these are the things that I want. I've enclosed all of my requirements with the list as well. Please take the list to Commander Nightsky." Fuller turned his gaze toward the young man as he said, "Make sure to get this done as quickly as possible. Money is not an issue."

"Alright, I understand. I'll make sure to deliver this letter to General Gilgen through the quickest possible avenue, and I'll immediately inform Commander Nightsky of the items on the list. I'll be sure to keep you updated if I receive any news." The young man carefully stowed the envelope and the list away.

Fuller waved a hand in a dismissive manner, and the young man immediately extended a parting bow, then vanished into the night. He was clad in a suit of black leather armor, and he swooped over the buildings of the prime minister's manor in an extremely stealthy manner, making a complete fool out of the guards in the manor.

Perhaps the wind was too strong or Fuller still didn't want to face this city. In any case, Fuller was standing behind the red curtain with his side facing the window, looking out at the nighttime scenery of Sarus with a weary look in his eyes.