[692] The Place of Reunion (1)
The head of the Yongroe has an obligation to give the clearest, most rational answers to the king's questions.
The questions range from metaphysical to mundane.
Being asked the secrets of the universe is troublesome enough, but when asked what the hardest question to answer is, Albino replied, "What should I eat for lunch today?"
That anecdote shows how much of a king's life depended on the Yongroe's head.
So it wasn't strange that the Mercodain family mansion, unlike other noble houses, was located inside the royal precincts.
"Hm, so the head of the Yongroe lives here?"
Kido had been sick of hearing the word Yongroe ever since he'd been captain-general of the Speedkiller.
"Not captain-general—head. But it still hasn't been restored. How badly did it collapse?"
When Rian stepped forward, Kido saw dozens of workers inside the mansion busily rebuilding.
"This is the royal precincts, right? Was there a civil war or something?"
"Ha! No. Iruki blew it up. That spell he cast at the end of his graduation exam."
Arganes, Iruki's mother, who had been briefed by the butler, hurried across the garden.
"Welcome, Shirone."
"Hello. You're as beautiful as ever."
Arganes covered her face and twisted coquettishly.
"Oh my, that's a bit embarrassing to hear. Your father's on duty now, so he comes home very late."
Shirone smiled.
"That doesn't really matter, I think."
"Hoho! Yes. Iruki goes into the Yongroe too. Maybe he takes after his father—he doesn't even think about coming back in."
Shirone could imagine the scene without seeing it.
"Could I get an inner-ward pass? I have things to discuss with Iruki."
This wasn't a place one could visit to gossip with a friend, but Shirone was at the center of the Radum incident, so the visit had legitimate work ties.
"I'll give you an inner-ward pass. Iruki will probably be waiting. Things are unstable these days."
Secrets tended to slip into the Mercodain matron's ear like gossip, whether she liked it or not.
"Thank you."
With the inner-ward pass in hand, Shirone and his party crossed the threshold into the royal inner precincts.
Beautiful gardens and stately departmental buildings rose up, and the people passing by were nobles of note.
Shirone spotted his friend slumped on a garden bench with messy hair, staring up at the sky.
"Iruki!"
He called out brightly without causing a scene. Iruki paused mid-sip and turned his head.
"Over here, over here!"
Perhaps his eyes weren't the best; when he couldn't find Shirone he waved his hand to point him out.
Iruki, who had been craning his neck like a turtle and watching carefully, finally smiled and raised his teacup.
"Hey, Shirone."
Mercodain Iruki, twenty years old.
A rank-and-file researcher in the king's direct advisory body, the Yongroe.
Meeting a friend you'd assumed would always be the same now that you were both out in society left Shirone feeling moved.
"I've been waiting. You're an hour early. Come on in."
Shirone tilted his head, but fully understanding Iruki was impossible.
When Iruki strode down the corridor as if it were his own home, soldiers and officials all saluted in unison.
"So this really is the Yongroe. You've moved up in the world."
"Ha ha."
Kido's eyes went blank as if he'd heard a grim joke; Iruki let out a dry laugh.
He led Shirone's party to a research room, poured tea, and examined Kido's face intently.
"By the way, who's this? Sorry if this is rude on first meeting, but have you ever been told you look like a goblin?"
Kido snapped back at the ill-fitting joke.
"I am a goblin! Aren't you the long-lost half-brother I misplaced?"
Shirone introduced him.
"Kido. He'll be traveling with me from now on."
"Oh—Kido of Consumption. Captain-general of the Speedkiller. Radum political rank 179, combat rank 7, special ability: Taste of Memory."
Iruki already radiated Yongroe vibes so strongly that Shirone was surprised, but Kido didn't look pleased.
"My combat rank is only seventh? There wasn't any non-human who could beat me aside from Drakkar. Humans' intelligence is really awful."
"According to that bogus intel, you're number one now."
All the Spectrum executives who ranked above Kido were reported dead.
Kido, at a loss for words, openly showed his dislike for the man and turned away, but Shirone oddly felt reassured.
"You're the same as ever. How's life lately?"
A sigh that sounded like the ground might sink followed Iruki's reply.
"Predictions, predictions. I collect data from around the palace and write prediction reports in one-, twelve-, and twenty-four-hour increments. For example, if Madeleine comes in now—"
Just as he finished, a maid opened the door and entered.
"Mr. Iruki, a rank-and-file researcher meeting has been convened. It's an urgent matter."
"All right. I'll be there on time."
After Madeleine left, Iruki pointed to the closed door.
"See? Like that. I estimate he has a 64.8 percent chance of getting a stomachache within seventy-two hours. There was a contamination incident in the palace water yesterday; low-grade ice is being distributed by rank, and today's dessert is fruit shaved ice. And from my data analysis: in the past five years he's only skipped fruit shaved ice twice!"
Iruki slammed the table and shouted, and a pitying silence fell over the lab.
"…You've got it rough."
He sank onto the sofa and covered his face with both hands.
"You don't say things like that lightly. I checked Madeleine's medical records, water-source reports, medical compendia, and his personal observation journal. Why did we train so hard at Magic Academy? Big data, my foot—I just want to sleep to death."
It did sound like overkill, but all information begins as a combination of small things.
This was training every Yongroe member had to go through, and the higher the rank, the higher the quality of information handled.
The kingdom's system was predicted and its risks analyzed by running these top minds full-time, twenty-four hours a day.
'At the pinnacle of that is Iruki's father.'
Judging from Iruki's case, the amount and depth of information Albino Mercodain handled was unimaginable.
"Hang in there, Iruki."
Iruki propped his chin on his hand, pouting, as if he already understood what Shirone meant.
"Well, something good will come of it eventually. I'm not the only one suffering. At least I'm better off than Nade."
"Speaking of which, where is Nade?"
"He's working for an alchemical supplier in the provinces. Seems he joined the transport crew; the work's really hard."
"But didn't he say he'd open a shop?"
"He did, but he's short on ingredients. He and Ms. Liz are saving to open a small shop first."
"If it's money he needs, then—"
Shirone didn't relish it as a friend, but there were brokers who'd pay large sums to hire someone of Nade's skill.
"You know how he is. He won't use magic. I even offered to lend him money, but he said a merchant has to know the grind from the ground up. He wasn't wrong. I'm doing the same now."
"Right. Everyone's doing their best."
Seeing his friends living earnestly was the value Shirone had risked his life to preserve for humanity.
"How about you? I saw your Radum report in your father's study, but do you think it's enough to pass the test?"
"I don't really know. That's why I wanted to ask you. And I'll tell you what I experienced, while I'm at it."
Shirone gave a concise account of what had happened in Radum, adding explanations from Rian and Kido.
"Hm. So Ra Enemi was ultimately annihilated. It's certainly an ambiguous situation."
The condition for passing the test was to find Ra Enemi and then safely reach the Ivory Tower.
But what Shirone had met—Ra—was an event from the past; that place had now been annihilated.
"All right, I'll handle it. We can ask the interested party directly."
"The interested party?"
Iruki rose as if decided and opened the lock of a secret safe beneath his desk.
"What are you doing? I'm really nervous right now."
"You thought I was only investigating stomachaches? One good thing about being in the Yongroe is I can 'borrow' first-class secrets at will. Let's see, if I calculate the movement—"
What leaks at school leaks in society too.
"Whatever you're planning, is it really okay? That's a violation of the Kingdom Security Act."
"For ordinary people, yes. But within the same bureau it's just classified access. If I get caught it'll be overreach—maybe some disciplinary action. Fine, calculations are done. Let's go."
As Iruki set the code and stepped into the corridor, Madeleine, smiling with her fruit shaved ice, was startled.
"Oh my! Where are you going? The meeting's about to—"
"Something's come up. Tell them I won't attend."
"Rank-and-file researchers don't have the right to skip!"
"Say anything to get me out of it. Oh, my mother's having the second child right now, so I have to go in for my father."
"Really?"
Iruki pointed at the fruit shaved ice while Madeleine stood in a daze.
"Throw that away and eat mine instead."
* * *
By the time Iruki left the lab, various ministries in Tormia Castle were facing an unprecedented state of emergency.
"They've entered through the outer gate!"
A first-grade alert sounded and the palace guards, fully armed, sealed off the Grand Hall like an iron gate.
King Adolf sat on the throne, but the queen was conspicuously absent—no one wanted the kingdom's dignity trampled.
"They've breached the inner wards!"
Even the report of someone rapidly breaking through the realm's gates brought a scowl to Adolf's face.
"Your Majesty, shall we activate the mana control device?"
"Don't. No need to provoke them. And anyway—"
He couldn't bring himself to say it would probably be useless.
"They've arrived at the palace!"
At the same time as the report, a woman's voice, amplified by sound magic, began to thunder through the halls.
"Don't look at my panties!"
"…Huh?"
Ministers who had been frowning at the roar all turned toward the Grand Hall entrance.
A Black girl strode down the corridor, holding the Ivory Tower emblem in one hand and lifting her short skirt with the other.
A burly Black man followed behind, wearing sunglasses and carrying a massive nodachi over his shoulder.
"Don't look at my panties!"
As attendants and high officials ducked and stepped back to clear the way, the girl suddenly stopped.
The big man crouched, extended one leg, and tapped his sunglasses with a finger.
"You! You just looked at my panties, didn't you!"
"No! I didn't! I absolutely—!"
"You imagined it! Don't think about anything! Before I tear out your brain!"
The corridor shook as the amplified voice exploded; the officials felt as if their eardrums would be torn out.
'Damn it! If she doesn't want to show them, she shouldn't be flaunting it like that!'
What kind of mind-set hoists a skirt while walking and dares others not to look?
"Don't do what I tell you not to do! Got it?"
"Yes! Understood!"
The girl turned coldly and marched down the corridor, then kicked open the door to the Grand Hall.
"Bow to King Adolf! The Ivory Tower System Oversight Department has come to ascertain the facts of this incident!"
Guards simultaneously drew their weapons, but King Adolf slowly raised his hand to stop them.
"I am King Adolf."
The girl, who had scoffed at the formalities, thrust the Ivory Tower emblem in front of her face and said, "I am a two-star resident of the Ivory Tower, Byeolya Tsuoi."
Her sobriquet was Black Mars (和聲).
"And this is—"
When Tsuoi pointed with her thumb, the burly man sat down again with one leg extended and tapped his sunglasses with his fingertip.
"..."
He was Byeolya Tsuoi's satellite, Kal Musso (Dog? Pig?).