Chapter 998: Endlessly Gathering "Ash"
"Lord Count, we've heard some suspicious individuals have entered your residence. Would you permit us to conduct a search?"
"Of course not☆!"
"Er, this puts me in a difficult position. I won't say anything—just let me take a quick look!"
"No can do☆!"
Pepe Ronchino smiled warmly and even made a heart gesture with his hands.
"Was it Spriggan who sent you? Just go back and tell him that if he wants to search my mansion, he should come himself. That's all. He won't give you any trouble!"
"V-very well..."
Seeing how unyielding he was, the patrol captain could only wipe the cold sweat from his brow and leave.
If he stayed any longer, he felt he might lose something even more important!
No wonder his colleagues were reluctant to deal with the Count—now he finally understood!
After seeing off the patrol, Pepe Ronchino chuckled.
He instructed the human guards at the gate to heighten their vigilance before returning alone to the drawing room.
The anti-Queen faction, composed of forces from Proper Human History and collaborators from the current Lostbelt, had gathered here—eleven people in total.
"Isn't it dangerous if Spriggan comes himself?"
"Don't worry, that guy is slippery as an eel. The one thing he won't do is offend those with wealth and power."
Pepe shrugged, completely unconcerned.
"To answer the Queen's inquiries, he'll definitely come in person. But he wouldn't dare search my mansion. Just entertain him, send him off, and give him an excuse to placate the Queen—that's enough!"
"So that's the kind of personality the Earth Clan's lord has?"
Da Vinci Lily spread her hands, slightly speechless.
"Isn't it said that earth fairies are famously hardworking and stubborn? Why does this lord seem so slick?"
And he loved doing business, rarely touching a hammer—quite peculiar.
Yet he managed Norwich with remarkable order and prosperity. Even they, who had just arrived, could see how bustling the city was. Given his achievements, no one would doubt him.
"Spriggan isn't just slick—he's also incredibly selfish."
Pepe Ronchino let out a light laugh.
Though he said this, there was no trace of displeasure on his face.
"You can see that boring castle from here too, right?"
He pointed out the window.
Following his gaze, Eiji could see a towering castle standing at the city's center, separated by what appeared to be a moat. At first glance, it was hard to find an entrance.
"That's the castle he built using the bark of the World Tree, designed in a layout most effective against invaders. It's heavily guarded, with patrols at all hours. Even if all of Norwich were destroyed, that vault castle would remain standing!"
"He values his safety that much?"
Gudako couldn't help but click her tongue silently.
Such a cautious enemy was truly rare—each one had given them plenty of trouble.
Like that scoundrel Odysseus!
"What he values isn't himself—or rather, it's not just himself."
Pepe grinned brightly, though his smile carried a hint of mockery.
"He has stored all the wealth he has accumulated so far in the vault city, and no one is allowed to touch it. Even now, with Norwich on the verge of a great calamity, he won't permit a single refugee to seek shelter inside."
"Do you know why that is?"
"...Could it be for the money?"
Mash had initially thought it might be because Spriggan didn't care about the lives of his subjects, but Pepe's tone made her consider this possibility.
"You're as sharp as ever, Mash-chan!"
Pepe looked at Mash with the affectionate gaze of a doting mother, making her feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Spriggan is hopelessly greedy. He never misses an opportunity to exploit loopholes for profit, and he snuffs out any possibility that could jeopardize his wealth in its infancy."
So, making money is his purpose as a fairy?
Muramasa nodded in understanding.
"From what you're saying, Spriggan doesn't care at all about the survival of his subjects?"
Grimm, on the other hand, seized on the key information.
"Has he done nothing about the great calamity either?"
"Well, he hasn't done nothing."
"?"
"He's accelerating the sale of land!"
"???"
"Norwich practices private land ownership, granting usage rights for a corresponding period based on the purchase price. But if the entire city is destroyed, the land will revert to the lord after reconstruction."
"...Damn!"
Eiji couldn't help but curse.
What a real estate capitalist!
Sell as much land as possible now, wait for the great calamity to destroy the city, reclaim the land, then rebuild and sell it again!
From this perspective, Spriggan isn't just neglecting disaster relief—he's probably hoping the great calamity destroys Norwich!
After all, he's safe in his castle made from the World Tree and won't die, and the fairies will naturally give birth to the next generation, meaning endless money flowing in again!
"To still be thinking about making money at a time like this—this lord is beyond saving, completely unreliable!"
Gareth said indignantly.
"The reason the subjects here aren't fleeing, aside from fairies not fearing death much, is probably also because they can't easily abandon the land they've purchased, right?"
Even Habetrot, who had been mostly silent these past few days, couldn't help but sigh.
"In that case, does defeating the great calamity fall solely to us?"
Artoria tightly gripped her staff, her heart filled with anxiety and unease.
"Then, you must have gathered a lot of information about the great calamity too, right?"
Da Vinci-chan looked expectantly at Pepe and Tristan.
Though not a professional detective, her artistic curiosity made her eager to unravel the mystery of the great calamity.
Hearing this, Eiji also pricked up his ears.
"This is actually the biggest problem right now!"
Tristan wore a somewhat awkward expression.
"Though it's embarrassing to admit, both the Count and I have gathered very limited information about the great calamity!"
"How so?"
"When you entered the city, you must have seen the thick rain clouds in the sky."
Pepe pointed toward the sky outside the window, his expression turning slightly more serious.
"The 'Ash' scattered across Britain has recently been gathering in large quantities towards Norwich, forming that massive cumulonimbus cloud in the sky. The magical energy contained within is so immense that if someone were to ignite it, it might burn the entirety of Norwich to the ground in one go!"
A colossal cumulonimbus cloud loomed over the entire city of Norwich.
Even from the coast several kilometers away, one could look up and see an endless expanse of ash-gray sky, as if the whole world were weeping in despair, leaving people restless with anxiety.
"The magical energy is truly astonishing! It's almost comparable to a super-large magical reactor core, and the swirling speed of that rain cloud is visibly accelerating!"
"Is it stronger than a Machine God?"
Guda asked.
"Not quite, but it's definitely on the level of a Divine Spirit!"
Little Da Vinci replied with a grave expression.
Eiji could also sense that the magical energy accumulated within that rain cloud was no less than that of a True Ancestor's Familiars!
With the power to destroy a city in a single strike, its destructive capability was nearly on par with that of a True Ancestor's Familiar!