[V6C15] The Persuasive Power of the Imperial Family
Translated by Jodas 6: Secrets of the Wedge Tower“Ooh, hide-and-seek! How fun! I’m really good at finding things!”
When Agniol’s ring let out a delighted voice, Julius covered it with his hand. At the same time, the fireball in front of Tia disappeared without a sound.
Without missing a beat, Sevil grabbed the hilt of her curved sword.
“Julius, what are you doing there!?”
“Kuku… I believe I should be the one asking that question.”
Julius quietly stepped towards the tree where Tia and the others were hiding.
He must have understood that it would be dangerous for them to talk out in the open.
“I believe no one would question me if I said I was on a nighttime walk by myself. You, on the other hand, have three people from the same class. I assume you coordinated with each other to sneak out of the dorms?”
He was absolutely correct. As Tia waffled over how to respond, Wren stepped forward.
“Oi, oi, isn’t it obvious just by looking?”
“Kuku, who knows? Why don’t you inform me?”
Wren smirked and grabbed both Tia and Sevil by the arms.
“It’s a salacious encounter! You know, a hook up! Hahaha, It sure is hard being such a popular pretty boy!”
“Pretty boy! Sal-a-cious!”
To back up Wren as he laughed confidently, Tia spoke the word she’d only just learned. This should be pretty good backup. Should be.
Julius fell silent, maintaining a faint smile. He looked like he was trying to assess their thought process.
As this went on, Sevil opened her mouth.
“No, it’s not a salacious encounter.”
“Aw, come on, I was going to commit to that bit!”
“Wren, I suggest we try to bring Julius on as an ally. It appears he has information we do not.”
Tia and Wren exchanged glances.
This was probably a situation that she should leave to Wren and his smarts. Regardless, Tia tried her hardest to think about it too.
Because, she remembered Hütter telling her that she couldn’t keep leaving all the thinking to Wren and Sevil forever.
(Julius wants to know the Wedge Tower’s secrets. He’s not That Man’s — the Headmaster’s ally… Could we work with him? But…)
If they were working with Julius, then they’d probably have to explain their situation as well.
(Our… situation…)
The reason why Tia and co. were trying to investigate Headmaster Möbius’ weaknesses was because Tia was a Harpy. Because she’d been captured by Möbius before, and because she’d met a girl named Fiene.
(If we want to work with Julius, then we’d have to talk about my true identity… right?)
Was Sevil planning to tell Julius that Tia was a Harpy?
As she worried, an uncertain feeling settled into Tia’s chest. A foggy, smoke-like uncertainty.
In response, Tia pulled on the hem of Sevil’s clothes.
(Are you going to tell Julius who I am?)
Then, Sevil reached out to Tia. Her hand lightly patted Tia on the top of her head.
She felt like she heard a voice assuring her ‘It’ll be okay. Leave it to me.’
“Julius, I have reasons of my own to investigate the secrets of the Wedge Tower. Would it be possible for us to exchange information?”
“Kuku… First, I would like to hear your explanation. Why would Your Highness, the Imperial Princess, be digging through the secrets of the Wedge Tower?”
Wren whispered “What do we do?” Then, just as she had done for Tia, Sevil patted Wren on the head.
Acting like she had nothing to hide, Sevil spoke with pride and pomp.
“I intend to raise the flag of rebellion against my brother, and to that end, I intend to bring the Wedge Tower under my control. Thus, by taking stock of Headmaster Möbius’ weaknesses, I shall usurp his position!”
“You- Wait, you’re talking about a coup d’état…!”
Wren kept his voice down as he screamed. His shocked expression made a waste of his pretty boy looks.
This probably wasn’t an act; Wren looked like he was truly shocked by Sevil’s declaration. However, it seemed that genuine performance had the bonus effect of convincing Julius.
This way, he would stop asking questions about why Sevil and the others were investigating around the Wedge Tower, without addressing Tia’s identity.
“Haha, you’ve been looking to expand your faction, haven’t you, Julius. How would you feel about becoming my subordinate?”
Sevil cheerfully pulled Tia and Wren to her sides and patted them both on the head.
Her actions were a display of the graciousness and protectiveness distinctive of the strong.
Sevil gave Tia a light kiss on the top of her head, above her bangs, then showed a stunningly gorgeous smile.
“The day I bring the Wedge Tower under my control, Julius, I shall graciously grant you a station of considerable power.”
As Sevil pulled him into an embrace, Wren squeaked out an “Eugh…” under his breath.
“This crazy princess, she’s on a totally different scale… My salacious encounter bit disappeared in the blink of an eye.”
“Sal-a-cious en-counter bit!”
She still wasn’t sure what that meant, but Tia was honestly impressed at Sevil’s powerful confidence and amazing, overpowering presence.
Most importantly, they’ve managed to convince Julius without touching on Tia’s identity.
Sevil continued, overflowing with confidence.
“Lately, I’ve received intel that Headmaster Möbius and Assistant Headmaster Miriam have been frequenting a certain location. I believe that, should they be involved in any untoward activities, this could present a chance to grasp their weaknesses. Therefore, I am investigating.”
“Kuku…” Julius laughed. With her excellent ears, Tia could tell.
He was not just putting on airs; he truly was laughing because he enjoyed what Sevil was saying.
“Kuku… While I have no intentions of submitting to Your Highness, it appears there is value in cooperating with you.”
Julius lightly stroked the twinkling red ring on his finger. As he did so, he tilted his head and looked towards the First Spire: White Smoke.
“I came to the Wedge Tower in order to investigate the reasons why the former Spiremaster of the First Spire: White Smoke, Samuel Löwenich, my father, was expelled.”
“Piyo?” Tia made a noise as she gasped.
Wren fearfully asked his next question.
“That would mean… the Spiremaster before that nice-looking lady… Spiremaster Abel?”
“Yes, that’s right. My father was expelled as the result of a conspiracy between Spiremaster Abel, Headmaster Möbius, and Assistant Headmaster Miriam… Or so I believe.”
It seemed that Spiremaster Lowein of the Second Spire and Spiremaster Alto of the Third Spire only became Spiremasters long after Samuel’s expulsion.
As a result, Julius suspected the Headmaster at the time, Möbius, his Assistant, Miriam, and the one who replaced his father as White Smoke Spiremaster, Abel.
“So far, I only have one clue to go on. The words my father left me before he died: ‘The Wedge Tower’s Fourth.’”
Tia tried really had to think about it.
The Fourth. That means something for which there was already a first, second, and third.
(Something there’s three of in the Wedge Tower…)
Tia had a hard time understanding the organizations and rules humans made. It was the best she could do to remember the most basic bits of information. That was precisely why it was easy for her to come up with an answer for ‘something there was three of.’
Something the Wedge Tower only had three of — That had to be the First, Second, and Third Spires.
In that case, the Fourth had to be….
“…The Fourth Spire?”
When Tia muttered that under her breath, Julius’s eyes widened ever so slightly. Wren and Sevil also made faces of surprise.
“Ooh, I like that one! That has to be it!”
“I see. Certainly, that would make sense.”
“Kuku… As I thought, I should have brought you on my side earlier.”
Julius laughed sardonically as he pulled something out of his pocket.
He held three crystal gemstones. Tia, who could see well despite the dark, noticed that each of the crystals contained things inside: a white haze, a golden line, and a drop of water.
“White Smoke, Golden Needle, Water Bubble — All of these words refer to crystals with inclusions.”
“Piyo! Ah, those are the same as the Spires names!”
“Correct. It was Rukiye who noticed this, but… It appears that the names of the Wedge Tower derive from crystals. Then, this would be the fourth…”
Julius moved the three crystals to his left hand, then slid his right hand into a pocket to take out a fourth crystal.
Trapped within the transparent crystal was a clump of mossy-looking green, brown, and pink haze.
“Crystals such as this look as if they contain a tiny garden inside, so people refer to this as a ‘garden quartz.’”
Garden. They were in the garden right now.
“I believe something must be in this garden. However, I don’t know what that something is. I need more information.”
The only information Julius had was ‘The Wedge Tower’s Fourth.’ Then, through deduction, he’d come across the keyword ‘garden.’
(But the information we have is…)
Sevil glanced at Tia.
Then, in a voice that only Tia could hear, she asked “You don’t mind, right?” To which Tia nodded.
Sevil turned to Julius and spoke.
“It’s underground. I suspect that something is hidden underneath the Wedge Tower.”
“And your source for that information?”
“It’s a secret passed down through generations of the Imperial Family. If I told you, assume I’d have to kill you.”
A bald-faced lie.
She’d managed to conceal Tia’s identity, their information source, and everything else with the persuasive power of the Imperial Family. An Imperial Princess really was a powerful and amazing species of creature.
Wren escaped from Sevil’s grip and looked around the garden in front of him.
“So, combining that with Julius’ information, does that mean there’s an entrance to the underground here in the garden? … Or something like that? Well, I doubt it’s really that simple, but I agree that we should look around the garden.”
Somewhere in the garden, there might be something that connected underground — it felt like they were finally getting closer to the heart of the Wedge Tower.
(… Huh?)
With her good hearing, Tia picked up the sound of people’s voices. And not in the garden.
From the gate, she could hear a somewhat panicked voice.
(That’s the gatekeeper and… who? I hear a horse whinnying too… Did someone come from outside? At this time of night?)
Sevil looked at the rest of them. “That said, let us waste no time and begin investigating the garden…” She took command of the group.
Tia stopped her mid sentence with a stiff voice.
“Sevil, wait.”
She closed her eyes and focused her hearing. She could hear them. Human voices.
The familiar voices were the gatekeepers she knew.
Then, towards the uneasy gatekeepers, the voice of a young man introduced himself.
“I deeply apologize for disturbing you at this hour. I beg for your lenience, considering the urgency of the matter. I am Axel Olaf Dahlbeck of Darwock, a member nation of the Northern Federation. I beg you to allow me an audience with the honorable Spiremasters of the Wedge Tower!”
That was the sound of a human who was used to introducing himself to others. His pompous, projected voice reminded her a little of Sevil.
Tia opened her eyes again.
“Peuu… It sounds like someone came from onside. Riding a horse…”
“Huh? This time of night?”
Wren frowned and looked towards the gate.
Sevil asked Tia with a stern face.
“Could it be that a Monster has appeared?”
“Vuvu… I can only hear bits and pieces, so I don’t really know… I hear ‘Send a message to Assistant Headmaster Miriam’ and ‘You should rest for now’ … and ‘There’s Monsters in the Palace.’”
Sevil’s face tensed at that last part.
Monsters in the Palace — That meant Monsters had appeared somewhere in human territory.
Julius knit his brows in response to Tia’s words.
“Wait. There’s a barrier to the West of the Wedge Tower that prevents Monsters from crossing. Besides, as far as I can recall, there’s no place called a ‘Palace’ anywhere East of the Wall.”
Julius was correct. Monsters could not leave the Crystal Territory, on the Eastern edge of the Empire, for very long. Even if they did leave, they would be blocked by an invisible Wall to the West of the Wedge Tower, unable to proceed any farther.
Additionally, there were no buildings in the Monster’s range of activity that looked like they could be called a ‘Palace.’ Tia knew that well, having flown around the area many times.
Sevil asked Tia with a stern expression.
“Tia, did the visitor say where they came from? Did you catch their name?”
“Um… The Northern Federation’s… Darwock? Axel… Ola… Something or other. It was a young man’s voice.”
Sevil inhaled sharply. Unusually for the unflappable Sevil, she was clearly shaken.
Eventually, she muttered in a low tone.
“— Axel Olaf Dahlbeck.”
“Ah! That! Those sounds! Sevil, do you know him?”
“As a matter of fact, I do know that man’s name. Axel Olaf Dahlbeck, sixth son of the King of Darwock. That is the name of the man I was arranged to marry.”