141: Renslet’s Royal Letter (1)
Discord arose between the sorcerer of the North and the duchess of Renslet!
Rumor had it that Lady Mary, the sorcerer’s mistress and loyal aide, had fallen out of favor and was half-expelled from her position!
As a result, it was said that Count Arad Jin, the sorcerer of the North, was seriously considering seeking asylum in the Empire!
...Such rumors had recently begun to spread across the Empire’s social circles.
And behind these rumors was none other than Entir.
“I’ll make sure this doesn’t reach Sir Arad’s ears until the very last moment, my lady.”
“Do you think you can manage that?”
“A significant number of Arad Group’s intelligence agents are from the Frost Knights. It should be possible.”
“Then I leave it to you, old woman.”While Isabelle—leader of Renslet’s Mage Association, head maid of the High Tower, and chief spy—worked to buy time,
Arina pondered why Entir had fabricated and spread such rumors.
At the same time, she conducted a thorough investigation of Arad’s surroundings, checking for anyone suspicious approaching him.
‘Nothing. It’s spotless.’
The investigation results were disappointing. There wasn’t even a single thread to pull.
‘Bishop Entir, what in the world are you plotting?’
Meanwhile, Entir, the originator of the rumors, remained meticulous in maintaining control.
He strictly prevented Imperial media outlets from mentioning the rumors and confined them to the Empire’s social circles.
Most notably, he made no attempt to introduce Imperial women to Arad.
However, no rumor can be contained forever.
Even as Entir managed the rumors in the Empire and Arina and Isabelle handled them in the North, there were limits to what could be done.
Just as the rumors, whispered in the Empire’s high society, began finding their way into newspapers,
And as whispers began traveling on the winds to the far northern reaches of the continent,
“I greet Her Highness, the Grand Duchess of Renslet, Arina Rune Renslet.”
Entir Bishop arrived at the High Tower.
“You’ve endured much on your journey.”
“Thanks to the roads laid across the North, the journey was a comfortable one.”
“I’m glad to hear the roads were helpful.”
“All of this is thanks to Your Highness’s reign. Renslet Rune Renslet!”
After finishing the formalities of perfunctory greetings, praises, and congratulations,
“I heard Your Highness called for me in private,” Entir said.
Arina had instructed Isabelle to discreetly summon Entir.
“You probably already know why I’ve called you, don’t you?”
“It must be because of the recent rumors circulating in the Empire’s social circles.”
“Yes, the ones you spread.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“Explain your reasoning.”
“To buy time.”
“Time?”
“The Empire’s patience with Sir Arad’s invitation is reaching its limits. However, our company and the Noble Assembly are not yet fully prepared.”
“……”
“Then I heard strange rumors circulating within the High Tower about Your Highness and Sir Arad having a falling out. We merely scrambled to buy time by any means necessary.” ṝ𝐚₦Ȱ𝖇È𝓢
“That’s all?”
“Yes, I swear it.”
“……Understood.”
“I am eternally grateful for Your Highness’s understanding.”
Although Arina couldn’t shake off a sense of doubt, she decided to observe Entir for the time being.
Just as Entir needed more time, so did she.
Cutting ties with Entir, severing relations with the Empire, and coming to terms with her feelings for Arad all required more time.
“...Mary? Lady Mary?”
Arina, lost in thought, suddenly heard Arad’s voice.
“Ah! Yes!”
“How are you finding your work at the High Tower?”
“Everyone has been very kind to me.”
Straightening herself quickly, Arina—disguised as Mary—faced Arad Jin.
There was something unusual in the way Arad looked at her, a difference from his usual demeanor.
By now, he must have heard about the rumors spreading through the Empire, likely through Entir.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave now,” Entir said, forcing an awkward smile as he bowed.
“May you both enjoy your time together.”
Entir offered a particularly meaningful smile toward Mary before hurrying off to the carriage waiting for him.
“Mary, ahem! Do your best,” Carpe added.
“?”
Even the former Mercenary Queen, who wasn’t especially close to Mary, spoke to her.
“Lady Mary, may fortune be with you.”
Other members of the Red Wolf mercenaries also left behind serious yet friendly remarks before departing.
‘What’s this? What happened?’
Arina stared at the departing carriages with a bewildered expression.
“Mary.”
“Yes!”
Arad called for her.
“Did you bring the report on the Empire’s industrial progress?”
“Here it is.”
Arina handed over the documents she had prepared.
The reports, written by Frost Knight agents stationed in the Empire and Bishop Company, were first sent to the High Tower before being shared with Arad Group.
As someone playing the role of Mary, Arina naturally oversaw the sharing of this information.
“It seems the Empire’s production growth has halted. In fact, it’s declining sharply.”
“That’s due to the raw material supply issues.”
“True. Wood, iron, food, and cotton—they can’t yet meet the factories’ demands.”
The Empire, which had successfully fended off the orc invasion, had now lost the exceptional production capabilities it displayed during the war.
During wartime, the Empire had funneled all its resources into munitions factories, enabling such astounding levels of production.
However, now that the war was over, supply issues with raw materials were preventing many factories in the Empire from operating at full capacity.
This alone helped stabilize Renslet’s market prices.
“We’ve faced similar challenges in the past, haven’t we?”
It was a phenomenon that the North, which had already experienced industrialization, had encountered before.
And it wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
“How fortunate that the issue of overproduction is resolving itself like this.”
Hearing the report of the Empire’s industrial slowdown, Arad smiled with satisfaction.
For him, this was the perfect moment. Stability in market prices, balancing between mass production and overproduction.
This was the Goldilocks zone.
“We need to manage our production as well until we fully establish direct trade with the United Kingdom.”
“Of course. We plan to reduce operations by 70% for factories with low profit margins.”
Hearing Arad’s instructions, Arina—disguised as Mary—nodded in agreement.
Recently, both Renslet and the Arad Group had been restructuring industries that overlapped with those of the Empire.
“That doesn’t mean we should shut them all down. We must always prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
“Yes.”
Of course, they didn’t close all of the factories. Some domestic production facilities were retained.
“Don’t fire any workers. Once the magic engine factories are operational, we’ll need their skills.”
“We’ve already begun sending them to vocational training facilities. For now, we’re granting the idle workers early leave or vacation.”
Unemployed laborers were being trained and educated until the magic engine factories became widespread. Naturally, all of this was paid.
“It’s hard to believe that overproduction could lead to ruin... I still can’t imagine it.”
“It’s better if you never have to.”
Arad’s answer was firm.
Arina recalled one of Arad’s economic lectures.
‘This must be something that happened during the Golden Age.’
The laws of supply and demand, overproduction, surplus inventory and deficits, rising unemployment, capital concentration through stocks, reckless loans for stock purchases, stock market crashes, bankruptcies, mass layoffs, bank runs, the Great Depression, protectionist tariffs, and world wars.
She had learned about countless topics from Arad’s lectures, but none had been as complex or shocking as this one.
‘The solutions were to establish colonies to offload surplus goods, strictly regulate banks, and launch massive public projects through the government.’
Or, failing that, to gamble everything on a world war.
‘But the Great Depression hasn’t happened yet. As long as we prepare thoroughly, we’ll be fine. Renslet and the Empire alike.’
Regulating overinvestment in stocks, maintaining reasonable levels of national and corporate debt, managing inventory meticulously, imposing strict regulations on banks, and introducing deposit insurance to prevent bank runs...
She recited Arad’s lessons in her mind, knowledge she wouldn’t need immediately but would surely use one day.
‘Come to think of it, does Entir know about this?’
Her gaze drifted to where Entir had disappeared.
If a potential Great Depression was to be avoided, cooperation from the Empire would be crucial.
‘Or perhaps... Arad might even be hoping for the Great Depression?’
The ultimate solution to the Great Depression had been world war—dragging the entire continent into flames.
A world war where airships and giant golems would dominate the battlefield.
And where the Empire would splinter into dozens of pieces...
“By the way, Mary.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry to spring this on you first thing in the morning.”
“What do you mean?”
“You only need to work a half-day today. It’s still festival season, and no one seems in the mood to work.”
“So...?”
“You can leave early. Or you could join the others and have some fun.”
Shrugging, Arad pointed somewhere.
“Waaah!”
“Pass it here! Over here!”
Where Arad gestured, a group of men were kicking a ball around, playing a game.
Throughout the factory complex, there were several vacant lots.
Initially intended for additional factory construction, the decision to build those factories in provincial cities had left the spaces unused.
Recently, however, fences had been installed, along with goalposts and spectator stands.
“As you can see, everyone’s just having fun.”
“These are some of the games you introduced, Chairman.”
Arad’s “soft power” wasn’t limited to novels, comics, horse racing, and toys.
He had also introduced physical activities—what would be called sports on Earth.
“Surprisingly, the reception has been great.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
Each vacant lot hosted a different sport, suited to the lot’s size.
In one area, men were playing soccer, kicking the ball back and forth.
“Haha! Watch this! This is what you call a dunk!”
“Stop him! The hoop’s going to break again!”
Nearby, another group was playing basketball.
“Run! Run!”
“Block them! Throw your body if you have to!”
A bit further away, a rugby match was underway.
And on an icy rink, there was ice hockey.
Despite the cold, everyone was sweating and having the time of their lives outdoors.
“Are you planning to turn these games into something like horse racing or gladiator matches?”
A sudden thought struck Arina, and she asked Arad.
After all, Arad was the type of person who wouldn’t hesitate to create a gambling market around these games.
“That was the original idea.”
“Originally?”
“But it turned out to be more complicated than I thought.”
“What complications?”
“The existence of mana.”
Arina immediately understood what Arad meant.
Though there were differences in skill levels, mana users were relatively common in the North.
The presence of mana was so prevalent that the North had even established a military unit composed entirely of mana-wielding soldiers: the Magic Corps.
“The players in these games don’t use mana. These matches are just between ordinary people,” Arad said.
While the participants might have been enjoying themselves, to Arina—accustomed to the superhuman movements of mana users—the games appeared sluggish and dull.
“Now imagine if two or three mana users joined one of those matches,” Arad continued.
“It would break the balance completely. It would be one-sided,” Arina replied.
“You wouldn’t even need knights. Just adding a single soldier from the Magic Corps would throw everything off,” Arad said.
He elaborated further.
“And you can’t simply fill the entire team with mana users.”
“Why not?”
A game where all the players were mana users sounded entertaining. It even seemed like an excellent opportunity to scout talent, similar to how horse racing fostered breeding superior warhorses.
“Balance would still be an issue. Imagine a high-ranking knight suddenly joining the game,” Arad said.
“Wouldn’t it be possible to establish rules or regulations to prevent that?” Arina countered, still reluctant to give up on the idea, perhaps influenced by her memories of how profitable horse racing had been.
Arad shook his head firmly.
“More importantly, think about what would happen if large numbers of mana users formed sports teams. Now imagine those same people wielding swords instead of balls and following the orders of their patrons.”
“Ah…”
The same logic that justified the strict restrictions on gladiatorial games applied here as well.
“For now, I’ve decided not to professionalize these games. I’m leaving them as ordinary recreational activities for the people of Renslet,” Arad said.
Anything that became popular at the High Tower or within Arad Group would inevitably spread across the North within a week.
The same would likely happen with these sports.
Soon, these games would become a staple pastime for everyone in Renslet—children, adults, soldiers, knights, priests, and even mages.
At that very moment, countless games were likely already taking place across the duchy.
The two stood in silence, idly watching the factory workers play various ball games, each lost in their own thoughts.
‘I’ll need to ensure that mana users, especially knights, don’t use these games to form secret organizations,’ Arina mused.
‘With national education, the number of mana users will increase. So will incidents involving them. We can’t cut off their mana cores every time. I’ll need to develop some kind of magical restraints soon,’ she thought, her mind racing with plans.
After some time had passed, Arad broke the silence.
“Mary.”
“Yes?”
“How about a match? It’s been a while,” he said, holding up a racket with a net made of wire and a ball the size of a fist.
It was tennis, another game Arad had revived—presumably from the Golden Age.
“Oh, and not using mana,” he added with a playful smile.
“Are you sure that’s enough of a handicap for you?” Arina teased.
“You’re underestimating me. I’ll show you my skills this time,” Arad replied confidently.
The two headed toward the tennis court.
A short time later…
“Ugh…”
Arina winced, rubbing her right wrist as a sharp pain shot through it.
“Mary, are you alright?” Arad asked, rushing over with concern.
“...”
“...”
Both of them were speechless at the absurdity of the situation.
‘My body really is falling apart,’ Arina thought bitterly.
She felt especially dejected, observing the situation from Mary’s perspective.
Even without mana, how could her body sustain an injury from something as trivial as tennis?
For someone who had spent her life wielding a sword in battles where her very survival was on the line, this felt ridiculous. Her once-powerful body now felt like a shattered porcelain vase, barely held together.
“Let me take a look. May I see your wrist?”
“...!”
Arad’s outstretched hand and gentle offer startled Arina.
Afraid her true identity as Arina might be exposed, she flinched and instinctively pulled her hand back.
‘This is just like my dream!’
The sudden déjà vu left her conflicted.
The only difference was that, in her dream, she had been herself, not Mary.
And, of course, in her dream, she had her sword at her side.
“Please, let me help. I can treat it,” Arad said, his voice filled with earnestness.
Gulping, Arina hesitated. Her heart pounded as she tried to calm herself, feeling like it might burst. Finally, she extended her hand toward Arad, carefully suppressing her turmoil.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report