Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Episode 136
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Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Episode 136
33. Ambition (6)
Even if the research and production restrictions on Vanguard equipment and the Heaven-Piercing Fortress were lifted, there would be almost no Mage Tower capable of immediately starting production.
If I had to pick towers with any real chance, it would be the two Marquis houses participating in Metal Fortress, wouldn't it?
That's only natural, since Vanguard equipment and the Heaven-Piercing Fortress aren't called the pinnacle of magical engineering for nothing.
But allowing free research also means open cooperation between Mage Towers becomes possible.
You never know when, where, or how a competitor might appear.
Which means the existing Mage Towers' share of the pie could shrink.
Since a weakened Royal Mage Tower meant weakened royal authority, his way of thinking was extremely dangerous for a nation's leader.
Yet Crown Prince Michael didn't lose his composure and stated his thoughts openly.
"What growth ever comes without competition? I have no desire to be a leader who only clings to what he already holds. I wish to be a leader who grows and evolves together with others."
According to what the Myriad Mirror showed, there was no falsehood in his words.
I couldn't help but admire the Crown Prince's immense capacity.
"Still, it won't be easy to become the kingdom's second Heaven-Piercing Fortress brand."
"Why is that?"
"If what you say comes to pass, it's obvious the Royal Mage Tower and Heins Mage Tower will each make their own moves apart from the joint venture Metal Fortress."
"Haha, that's true as well."
This was truly the beginning of a golden age for weapons research and production in the Kingdom of Rhinehearts.
There was no doubt this would become the driving force behind the Kingdom of Rhinehearts' military growth.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
"Yes."
Having once again understood the Crown Prince's intentions, I organized my thoughts briefly and brought up a different topic.
"Actually, aside from the Anahaim Mage Tower matter, there's something else I wished to discuss."
Trusting the Crown Prince's decisiveness and resolve, I decided to show the card I'd been deliberating on when to play.
The Crown Prince looked puzzled, and I pulled the silent Arcia forward by the shoulder.
"I believe you should grant our Arcia the title of Duke."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She broke through the wall not long ago."
"...!!"
Arcia's publicly known age was 21.
There has always been at least one person in every era who became an Aura Master in their early twenties, but that isn't the case for Grandmaster.
In the entire two-thousand-year history of the Age of Magic, only three people have achieved similar feats.
But that number of three was surprisingly not too small, so while it had no precedent in the history of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts, I judged the chance of linking her to Grand Duke Lucas was low.
After all, mages and knights were complete opposites.
'I can't easily reveal being 8th Circle because of Grand Duke Lucas, but with Arcia, it's a different story.'
That's why I decided to secure what I could get while I could.
"I-Is that true?"
"The goddess Sepia must surely be watching over our kingdom and Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
For an ambitious Crown Prince, this was the best possible card to receive.
Still dazed, he swallowed dryly and looked at Arcia.
As if living up to the Crown Prince's expectations, she levitated the fork she'd been cutting cake with and demonstrated the realm of Sword Aura by cloaking it in an Aura Blade.
"H-Haha! This is a masterpiece! Hahaha!"
The Crown Prince burst into joyful laughter with a delighted expression.
The knights waiting outside rushed in at that, but the Crown Prince shooed them away, telling them to leave at once.
And in his now-composed eyes, greed gleamed.
But that greed didn't seem directed at possessing her rather, it seemed aimed at something far greater behind her.
"So as soon as you grant Arcia the Duke title, I intend to hold the ceremony. There will be ignorant mayflies everywhere trying to sow discord."
The announcement of a Grandmaster, followed by the report of marriage.
This was a strategic choice rather than love.
It's not that I don't like her, but I'm not sure love truly exists between us.
No matter how much I consider her feelings, the dynamic still feels strongly like superior and subordinate.
"That's good. It's an excellent way to consolidate power."
Even while watching power gather around me, the Crown Prince showed no great concern and offered his sincere congratulations.
Come to think of it, it was the Crown Prince who first brought up our marriage proposal.
But even though I'd already told her the plan, it was unexpected that Arcia would make such an oddly unnatural expression.
"What's wrong?"
"What about the proposal?"
"Huh?"
At Arcia's unexpected remark, both she and I wore foolish expressions.
This was just a marriage according to plan why would she be asking about a proposal?
'Ah, could it be?'
Then I realized she'd been completely absorbed in a drama lately.
She seemed to be influenced by it.
"Oh! Of course! I'm already preparing it."
"Ah, I see."
If Arcia wanted it, then I'd do it.
I answered without much hesitation.
"When you hold the ceremony, I'll officiate. By then I'll have received the throne, so your status will be secure, no? And Lady Ibril would be perfect to give the blessing."
I'd been thinking of it lightly, but it felt like things were getting bigger still, with Arcia's eyes sparkling, I kept nodding along.
Arcia and the Crown Prince were delighted, while I grew tense.
"I will prepare your elevation to a higher title quickly. But for the time being, it would be best to keep Marquis Klein's territory hidden."
"I'd prefer that too if possible, but the nobles will object are you sure that's all right?"
"We can simply disclose the facts under a principle of secrecy to only the nobles of Marquis rank and above."
In the end, he meant to convince only the higher-ups and crush everyone beneath with authority.
A very simple yet effective method.
'He's certainly of a different temperament from the previous kings.'
To others, he might seem reckless and unstable, but I know well that the Crown Prince is smarter than anyone.
Since these conclusions were clearly drawn after full calculation, I decided to follow his opinions without complaint.
The change in the nation that began with the Crown Prince.
I rather liked it.
* * *
[Lawrence Mage Tower Makes a Surprise Acquisition of Anahaim Mage Tower! Market Cap, Which Just Surpassed 100 Trillion, Soars Again!]
[Lawrence Mage Tower, Following Anahaim Mage Tower, Acquires Karinse Mage Tower and Eight Other Companies! Lawrence Mage Tower Expands Its Size at Once! Beyond the Kingdom of Rhinehearts, to the World!]
[Lawrence Mage Tower Ranks 7th Worldwide by Market Cap Among Mage Towers!]
[Kingdom of Rhinehearts Abolishes Antitrust Laws and Restrictions on Strategic Weapon Research and Production.]
[Flood of Vanguard Heaven-Piercing Fortress Production Contracts Day After Day. Croysen Empire Explodes at the Kingdom of Rhinehearts' Sudden Military Buildup. Tensions Rise Again. The Kingdom's Western Border Is at a Boiling Point.]
[Shock! Arcia Klein Marquis Promoted to Duke!? The Noble Circle Is Thrown Into Turmoil at the Unexpected Elevation. But the Nobles of Marquis Rank and Above Are Surprisingly Quiet. What Kind of Deal Was Made?]
[Not Just a Tiger Adding Wings Nobles Worry About the Rapidly Expanding Power of Duke Lawrence, Saying He's Wearing Vanguard Equipment and Even Riding a Hoverboard.]
True to its bold moves, the Kingdom of Rhinehearts shook the whole country with new news every day.
But the figure at the center of attention was undoubtedly Duke Adrian El Lawrence and once he married Arcia, who would soon become a Duke herself, he would clearly become untouchable in the Kingdom of Rhinehearts.
Feeling threatened, some nobles argued that Adrian would threaten the throne and tried to persuade Crown Prince Mikhail and the nobles of Marquis rank and above but not a single person lent an ear to their words.
In response, those greedy ones who rationalized their actions with talk of loyalty to the royal family gathered their forces, but...
"You should at least know that now is not the time for such things, shouldn't you?"
"Wh-Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
"You lot should step back from the front lines. Yield your positions to the young ones and go tend to your plants or something."
Branded as obstacles to the nation's progress, they were forced to yield their titles to their heirs.
Thanks to that, an unexpected generational shift took place on a grand scale.
The younger one was, the more likely they were to support the Crown Prince, and with even the few troublemakers gone, the Crown Prince tore apart outdated customs and laws one by one like a runaway locomotive.
A monarchy is utterly miserable when it serves an incompetent sovereign, but when vassals unite tightly under the banner of a capable king, it can achieve steep growth.
[Kingdom of Rhinehearts' economic growth rate this year revised upward from the 5% range to the 7% range. The economic outlook for the Kingdom of Rhinehearts is very bright.]
* * *
I've been busy lately with work related to the Mage Tower, but my daily routine hasn't changed much.
The place I still invest the most time in each day is Chronicle Online the game where the Opportunity resides and I've been squeezing out sleep to handle my work in the remaining time.
Using 8th Circle magic for fatigue recovery hasn't been too taxing yet.
"Who brought whom here?"
So today, as usual, I finished gaming, slept for about three hours, then woke up and started on administrative work but no sooner had I taken my seat in the study than the butler came in looking flustered, and I frowned.
"Elise Ellenburg has brought Edgar Winston..."
Elise Ellenburg is the Bug's public name.
Of course, I couldn't just use Isabella Caskbell, her original namesake, so I had a new family registry drawn up for her in my domain.
The Bug, being the one in charge of comedy among my retainers, was always pulling all sorts of unexpected stunts, but I can swear this was the most absurd yet.
After all, Edgar Winston, the person she brought as a guest, was from a family I absolutely despise.
The Winston family is closely tied to me.
Naturally because my mother, Sylvia Lawrence, was originally Sylvia Winston.
Edgar Winston was my mother's elder brother, making him my maternal uncle.
"Has that Bug finally lost her damn mind?"
The reason I dislike the Winston family is simple.
When my mother came under threat from Anna Lawrence, the legal wife of the Viscount Lawrence family, they cut her off without hesitation.
Even if they weren't nobles, they were a fairly well-known merchant family among commoners if they had helped even secretly, I might have had a somewhat better childhood.
But because of their actions, my mother was left utterly helpless, with nowhere to voice her grievance.
They married her into a noble family out of their own greed, then turned their backs when things went south in my eyes, they were merchants to the bone.
"Where is she?"
"In Reception Room 2."
I clicked my tongue in displeasure and rose from my seat in a huff.
Then I strode over.
Arcia, who had somehow sensed my movement like a ghost, peeked her head out of the lounge with an expectant look, but I forced an awkward smile and told her I had guests and to keep watching her drama.
At that, Arcia scratched her cheek and slipped back into the room.
Ever since the marriage talk came up, she'd been constantly showing anticipation for when I'd propose.
A short while later.
I arrived at the reception room, opened the door, and walked in to see my uncle diligently massaging the Bug's small shoulders like a servant while the Bug sat there looking haughty.
"D-Duke, Your Grace."
The Bug flinched at my entrance, and Edgar Winston straightened up with an awkward smile.
I stopped my uncle's display of courtesy and took the seat of honor.
"What business brings you here?"
A tone far from kind, a face full of annoyance.
At that, even my uncle, who'd spent so many years as a merchant, couldn't help but tense up.
I suppose I'll have to hear what he has to say.