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Chapter 57
She didn’t take swordsmanship lessons like Noah. She also didn’t much like exercise.
Then Alexis made a suggestion.
“Eli, how about this?”
Elia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Alexis. Somehow she felt Alexis would have a good idea.
“Learn self-defense.”
“Self-defense?”
“Yeah. It’s good to learn it just in case something happens. I’ll teach you.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Great. Shall we eat now?”
Elia smiled brightly and ate.
It was an enjoyable evening.
Inside the Prussian Grand Duke’s mansion.
Grand Duchess Christina was having the maids give her a massage. She was exhausted after hosting a tea party with the other noblewomen today.
“Roen, what happened with the thing I asked you to look into?”
Christina had instructed Roen to find a man named Felix.
“I found out he’s at the White Horse Tower. So we couldn’t meet him.”
“The White Horse Tower?”
“Yes. It seems they’re producing goods there that are being supplied to Florence.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Tracking the movement of the products showed they ultimately connected to the White Horse Tower.”
“Why would the White Horse Tower suddenly start a business in the capital? What on earth are they up to?”
“What should I do?”
“If the White Horse Tower owns it, I can’t simply take it away because I want it. But we can at least interfere, right?”
“Interfere how…?”
“The capital is my domain — any accident happening here wouldn’t be strange. For example, a fire breaks out at the shop…”
“I understand what you mean. I’ll start immediately.”
Instead of further words, Grand Duchess Christina waved her hand, dismissing the matter.
‘How dare they do business in my territory? That won’t work…’
What puzzled her was why the White Horse Tower had suddenly started doing business.
For an isolated organization like the White Horse Tower to operate in the imperial capital—
‘Come to think of it, what happened with the investigation into the Black Pearl Trading Company?’
She had asked her network to look into the Black Pearl Trading Company because it had grown rapidly over the past three years, to the point of threatening the trading house run by Christina’s family.
‘It would be good to take them over; if we can’t, they must be eliminated.’
Sorting through her thoughts, Christina closed her eyes for a moment.
Perhaps because of the massage, her body relaxed and fatigue washed over her.
In the harem palace.
Empress Marianne put feed into a birdcage and watched a woman standing nearby. The woman had red hair, her hood pulled down low. A butterfly tattoo marked the back of her hand.
Marianne said, “Take the letter on the table. It contains the information you want.”
“This is our gift to you.”
The red-haired woman took the letter and placed a box on the table.
“I will accept the gift gratefully.”
“Very well.”
The red-haired woman bowed, then disappeared in an instant.
Turning back, Empress Marianne admired the stealthy technique.
“It’s still amazing every time — that concealment skill.”
She walked over and opened the box on the table.
Inside lay a top-grade mana gem that shimmered beautifully.
“This will be a fine gift for Serhi.”
A top-grade gem would be very useful for Serhi, who had mastered mana swords. Simply absorbing the mana sealed in the gem would greatly help in creating a mana rod.
A mana rod was a unique skill of swordsmen who could manipulate mana.
Serhi had been creating and training with a mana rod under an excellent teacher.
Not just anyone could learn to form a mana rod. One needed innate talent and mana affinity. Fortunately, Serhi possessed both.
Even without the Sun’s Blessing, someone with well-honed talent could succeed. The current emperor, too, had not been born with the Sun’s Blessing.
Moreover, emperors born with the Sun’s Blessing were so rare they could be counted on one hand.
“The throne was always for the talented.”
Those without talent would simply be weeded out.
“Grow to be more accomplished than anyone.”
Empress Marianne harbored feelings of inferiority toward the Grand Duchess. She lacked the wealth the Duchess had.
“You can’t keep begging favors from low-ranking nobles forever.”
Marianne and Grand Duchess Christina were different by birth.
Marianne had been born into a high family. Though she had been deprived of the duchess’s position and resented it, she had steeled herself and built up power.
Power to win the throne.
“If only we could get the World Tree’s guardian, the current guardian, on Serhi’s side, that would be perfect.”
She’d been quietly making inquiries, but had found little news. Christina probably had the same difficulty.
“Working with the Black Pearl Trading Company was a good move.”
At first she’d been wary when they approached.
But as time passed, she felt glad she had done business with them.
Thanks to that alliance, Serhi had been able to continue taking the elixirs.
In return, she merely had to hand over palace information that they wanted.
Black Pearl Trading Company — Capital Headquarters.
“Here — the information the boss wanted.”
“Good work, Lily.”
“What for?”
Lapis opened the letter Lily had brought and read it.
“They plan to target Florence?”
Crinkling the paper, Lapis looked up at Lily immediately.
“The Grand Duchess plans to burn Florence down.”
“What?”
Lily’s eyes widened.
“Go see Nicholas. I’ll contact the lady for now.”
“Got it.”
After sending Lily off, Lapis took out a communication orb and contacted Elia.
“My lady, it’s me.”
— What is it?
Elia’s voice sounded subdued; maybe she had been asleep.
It was late.
“The Grand Duchess plans to set fire to Florence.”
Surprisingly, Elia was calm.
— I expected that.
“You’re calm.”
— Why, did you think I’d be surprised?
“No.”
— I don’t get startled over things like this.
Christina was the sort of woman who removed whatever bothered her by any means necessary.
— When will they set the fire?
“I don’t know the date.”
— Make a reverse request to the Blood Python.
“The Blood Python?”
— You’ve heard of them, right?
“Yes. They’re the group that handles dirty jobs in the capital.”
— They can’t resist money. A reverse commissioned job should be possible — like hiring them to set a fire at the shop directly opposite instead.
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll take care of it.”
— Okay, good work.
After ending the communication, Lapis snorted with a smile.
“The World Tree’s information is impressive.”
Leaving the office, he saw the operatives waiting outside.
“Arm yourselves. Tonight we’re going to deal with the Blood Python.”
At its core, the Black Pearl was an assassin organization.
At Lapis’s order, their eyes flashed dangerously.
Blood Python — Capital Headquarters.
Hades, the leader, couldn’t help grinning at the large fee that had come in after a long dry spell.
It was like gold rolling in.
Their men had been restless due to the lack of decent jobs, and at last a big commission had arrived.
The job was simple.
Set a shop on fire and run.
He looked at the heft of gold before him and smirked.
Just then, a commotion came from outside.
“What’s all the noise about?”
He rose to go see, but the door was flung open — no, the door was smashed in.
“What the—?”
“Aren’t you the ones about to get dealt with?”
A large group of masked people burst into the office.
One of them grabbed the collar of one of Hades’s men and threw him in front of Hades.
“Co—Collin?”
Collin was the ace Hades prized most.
And Collin was covered in blood.
“Hey, are you the boss here?”
Hades swallowed his dry throat.
“Wh—who are you…?”
“Who hired you to terrorize Florence?”
“Th-that… how did you—”
“There’s nothing in this city’s underbelly we don’t know.”
“W-what do you want?”
Hades had been through everything on the back-alley streets. If someone had come in over a commission, they must want something.
“A reverse commission.”
“A reverse commission…?”
“Change it from Florence to Queens.”
“What? But there—”
“Why, scared?”
“To be honest, if we touch that place, we won’t survive.”
“Is that so? Then should I make you disappear right now?”
The man looked at Hades with murderous eyes.
