"For the very reason Your Royal Highness the Princess has just stated. We need to quickly clear the suspicion cast upon the Daudabiner family. If we do not, other countries will claim, 'Since this phenomenon was caused by a subject of the Empire, the Empire must take responsibility, resolve the problem, and provide compensation.'"

"Hmm..."

"It will be too late if more countries start suffering casualties. If we only try to clear the suspicion then, it will be criticized as a perfunctory attempt to avoid responsibility. What matters to other countries is not whether the suspicion is true or false, but whether it can be used to undermine the Empire's prestige and secure an advantage. The Empire must act first."

I spoke in an extremely grave tone.

In the original work, no foreign nation ever pressured the Empire to take responsibility.

If that had happened—

The Imperial Family would have had to admit that they had been blinded by greed, stolen the territory from Reisir, and then apologize.

Not only would they have needed to return the territory, they would have had to disgorge all the profits they had earned from it and provide additional compensation.

Did Author Senna decide that such a development didn't suit a despair novel and simply ignore it?

Or did they fail to consider the possibility that other countries might exploit the suspicion for political gain?

Neither possibility is my concern.

What mattered now was not the original plot.

The fact that nothing would happen even if the suspicion against the Daudabiner family remained unresolved was something only I knew.

From a plausibility standpoint, my claim that it could develop into a diplomatic issue sounded perfectly reasonable.

"Young Master Karvaldr. You said the Imperial Family should return the territory in 'another way.'"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Don't tell me that way is... for the Imperial Family to officially apologize and announce that they fabricated charges against the dead parents of an orphaned boy simply to steal his homeland?"

"Is that impossible?"

"That... haah..."

Fjodora sighed heavily.

"Before these anomalies begin springing up like bamboo shoots both within the Empire and abroad... we will have to make it possible."

Contrary to her words, she pressed a hand against her forehead with an exhausted expression.

Looking at her, I was reminded once again of just how rotten the current Imperial Family was.

Now that I had brought up the diplomatic implications, the Imperial Family would ultimately have no choice but to return the territory and apologize to Reisir.

The problem is that there's no guarantee that the petty and selfish Emperor won't take his anger out on someone.

If Fjodora fell out of favor while persuading the Imperial Family—

And if she died as she had in the original work—

Then the Imperial Family would decay and collapse at an uncontrollable pace.

Considering how broken the status system already was, I had no desire to live under a corrupt Imperial Family.

"Are you reluctant?"

"That's not it. It's just..."

She hesitated.

"No. It is not something you need concern yourself with."

Judging from her wavering words, Fjodora was fully aware that the Emperor's wrath could be directed at her.

"If your concern is damage to the Imperial Family's authority, may I suggest another method?"

"Ah... now that I think about it...!"

Her eyes widened.

"You only asked whether my guess was possible. You never said it was correct."

"Yes, that is correct."

"...You must have judged that the Imperial Family, steeped in self-righteous authoritarianism, would never willingly acknowledge a past mistake."

With a bitter smile, Fjodora made a self-deprecating remark.

Only a member of the Imperial Family could speak of it that way.

Even she would never dare say such things in front of the other imperial family members.

Which meant I couldn't openly agree with her.

"I do not know what you mean. There was merely a misunderstanding. If they were required to publicly declare that something had been unjustly taken, would it not be natural for them to feel wronged? I was simply considering the Imperial Family's position."

"..."

Using part of the reasoning Reisir had presented during our previous conversation, I gave my answer.

A look of self-reproach appeared on Fjodora's face.

The original protagonist would probably never come to hate Fjodora after seeing this side of her.

Thinking as much, I turned toward Reisir.

Our eyes met.

Why is he looking at me like that...?

I instinctively looked away so quickly that I couldn't properly read his expression.

But once I became aware of it, I could still feel his gaze lingering on me.

I briefly considered looking back to check his expression.

I couldn't.

Fjodora was already urging me onward.

"Young Master Karvaldr. What is this method of yours? Hurry and tell me."

"As it happens, the heir of the Daudabiner Earldom will come of age this year upon reaching nineteen, will he not? At that point, he will be eligible to formally inherit the title. I propose returning the territory at that time."

"You mean..."

"If the Imperial Family adopts the position that they have merely been safeguarding the territory on behalf of a young boy who lost his guardian, then the matter of the late Count and Countess's tarnished reputation can likely be settled with a sincere expression of regret and condolences."

"Ugh..."

Fjodora squeezed her eyes shut and let out a groan.

The thought of disguising the Imperial Family's malice as benevolence was clearly weighing on her conscience.

"After the anomaly that occurred on the day of the closing ceremony, Ether Grass was growing around the auditorium like weeds. While I know little about botany and cannot identify everything that grew there, I suspect there were many rare plants besides Ether Grass. The same must have been true in the Daudabiner Earldom, and considering the size of the territory..."

"You needn't be so indirect. You wish to say that because the Imperial Family earned tremendous wealth by selling medicinal herbs from that land, some of it should be returned to Mr. Reisir, correct?"

"Half correct and half incorrect. The Imperial Family was protecting a young boy from those who coveted the herbs growing on his land while also administering the territory, were they not? Naturally, there would have been expenses involved in harvesting, processing, and distributing those medicinal herbs. Therefore, I was about to suggest that returning only a portion of the profits would be acceptable under that justification."

"That is certainly... something the Imperial Family would welcome hearing."

Even if I hadn't said it, they would have arrived at that conclusion themselves.

That was precisely why I brought it up first.

To establish that after taking so much from the territory for ten years, they should at least help Reisir rebuild it.

"His Imperial Majesty is a ruler of such boundless benevolence that he sought to protect a young boy who alone survived a disaster. Therefore, should that boy, now grown into an adult, wish to rebuild his territory, His Majesty would undoubtedly extend a helping hand."

"Do not worry about that. I shall speak with Royal Father myself."

I had deliberately designated the Emperor—not Fjodora—as the source of the favor.

Even so, Fjodora would undoubtedly work to secure the greatest benefit possible for Reisir, so long as it did not threaten her own position.

Even then, what Reisir would receive would be far less than in the original work.

There, he had been rewarded for his achievements.

Now, he would have no leverage to make demands and would simply have to accept whatever was offered.

Still, receiving less is better than becoming an enemy of the Imperial Family like he did originally.

Because Fjodora had moved swiftly to protect both the Empire's authority and interests before the situation could become a diplomatic issue—

She would not be assassinated for losing the Emperor's favor.

This might even strengthen her standing.

Five days ago, I was wondering why I had to meet the original protagonist again so soon after saying goodbye.

Perhaps this really is a blessing in disguise.

Being able to remove even one of the hardships waiting for Reisir in the future made me feel a little lighter.

I had always felt guilty for standing by while knowing he was destined to walk a path paved with sorrow.

This should be enough of a farewell gift.

"By the way, when is Mr. Reisir's birthday?"

"May twentieth."

"Ugh... that's too late."

Fjodora looked at me helplessly.

I've already prepared the entire meal for you. Are you expecting dessert as well?

Before I realized it, a dumbfounded expression had appeared on my face.

Fjodora immediately seemed to understand what I was thinking and reacted awkwardly.

"Ahem, ahem!"

She cleared her throat.

"I shall simply mention it beforehand when I bestow the rewards this time. I'll tell him to begin preparing to become a lord, as the territory will be returned to him once he comes of age."

It wasn't a particularly difficult problem.

Fjodora quickly found a solution.

And then she remembered the original purpose of the meeting.

"Ah, right. I was supposed to ask what rewards you wanted, but I nearly forgot and almost sent you all away."

As she spoke, her gaze settled on me.

If I, the person with the greatest contribution, stated my request first, then neither Reisir nor Ríolíkin would be able to ask for something more valuable.

It was a clear sign that she had no intention of being caught off guard again the way she had been when Reisir demanded the return of his territory.

"I don't know when I may become involved in another anomaly, so I would like an Artifact suitable for self-defense."

"Nyao!"

Unlike Aether Engineering items, which were practically mass-produced, Artifacts were painstakingly handcrafted by artisans.

They were expensive and difficult to acquire.

Among them, combat-related Artifacts were especially rare.

Only a handful of master craftsmen could create them, so supply was severely limited.

Demand, meanwhile, was overwhelming.

There was even a common saying that no amount of money could guarantee you one.

Still, the Imperial Family almost certainly possessed several self-defense Artifacts in reserve.

"You nearly lost your life at the Imperial Academy because of the professors' negligence. If we consider this part of your compensation, I believe we can grant that request. However... your familiar..."

"Myaong, myungnyanyanyang?"

The moment I requested a self-defense Artifact, Yor had immediately pulled out a whiteboard and written:

【Me too】

Now, tilting her head as though she couldn't understand the problem, she added three more characters beneath it.

【I contributed too】

"If Your Royal Highness has already read the report from the day of the closing ceremony, then you should know. My familiar temporarily halted the monster's movements and bought enough time for the students to evacuate."

"Myaang, myaang~!"

When I listed her accomplishments, the cute, adorable, magnificent baby dragon puffed out her chest and struck a triumphant pose.

Then the princess said:

"For now... I shall make the suggestion. However, do not get your hopes up. There has never been a precedent for evaluating the achievements of a familiar separately from those of its master."

Perhaps because I knew better than anyone how petty and greedy the Imperial Family could be, I wasn't expecting anything in the first place.

Yor seemed to feel exactly the same way.

She looked as though she had already given up.