Ch.425Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

After staying in Laterano for four days, I went to see Abas. I had received news that the elders of the Nostrim family, who had come to the official residence for their son’s housewarming, were pestering the eldest son and daughter about the whereabouts of their second son who had left home.

“Oh, Fred. Where have you been until now?”

Grace Nostrim, the matriarch of the Nostrim family.

She finally welcomed her second son after waiting at the official residence.

“I’m sorry. Something came up suddenly…”

“You seem very busy. Welcome. Come on in.”

I handed her the gifts I had brought from the Order and the Magic Tower, then went inside.

Inside the residence, there were guests waiting for me. My older brother Jerry, my older sister Adela, my father Charles Nostrim, my mother Grace Nostrim, and others. All members of the Nostrim family were gathered in one place, except for Ayla who was away on business.

Grace Nostrim, who had opened the entrance door first, announced to the family gathered in the living room that the second son had arrived. My brother Jerry and sister Adela, who had been sitting around the table, rushed out, followed by Charles Nostrim, who had been looking around the residence from the sofa. I bowed my head as I followed my mother through the entrance.

“I’m here.”

“Ah, you’re here?”

After warmly greeting me, Brother Jerry sent our mother to the living room, then lowered his voice so others couldn’t hear.

“It was quite a mess while you were gone. I know the company keeps you busy, but how could you be away for almost a week without any contact?”

“I had my reasons.”

“What reasons?”

“Confidential.”

As I dusted off the dirt from my shoes while responding, Brother Jerry narrowed his eyes. It was a silent expression of being half-fed up.

“Of course. What isn’t confidential at your company? Even if someone asks how much toilet paper you bought, you’d say it’s confidential and can’t tell.”

“What can I do? It’s the truth.”

“Fine. I told our parents you were briefly away on hero-related business, so hurry inside. They were very worried about you.”

He gestured for me to come in quickly. But I spoke without even taking off my coat.

“I can’t stay long. I need to leave soon.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“Fred. The whole family is gathered. How can you leave?”

I let out a deep sigh.

“What can I do? It’s company business.”

“The company again? Where are you going this time?”

Well.

Leaning against the shoe rack and staring blankly at Brother Jerry, I answered.

“The Empire.”

Episode 17 – The Tree That Drinks Blood

There are words that symbolize the Kiyen Empire.

Emperor.

“The Crown Prince has sent a gift in the name of His Majesty Nicholas VI.”

Grand Duchess.

“You mean Kolya?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What’s with ‘Your Highness’? Our relationship isn’t distant, so why insist on formalities? Call me Grandmother as you used to.”

“…Ah, but at my age, that’s a bit…”

“Is there a problem with that?”

Chancellor.

The Emperor, the Grand Duchess, and the Chancellor are symbols of the Kiyen Empire and its representative powers.

The Grand Duchess, who protects the Empire from the northern demon race, is a great mage who has made her name in history and is respected by all mages in the world, not just in the Empire. Added to that, she was born of noble blood as the younger sister of the previous Emperor, so hardly anyone in the Empire could address her familiarly except for the Emperor.

In other words, even the Chancellor, who leads the cabinet on behalf of the Emperor, cannot speak casually to her.

Therefore, Chancellor Stolypin was in a truly awkward position when the Grand Duchess asked him to call her “Grandmother” comfortably, as he did in his childhood.

“There’s no problem, but… Your Highness. How could I dare to call Your Highness ‘Grandmother’?”

“Why do you speak such hurtful words? You used to call me that just fine when you were young.”

“That was…”

Chancellor Stolypin was at a loss for words.

No. How long ago was that story?

It had been more than 70 years since he had called Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, the great mage and the Emperor’s aunt, “Grandmother.” To be precise, he had once called the Grand Duchess “Grandmother” when he was a child.

At that time, Stolypin was just over 10 years old, and Nicholas VI was preparing to succeed the throne after the previous Emperor, who was suffering from old age and chronic illness.

Despite being a child, Nicholas VI had no one approach him because he was the heir to the throne. In those days, Stolypin, who was about the same age, was his only friend.

Sometimes when the two boys were exploring the palace, momentarily escaping from their heavy reality, a mysterious silver-haired woman would suddenly appear and wander around the palace garden.

Seeing the woman who looked like a magician from a fairy tale, the young Chancellor approached her without hesitation and casually called her “Sister.”

It wasn’t particularly strange. The woman of high standing appeared young to anyone who looked at her.

The problem was that the woman wasn’t just an imperial magician, but the Grand Magician who oversaw all imperial magicians and was the Emperor’s own sister.

Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna recalled that brief and intense encounter with the young boy like this:

“It was quite startling. It was the first time anyone had addressed me that way. The palace magicians must have been quite shocked too. They all seemed greatly alarmed.”

The magicians who witnessed an unfamiliar boy calling the Grand Duchess “Sister” rolled their eyes and collapsed.

Though she might be considered an elder now, at that time, the Grand Duchess was the younger sister of the reigning Emperor.

When a child from what was clearly a high-ranking family addressed the Emperor’s sister without any honorifics, the shock received by the magicians who served the Emperor was beyond words.

The magicians trembled with worry that the Emperor might issue a stern rebuke, but fortunately, the Grand Duchess covered for the boy’s mistake, saying it was a perfectly understandable misunderstanding. The Emperor also laughed it off, saying, “So the day has come when Sasha is called ‘Sister’.”

From then on, Stolypin occasionally called the Grand Duchess “Grandmother.”

It was a small consideration from the Grand Duchess for a child who, though educated, had not yet formed the habit and was struggling to adapt to the complex imperial etiquette.

That was the Grand Duchess’s memory of her first meeting with the young Chancellor.

The Grand Duchess, recalling the memory, smiled kindly.

“That memory is still vivid. You must remember it too?”

“How could I forget…”

The incident from 70 years ago was still a famous anecdote that occasionally came up among gossips. After all, it was the only time a mere imperial nobleman, neither an imperial grandson nor a descendant of the Grand Magician, had called the Grand Duchess “Grandmother.”

No one blamed Stolypin for using such a familiar term of address. The previous Emperor had laughed it off for his sister’s sake, and the Grand Duchess herself had given permission to be called “Grandmother.” So no one blamed the Chancellor for the past incident, either then or now. Unless it was brought up as a joke to tease him about his immature days.

Of course, his position as an immature boy was never respected, then or now. As a result, the Chancellor, confronted with his past embarrassment after a long time, could only cover his face with his wrinkled hands.

“…I wish you would forget about that, Your Highness.”

“What is there to be embarrassed about? It wasn’t a bad memory, was it?”

“My grandson is graduating from the Academy this year, and if you say such things…”

I’m over 80 years old, isn’t it about time to forget? It’s embarrassing in front of my grandson. That was roughly the nuance of his plea.

Of course, the Chancellor’s grandson was well aware of the embarrassing history his grandfather had accumulated as a boy.

Since childhood, whenever he accompanied the Chancellor to imperial events and his friend stepped away, he would hear stories that began with “Your grandfather once…” And the person revealing the Chancellor’s embarrassing past was none other than Nicholas VI, the Emperor of the Empire and the Chancellor’s friend.

How could the person who witnessed the scene at the time not know a story that every subject in the Empire knew?

Thanks to this, the Chancellor’s grandson grew up hearing his grandfather’s embarrassing past from the Emperor’s mouth at every opportunity.

But just because everyone knew about it didn’t mean the embarrassment disappeared. Rather, it was more embarrassing precisely because everyone knew.

Stolypin repeatedly wiped his face with his wrinkled hands, while Alexandra Petrovna watched with a pleased smile.

“Indeed. It seems like just yesterday when you addressed me without formality. You too have become an old man.”

“Your Highness remains as vigorous as ever.”

“Nonsense. You are more vigorous than I am. Aren’t you living more intensely than ever?”

“……”

The Chancellor’s expression hardened as he stroked his cheek. He wasn’t dull enough to not understand the meaning behind the Grand Duchess’s words.

The Grand Duchess began to speak with a rather calm and serious face.

“Is there any improvement in Kolya’s treatment?”

The Chancellor, with a hardened expression, answered in a gloomy voice.

“…It’s not working.”

No one in this place was unaware of the fact that Nicholas VI was bedridden with a serious illness.

The Grand Duchess was the Emperor’s aunt, and the Chancellor had been the Emperor’s closest aide for 70 years. It was impossible for the two of them not to know that something was wrong with Nicholas VI’s health.

To this, the Grand Duchess asked:

“Is there truly no sign of improvement?”

“No.”

The Chancellor responded in a firm voice.

“We’ve tried everything—eastern elixirs, blood stones from the Moritani continent, dragon remains held by the imperial museum, and mana stones mined from the north—but none have shown significant effects.”

“What about his divinity?”

“Saint Lucia is dedicated to the treatment, but the opinion of the attending physicians is…”

The old man’s complexion darkened rapidly as he couldn’t continue his words.

Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna silently nodded. She already knew from the Saint that there had been no improvement in his condition despite the passage of five months, which was not a short time.

She just wanted to check if Nicholas’s condition had improved even a little.

“I see.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? You’re the one who wants Kolya to rise from his sickbed more than anyone.”

Chancellor Stolypin, who had been hanging his head, opened the documents brought from the Magic Department and spoke.

“We’ve used the best means expected to be effective for treatment, but we haven’t exhausted all options yet. If we could obtain a sun stone, a type of blood stone from the Moritani continent, treatment might be possible.”

“Sun stone… I know that item. I once saw a friend keeping one.”

“The sun stone owned by the Holy Woman is now under the management of the Al-Yabud Federation. Considering our relationship with the Order, immediate contact might be difficult, but the Foreign Ministry is exploring options through contact with the Ivory Tower.”

“…Would that be sufficient?”

“……”

No answer came. He could only remain silent because he lacked certainty.

The Grand Duchess, waiting for the Chancellor’s answer, lightly tapped the armrest and let out a faint sigh. Then she slowly opened her mouth to ask another question.

“How is the cabinet faring?”

“Not well.”

Although the Kiyen Empire maintains a monarchical system, the Emperor does not govern the entire empire alone. The Empire is too vast for a single individual to manage, and the Empire’s interests are entangled with international issues, not just domestic ones.

Therefore, the Emperor assembled officials to form a cabinet to run the Empire. And as the head of the cabinet, he appointed his most trustworthy and wise friend.

It has been 50 years since Stolypin took charge of the cabinet. When Nicholas VI drove out the regent through a coup, Stolypin, who gained the support of the Foreign and Interior Ministries as an official, took the position of being second only to the Emperor at the age of 30.

But it seems the Empire’s fate is also coming to an end. The Chancellor, who oversees the cabinet, began to speak with a dark expression.

“High-ranking officials from the Foreign and Interior Ministries are expressing concerns. Especially the ministers who have requested private audiences with the Emperor to receive decisions on significant departmental matters.”

“The Foreign and Interior Ministers used to have private audiences with Kolya frequently. It’s natural for them to worry. How are the other departments?”

“The situation is no different in other departments. The Crown Prince is making efforts, but…”

The Chancellor’s voice trailed off.

Although the Crown Prince was making every effort to fill the void left by the Emperor’s absence, there were matters that required the Emperor’s approval, which even the Crown Prince could not handle.

Issues like establishing diplomatic relations with potential enemy states that maintained close ties with Abas, or deploying troops abroad. For significant reports coming from the Foreign and Defense Ministries, it would be a clear overstepping of authority for the Crown Prince to handle them when the Emperor had promised to deal with them personally.

“The Foreign and Defense Ministries are urging for His Majesty’s approval. They need his sanction to move to the next stage, but there has been no word for months, putting both our officials and foreign officials in an awkward position.”

That wasn’t the only problem.

“The Intelligence Department is in the same situation. The heads of intelligence agencies, including the Imperial Protection Office, wish to seek His Majesty’s permission for a major operation. His Majesty had ordered long ago that minor issues should be handled at the agencies’ discretion, so we’ve been able to manage until now. But it seems they’ve reached a point where matters can no longer be handled internally.”

“……”

The Grand Duchess, who had been silent, supported her chin with her hand. Her blue eyes, full of worry, began to stare into space.

“Can’t we ask the Crown Prince to receive the reports?”

“Impossible. While other departments might be different, diplomacy, defense, and intelligence all require His Majesty’s sanction.”

“Then is there no way for the Crown Prince to succeed the throne?”

She was suggesting that the Crown Prince should ascend to the throne in place of Nicholas VI, who couldn’t rise from his sickbed.

A heavy silence began to envelop the office. Neither the Chancellor who received the question nor the Grand Duchess who raised it opened their mouths.

No matter how much the Grand Duchess was the Emperor’s aunt and the Chancellor was the Emperor’s friend, discussing the throne was not an easy matter. If the two had been mere ministers or generals, they might have lost their heads immediately.

“…Would it be possible?”

“We cannot just stand by and watch the Empire decline.”

The Grand Duchess cautiously began to discuss the succession to the throne.

“In the history of the imperial family, there have been emperors who succeeded the throne while their predecessors were suffering from serious illnesses. My nephew has already designated his son as his successor, so there should be no problem if the boy inherits the throne.”

“…It’s not impossible.”

The Chancellor responded.

“But all previous emperors inherited the ‘Mystery’ along with the throne. The previous Emperor, who was struggling with illness and old age, passed on the ‘Mystery’ before abdicating the throne. Nicholas… was usurped by the regent, but he inherited the Mystery from the previous Emperor. That’s how he could fully ascend to the throne.”

“……”

“However, the Crown Prince has not inherited the ‘Mystery’ now. And the Emperor is not in a condition to pass on the ‘Mystery.’ What would happen if he only inherited the throne in this situation? There would certainly be not a few problems.”

“Are you saying we should just wait? For Kolya to wake up?”

“…That’s the best option, Your Highness.”

It was at that moment, as a heavy silence hovered between the Grand Duchess and the Chancellor.

-CRASH!

All the glass windows in the office shattered at once. The sudden explosion sent glass flying in all directions, and the startled Chancellor nearly fell from his seat.

A small head rose through the shattered glass window. Lustrous, voluminous red hair.

“Are you alright?!”

It was Camilla.

Explosion, broken glass windows, a flying broomstick, and a disciple. Something seemed both understandable and not, a hypothesis that she didn’t want to recall but naturally came to mind, causing the Grand Duchess’s expression to change into a mysterious light.

“I startled you, didn’t I? I’m sorry…”

“Child, what accident have you caused this time?”

“Well, I was practicing magic and a little…”

The Grand Duchess’s expression became even more enigmatic. Camilla, perched on her broomstick, scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed smile. The only person who didn’t understand the situation was the Chancellor, who had been caught in an unexpected attack (or not).

The Grand Duchess rose from her chair and approached the window. A faint breeze, unlikely to occur indoors, gently pushed away the shattered glass fragments so they wouldn’t catch at her feet.

And leaning her head out the window, the Grand Duchess let out a short sigh.

“…You said you had a little accident?”

“Yes…”

“But to my eyes, it looks like half the garden has been blown away.”

“……”

Should one be sad that half was gone? Or relieved that half still remained? It was truly an astounding accident scene, but the Grand Duchess’s expression was not dark.

She gave a gentle smile to her disciple, who was fidgeting like a child being punished.

“It’s fortunate you weren’t hurt. And your level has improved, so it’s a blessing.”

“Hehe.”

“……”

At this, the Chancellor, who was dusting off glass fragments from his clothes, tilted his head.

“No, in this situation, to say such things…”

“Is there a problem? My disciple is practicing magic, so she might break some glass. Isn’t that right?”

“Of course it is!”

“……”

At this, the Chancellor thought:

No matter how you look at it, even Grandmother seems to have gone senile.

*

At that same time.

In front of an imperial mansion located in the center of Petrograd, the capital of the Kiyen Empire.

Soldiers who witnessed the mansion’s windows shattering one after another with a large explosion stood with their mouths agape. Neither the interpreter officer who accompanied them as a guide nor the guards securing the mansion could speak.

Among the soldiers who were staring blankly at the burning garden without saying a word.

I, taking off my sunglasses and tossing them aside, muttered in a dumbfounded voice.

“…What is that?”