Chapter 72 - The curtain rises (2/2)

The Emperor who was the driving force that pushed the empire to become a powerful entity will be replaced by the next generation. And the person who will become the next emperor is Schwartz Blau, the crown prince, who once was stripped of the right to inherit the throne.

If the cautious prince was to become the Emperor, the Empire that had kept up continuous aggression will stop the territorial expansion.

I don’t know if that will bring good results for the Empire. But it definitely will benefit the neighboring countries and Imperial Country of Fleida.

It’s better to create a big debt with the person who will soon become the Emperor.

「Yuri-sama. Everyone has already gone downstairs.」

I raised my head when I was called by Ditzen.

「Oh my? When did they… Did I get too lost in my thoughts?」

When I said that and showed a wry smile, Ditzen made an awkward laugh.

「Well, we are like an extra. We don’t have anything else to do but to back them up if something comes up.」

Saying only that, Ditzen went down the stairs laughing.

Ditzen is kind. He likes research, with the recognition he became a state-funded practitioner. By all rights, he would prefer to confine himself to the laboratory. However, right now, though reluctantly, he is trying to help Aifa and Schwartz out of goodwill.

No matter how we try, my brother and I can’t get the question of possible profit for our country out of our heads.

That’s what a statesman is.

That’s why we very much love Ditzen, who is capable of helping people without ulterior motives.

And that is what we feel towards Taiki-sama as well,

Heavenly King dwelling in the Heavenly Country.

He could have made the world his own were he to wish for it. But I don’t feel such a desire from him at all.

The same was true for this case with Aifa. After hearing Aifa’s request, he without a doubt could have seized the spirit tree and then the empire in its whole.

However, Taiki-sama’s concern was not only for the elves but for the Kingdom of Azul as well, so he is trying to avoid war with the empire.

「He is, a mysterious person.」

Without thinking I spoke aloud.

As I go down the stairs, I recall the dishes and the castle facilities about which Taiki-sama talked so happily.

A gentle person who doesn’t resemble a monarch at all.

When this empire changes, what will you think of it and what will you do?

That aroused my curiosity as much as the future of the empire.

And to find that out as well, we have to save Aifa’s elves and achieve a revolution in the empire.

「…I never thought I would be involved in something like this.」

Whispering that, I smiled to myself and followed after Ditzen.