CH 444

The Abyssal Depth of the Great Wisdom of the Empire

“And now we’ve reached the highlight of the Thanksharvest Festival,” Ludwig said, “Her Highness danced for the crowd.”

He said this as if he were telling a great myth. He then closed his eyes as he remembered about what had happened.

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“It really was a stunning show. The artistry… The meanings… I could almost see Tearmoon and Perujin becoming friends right in front of my eyes. I knew that Her Highness was good at dancing, but I couldn’t have guessed just how good she was… It was almost a religious experience to see it happen in person.”

He talked in a way that passionate minstrels often do when they sing. Or drunks who talk too much. Considering how much wine he had already drunk, the second option might be more possible. Even though Galv seemed drunk, he nodded his head a lot when he spoke.

“Yes, that’s true. People say that dance shows what’s inside a person. In Her Highness’s heart, it’s clear that she wants everyone to be happy and at peace. The beauty of her virtue was reflected in the beauty of her performance,” the wise man said, his tone almost making fun of how drunk his student was.

No one brought up this difference. Instead, everyone else in the room simply nodded and said things like “well said” and “indeed.”

“Yes, that’s it! She was beautiful from the inside out.” Ludwig jumped on the praise train with the same excitement that Mia showed for riding waves. Her ability to sense the momentum might have rubbed off on Ludwig. “When she was done dancing, His Majesty King Yuhal made a formal announcement that Perujin would trust Her Highness.”

“But doesn’t that mean that the Perujin king ended up stealing all of her thunder?”

“No, I don’t think Her Highness felt the need to dispute any credit for the achievement. She gave him the floor on purpose because she valued Perujin’s trust much more,” Ludwig said, shivering as he remembered the hope in the eyes of the crowd, their cheers of joy, his own speechless joy, and most of all, the deep satisfaction on Mia’s face. He would remember that expression for the rest of his life.

“But that’s not all,” he said after that. “Her Majesty was after something bigger. Something more”

“What? What could be more?”

“We are now making assumptions, but I have a feeling that…”

Ludwig outlined his theory, which he had put together based on a lot of clues. He talked about a big plan for a mutual aid network that would stretch across borders and bring food to poor areas all over the continent. People were amazed by how big and important this overstated feat was. Galv’s childish wonder and the energy of all the young officials in the room made the air buzz with excitement.

“You can’t really mean that! Even Shalloak Cornrogue, not just Forkroad? How did she get him to do this?”

People who had dealt with the Merchant King before knew how much he cared about money. When they heard that Shalloak had changed, the shock on their faces was clear as day. They never would have thought that he would give so much of himself to charity.

“It was like a lot of talented people coming together. Great minds from all walks of life gathered under her banner and were brought together by the Bread-Cake Declaration,” Ludwig said as he drank another glass of wine. He had lost track of how many he’d had. He was slurring his words so much now that he might as well have been singing.

Galv gave another strong nod when he saw that his student was clearly drunk.

“Indeed,” Galv replied. “It is said that there are words that can move people’s hearts. It’s clear that Her Highness’s words have this kind of power.”

The way he talked made others wonder if he was really drunk. The other people in the room (should they even be mentioned at this point?) also nodded in agreement.

One person even got up from his seat.

“Ludwig, I want to be a part of this project you’re working on!”

The young officials in the room were smart, driven, and eager to do their jobs well. They had talent but didn’t know what to do with it. When the Great Wisdom of the Empire (through Ludwig) showed them a vision of an organization that was bigger and smarter than anything they had done before, they were completely drawn in.

“That’s great. I hoped you’d say that,” Ludwig said. “The project needs some talent from Tearmoon, and your help will be very important.”

Soon after the man signed up, a lot of other people did the same. Ludwig told them that he would show them his plans when the time was right.

“We also need people to help breed wheat, but all the experts in that field have given up on the empire and moved elsewhere,” Galv said with a grimace. “I’m trying to call them back, but the best in the business is currently working overseas…”

Ludwig shook his head to show that he understood.

“Master, don’t be too hard on yourself. We can only do the best we can. Even for us, it’s not always easy to understand how Her Highness thinks. Her speed and quickness often surprise us.”

That got him a round of nods and mumbles of agreement.

“I have to say, though,” one member said, “the way Her Highness thinks, it’s almost as if she knows what’s going to happen… She prepares many steps ahead… it’s so uncanny… Almost makes you doubt if she’s really a human…”

Gilbert asked, “And which do you think is scarier? If she’s not or if she is? I would say the second one personally.”

Someone else made fun of him. “What are you saying, dude? It would be much scarier if she had no idea what she was doing and this was literally a crazy chain of coincidences. Reality itself would have to be breaking down for that to happen.”

Gilbert looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. “Eh, well, I guess you’re right.”

Everyone in the room laughed and took a sip of wine. If they had found out the truth right then, they would have all choked to death. For their sake, may they never found out…

—

“…And that’s the gist of our current plans,” Ludwig said.

“So, you want to strengthen the base before you grow the faction, right? That makes sense,” Dion said. “However, time doesn’t favor anyone. Our foes will also get stronger.”

“They will, and there’s no way in hell they’ll wait until we’re ready. They will attack us when and where we are weakest.”

Ludwig adjusted his glasses. “That should be obvious. Nobles tend to be conservative. A long time has passed since the day in winter when Her Highness wore purple. It’s about time that the opposition did something.”

“Which means, even though Duke Greenmoon has a daughter, we should assume he is against the idea of a princess becoming an empress?”

“If Her Highness doesn’t get the throne, a Greenmoon heir could. There are many ways in which our goals are different and not many where they are the same. I can’t say for sure, but the situation speaks for itself.” Ludwig folded his arms together. “On the other hand, he might just be trying to find a good husband for his daughter. The heart of a person is always a puzzle. At times, it seems to go on forever, but then you find out that it was just a shadow on the shallow floor.”

For a moment, it looked like he was about to figure out what was going on. He was almost able to see the trickery of light behind the Great Wisdom of the Empire’s great depth. Then a second went by, and he laughed.

“No matter what, our job right now is to keep Her Highness safe from all of her enemies, whether they are Serpents, anti-empress groups, or something else we don’t know about. That should be the main point of—Um? What’s up?”

Ludwig looked up at Dion, who was suddenly standing up.

“It’s not much. Just heard something. Or someone,” he said, reaching for the blade at his waist. “And it’s getting closer.”

He got off the carriage, but not before giving a shrug and saying, “Sounds like a small fry. Too bad. Was hoping to see some action.”