Chapter 152 - A Wise Monarch

Garnet answered Ferda's question like this.

"Creating a place for a shadow arm that must not be known is a contradiction. The only people who should know of our relationship are you, Regent, and the administrator."

"What do you plan to do?"

"We will create an organization that can have a legitimate cause in this city."

"And what is that?"

"Mejina Fallon is a southern noblewoman who was operating a merchant company."

Mejina Fallon.

Ferda wondered where he had heard that name before, then remembered it was Garnet Swallow's cover identity on the very first page.

"That merchant company is currently interested in the far east, and at the same time, it is witnessing unreasonable situations in various places."

"And?"

"And so, as a representative of the merchants, she will formally protest to Hestia village, and after that—"

"Found a guild."

"That is correct."

Ferda had thought the story felt strangely familiar.

It was something he had already discussed once with Stephan.

"Stephan Pascal is already aiming for that part."

Garnet gave a hollow laugh.

"The chairman of the Pascal trading company is quite greedy. If he already has the labor union in his grasp and then aims for the merchants' guild as well, the guild's credibility will fall in the future. I doubt he wants to become unnecessary prey."

Stephan had been concerned about that as well.

But human greed was such that if there was something one could take, one wanted to find a way to take it.

Even though Ferda knew they were an intelligence organization, having them strike at a blind spot like this made him newly impressed.

"I will state clearly that this matter should proceed as an alliance of the merchants I have gathered."

Just in case, Ferda checked the current identities of their core officers.

Of the twelve, eight were local merchants.

All of them were common merchant companies whose names he had never properly heard.

"It seems you have no great talent for commerce."

He mixed in a slight provocation.

Hearing that, Garnet answered calmly, without the slightest sign of being needled.

"A merchant who uses his goods as he pleases is bound to lose trust."

She was right.

If Black Bandana had set its mind on entering any given board, monopolizing that field would have been nothing for them.

They were information brokers, and that meant they focused on selling information.

That was why these documents repeatedly emphasized their reliability.

"How many people in Black Bandana know about this?"

"Aside from the top officers and core officers, no one knows about this matter. For now, everyone listed in the personal information I handed you has agreed."

"Then it will look as though Black Bandana is being maintained."

"Yes. But it will become a group with no more neutrality."

Ferda did feel truly sorry for the users of Black Bandana on the Serdes Continent, but that sort of thing had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"If you people form the guild on your own, I will not stop you."

"We will do it by our own strength, but there is a matter we must agree on with you in advance, Regent."

"What agreement?"

"The Dandolo trading company, the place that has now become the Hestia trading company."

"Yes."

"As I understand it, you and Mr. Burnel Marquis have taken 51%, 20% belongs to Stephan Pascal, the proxy manager, and the remaining 29% has been left for investors. Of that, 10% is already in Halim."

"Yes."

"We would like you to hand over all of the remaining 19% stake to us."

Ferda reflexively furrowed his brow.

"That is the sort of thing a declining organization would do."

"It may look that way, but merely obtaining a certain stake in the Dandolo trading company will greatly secure the credibility of the merchants' guild. Once that happens, an ideal shadow arm becomes possible."

"Explain."

"If the far eastern merchants' guild is created, we will also gain the qualifications of citizen representatives and rise to the rank of quasi-nobles, will we not?"

"You would have a political voice."

"That is merely something used to make up appearances. What I need is duty."

Duty.

Most people were desperate to avoid that.

"If we become a merchants' guild, then as a guild we have a duty to contribute to the prosperity of this Hestia."

"True."

"Therefore, we will be able to inspect and search merchants to see whether they possess or smuggle harmful goods."

"I suppose so."

"If we judge that a simple inspection cannot resolve the matter, we will also have a cause to investigate and track them ourselves."

Hearing that, Ferda realized this was certainly an attractive form.

That investigation and tracking would apply not only to merchants, but also to those inducing internal strife.

If they became the merchants' guild of the far east, they would interact with other merchants' guilds, and through them they could hear or leak information, as well as guide matters in the direction they wanted.

Since they would have no point of contact beyond commerce, they would be judged as a checking institution, and the far east's enemies might approach them in an attempt to win them over.

If it was Black Bandana, an organization unmatched by anyone in the field of intelligence, then they would be able to arrange everything as intended.

"Still, 19% is too much. I would like you to lower it to 10%."

"A real stake we can wield would be enough at 3%. The remaining 16% is merely capital contribution and a means for display."

"Hmm..."

"We will not use it for selfish purposes, but solely for this Hestia village and the Grand Duchy's territory."

According to Stephan, exchanges of shares were an important matter.

That had originally been Stephan's job, but in the current situation where he was struggling just to finish all his work, it had been postponed for a while.

'If I entrust this to the merchants' guild...'

Based on the information they possessed, they might produce more effective results than the overworked Stephan.

Besides, was this simply a matter of doing business?

'The greatest secret intelligence organization is voluntarily revealing a fatal secret and trying to come under me.'

That was why Ferda was curious.

He asked them the question he had put off until the very end.

"You said the Empire had gone against its founding ideals, so you intended to destroy it."

"That is correct."

"I may become like that one day too."

His judgment might cloud, and the regret that had settled in his heart might one day devour him again.

"If that time comes, will you betray me?"

Loyalty meant following no matter what decision was made.

So if there was a possibility of betrayal, then it could not be called loyalty.

Garnet answered like this.

"A monarch is one who reigns above all people, a superhuman."

Because Garnet gathered information on the upper classes, she knew the aspects of kings and nobles.

"That is why they often fall into the arrogance of believing they themselves are justice, and ignore the will of the people."

They could not tolerate their opinions being denied, and they could not forgive those who blocked their path.

The heads of loyal subjects who offered remonstrance rolled across the floor, while flatterers' tongues never had time to dry.

"And I also thought you were such a human being, Regent."

Ferda looked like the kind of human who could easily fall onto that path.

If necessary, he did not hesitate to kill someone, and he had the will to abandon even his own people.

From Garnet's perspective, such a monarch was someone who must not exist.

"However, I was wrong."

With that night as the turning point, her judgment had changed.

The Evil Dragon treated like a guard dog, the Red Dragon.

The reason she lived in self-hatred and isolated herself was because she loved humans.

"You are constantly doubting yourself, Regent."

Ferda loved the one who loved those humans.

He had learned a dance he had never danced in his life, and had held a banquet he did not want.

In order to make one woman happy, he suppressed the nature Garnet had perceived and moved forward with conviction.

"One who doubts himself cannot become a superhuman."

"However, you can become a wise monarch."

A picture came to mind of all the people crying out Valdrova's name and praising her.

Hiding the laugh that tried to come out for no reason, Ferda said to Garnet,

"I think that is the last sweet-sounding thing I will hear from you."

Garnet politely folded her hands and bowed her head.

"It is an honor to become the shadow of the great fire."

Ferda gathered all the nobles at the assembly hall of the far eastern front alliance.

"Did you all pass the time well, without any special matters?"

"Some petty thieves did sneak in while our homes were empty, but overall, it was peaceful."

"The territory residents who had fallen into panic have all returned to their livelihoods as well."

"Oh, you truly have no idea how anxious we were when it reached a full month!"

The nobles shuddered in indignation.

Their faces looked as though they never wanted to recall the time when they had been huddled together, worrying day by day.

As anxious as everyone else had been, Ferda had been the same.

"I believe all of you have come to harbor animosity toward the Arken Empire due to this incident."

"Of course! Those damn bastards!"

"They used the far east like a place of exile, and even when we were on the verge of death, they tried to use us politically!"

Rather than the fact that Ferda had not bowed his head, they showed anger toward Alexander Arken.

It was clear just how much had piled up over the years.

"And so, I have been placed in a position where I must testify at the postmortem being held around Alexander Arken this time."

"Do you mean the postwar conference?"

"Of course, since we were in a surrounded situation, it is right that we attend, but..."

The nobles' reactions were unenthusiastic.

Even if it was a gathering to judge Alexander Arken, they knew it was all the same crowd in the end.

"As your reactions suggest, there is a very high chance they will try to pin this matter on us."

"Isn't that obvious!?"

"They are sure to start covering for that bastard Crown Prince!"

"I desire the peace of this far east, and I know that all of you also desire its development."

Ferda extended a hand toward them and said,

"Therefore, I, Ferda Valdrova, Regent, request your wisdom here and now."

The lords gladly rolled up their sleeves.

They discussed how the postmortem would proceed, in what way they would try to shift blame onto Ferda, and how they would respond to it.

In that way, they created several scenarios and made openings through which Ferda could escape.

The meeting continued even as the night deepened.

Throughout the smoothly flowing meeting, Count Concillus's expression remained poor the entire time.

"This is not a good idea."

After skipping an entire day, the lords' carriages departed as dawn began to brighten.

Concillus approached Ferda, who was watching that procession, and deliberately came over to say that.

"Do you mean putting our heads together?"

"It is not good to think all of them are allies. Among them, there are those who love the Empire's wall more than the safety of the far east. If you let them know about this situation—"

"A informant will appear."

Ferda cut him off.

"I am aiming for that."

Ferda quietly interrupted him.

Concillus seemed surprised, but he lowered his voice as well.

"What do you mean, you are aiming for it?"

"I was told to let the information leak like this."

Ferda stressed each syllable as he spoke.

"So that the traitor will walk into the execution ground on his own feet."

"I see..."

Concillus blushed with an embarrassed expression.

He felt foolish for believing the young Regent knew nothing and thought everyone was on his side.

Looking at him, Ferda said this.

"Seeing as you came here to say this, at least you do not seem to be a turncoat."

"That is... truly fortunate."

Concillus gave an awkward smile.

"Then may I ask how you intend to proceed at the public hearing?"

"At first, I intend to speak according to the scenario. I have to judge whether they leaked the scenario that 'we' thought up."

"Do you intend to flush out traitors like that?"

"I already know who the traitor is."

"If you already know..."

A sharp air could be felt beneath his lowered white brows.

Unlike the blazing vigor of young men, the old man flowed quietly.

That made him all the more chilling.

"If I may dare request it, could you please allow this humble one to punish the traitor?"

"You?"

Ferda had intended to deal with it himself.

After all, among the lords, Ferda's image was one more unhesitating when it came to killing people.

"You may not know this, Regent, but... coming to this far east itself is no different from being exiled."

Because Concillus had been here longer than anyone, he knew it well.

"When you live in a place without hope, before you know it, you become helpless and start thinking only of ways to run away."

The nobles grew fat, the soldiers became lazy, and the territory residents died as they always had.

"Then a lifeline descended into such a place. Not a rotten lifeline, but one so sturdy that it could rightly be called hope."

Count Concillus's eyes gazed deeply at Ferda.

They were eyes of sincere gratitude and respect.

"However, if there are rats who do not know their place and try to gnaw through that lifeline..."

Poison entered Count Concillus's eyes.

When one who had lived in despair came to hold hope, they became more relentless than anyone.

"This old man will gladly become the executioner who punishes betrayal."

Hearing that answer, Ferda nodded.

"I will entrust it to you, Count."

"Everything is for the Grand Duchy's territory."

Ferda could feel it clearly.

Before long, a bloodstorm would blow, cutting out the rotting wound.