“An automaton, you say? The number of people who got into this craft–Or way of power, as some have decided to call it, for some reasons beyond logical understanding–Is rather high, automaton builders are all over the continent nowadays, from professionals to amateurs or mere hobbyists… I am afraid that I could not possibly get any lead on this one’s origin without taking it apart with my own two hands”

  As easily as he breathed, Leton Nebulo acted like he had nothing to do with SHLAD-01. This utter nonchalance when lying and deceiving was something he had learned from his sister at an early age. It was odd to think about… Mara had taught him how to lie, and yet, he could count the number of times he had lied to her on just one hand.

  “Is that so? It does make sense, but I do admit to having been hoping for an immediate answer. That machine is rather peculiar, and I had guessed that you would have an idea which of your competitors in the domain would be lowly enough to make their mechanical creation utter your lost sister’s name”

  Jorah Bombidour slightly frowned, looking at Leton with an inquisitive look in his eyes. The limping craftsman was a peculiar man. He had always been. However, Jorah also knew that Mister Nebulo wasn’t the sort of artisan to lock himself away from the outside world. He was very aware of what was going on all over the continent.

  Otherwise, why would he be a close advisor and confidant of His Majesty? As such, Jorah found it hard to believe that Leton would not already know all of his competitors in excruciating detail.

  Jorah had already found an answer for himself, though. He did not say anything about it and dropped the subject, allowing the conversation to steer elsewhere… The Bombidour patriarch and the last Nebulo were not the only people present here today.

  Cracking his neck, Hardene Vomhargon soon spoke up.

  “If I may ask… What happened to the folding screens? I don’t complain, but sitting around a round table doesn’t really suit the usual style of meeting, does it?”

  A man whose eyes betrayed his advanced age despite his vitality coughed in his hand as though embarrassed.

  “Well, Hardene… Let’s just say that someone might have underestimated their power when trying to show a new spell they had made during the last meeting. Many here were not a part of”

  A younger man shifted in his chair uncomfortably at the mention of this event… One good word to describe him would be ‘grey’. His eyes were grey, his hair was grey, and the refined mage robes he wore were grey as well. Fitting for the one often called the ‘Noble Of The Heavy Grey Flame’.

  “It was an accident, alright? I didn’t expect the folding screens to be actually made out of a material that is naturally receptive to fire-type mana. I figured they were easily flammable, but that was a bit exaggerated, don’t you think? It’s like the person who made them wanted us to die in a fire”

  “Let’s not focus on nonsense for today, alright? We have a few topics that need urgent addressing–Two in particular, let’s start with the more important. We are still at risk of war with Heldinot… The only reason we aren’t already fighting to the death in awfully open fields is because the prince and his wife actually love each other dearly. Neither is buying into the rumours slandering the other”

  “Do we know if any of the rumours are true? Or are they all fabricated?”

  “As far as I am aware, everything is utter nonsense. The prince never broke his marriage vows, and the same is true for his wife. The ones who spread the rumours must have underestimated how much the couple had come to like each other. A couple of words without proper evidence behind them are incapable of shaking their union”

  “Praise the prince for his loyalty”

  “Praise him indeed… But unfortunately, love isn’t enough to prevent war. The uneducated masses have heard the rumours as well. They are more easily fooled, and they instantly take the side of the one from their kingdom… Tensions are rising because of this, and it heightens the risk of an accident between Heldinot and us”

  “What should we do if some of our people attack Heldinot carriages in a fit of indignation? What should we do if the reverse happens?”

  “His Majesty is going to speak with the monarch of Heldinot in person to try and find a solution to this problem. Our job is to figure out who spread the rumours in the first place”

  “Do we arrest or kill them on the spot?”

  “Better arrest them. We should torture and execute them in public for the offence”

  Leton slightly re-adjusted his grip on his walking cane.

  “I suppose I could produce some of my smaller, information-gathering automatons for the occasion?”

  “That would be a great idea. On my part, I shall perform some rituals to try and apply curses to the perpetrators. If we have any leads at all, it would greatly aid in the success rate of such a ritual. If I had a strong grievance with the culprits, I could do it for certain through the link, but I unfortunately wasn’t affected at all to be personally aggravated with their existence”

  “We have good reasons to believe that Beelmart is behind this”

  “Mmh…? Do they crave a war to refill their stocks of slaves?”

  “That’s what we are thinking. Informants have noticed suspicious activities ever since their ‘stock’, as you put it, has begun to dwindle… As you know, they have stabilised their economy on the back of the slaves they acquire alongside riches from military conquests…”

  “...That economic model looked incredible for a while, that is, until they ran out of enemies that they could defeat with relative ease. Now surrounded by well-established kingdoms, empires, and nations–They simply can’t start a war and be certain to emerge victorious, or even emerge without having been dealt damage that outweighs the benefits”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Ah, so they are trying to start a war and possibly only join in on one side after it has already begun to swipe what they desire with minimal effort? That’s risky, if they are found out, we’ll have no trouble convincing even our most stubborn rivals to ally to destroy Beelmart”

  Due to the long ages of warfare and enslavement, it was safe to say that no one was truly a strong ally of Beelmart. Everyone felt nervous around them and would rather lose some business opportunities than have to worry about the next time Beelmart needed expandable manpower.

  “Is it the court of Beelmart, or another faction?”

  “As far as we can tell, the court and all factions are colluding on this one. It seems this way of doing things is considered so inseparable that even the opponents to the crown there agree on it”

  The council of nobles discussed the topic for more than an hour, everyone offering their own expertise so as to catch the foul slanderers and potentially gather evidence concerning Beelmart’s involvement in the matter.

  It was a rather sensitive affair, however. They needed to be careful lest they were the reason a diplomatic incident occurred.

  “So… What about the second topic you mentioned earlier? I find it hard to believe that there is something even close to the importance of what we just talked about”

  “Hardene. Do you not remember the many reports of uncommon kinds of creatures arising all over the place? The problem is less prominent now, but it has not stopped. I assume you gentlemen all know about the Great Realms, yes?”

  “Of course, I know! They are a big subject of discussion in academic cycles despite how little we know about them. Great Realms are realms–Obviously–That are said to be one-of-a-kind, and which connect entirely different worlds together. They are also reputed for spreading their influence and housing terrible creatures who seem to bend the rules of nature. I was even told that if an outbreak happens, you can quite literally wait around to see a deity descend from the heavens to deal with it”

  “Thanks for the explanation, Mister Jinimalia–It doesn’t excuse you burning my folding screens though”

  “Move on from this already!”

  “In any case, as you know, one of such creatures is still running around, an Abyssal who has learned not to haphazardly spread corruption everywhere it goes. That alone is a cause for concern, but I have received several reports about more rifts manifesting”

  “For now, we have sufficient manpower to keep them shut, but if this goes on…”

  The nobles looked at each other. In truth, very few of them had a good grasp of the dangers of a Great Realm. They unconsciously associated them with the regular realms they were more akin to, which were basically nought but pocket spaces filled with natural goodies.

  “This problem is certainly shared across the continent, no? Everyone is merely keeping it a secret”

  “I’ll let Mister Nebulo speak on this matter. His assistance has been instrumental in discovering the rifts before they could open”

  Leton nodded.

  “Thank you, Mister Hulx–Indeed, I had already devised tools to detect the presence of rifts from Great Realms. You see… During my studies, I realised that they were an existential threat to all of us–They are also opportunities, however”

  “I am sure that you all know that I am not one to delve much into militaristic applications of my creations. Alas, in recent times, there have been tensions all over the continent. We ourselves are dealing with problems, but our neighbours are looking at each other with a lust for blood in their eyes”

  “Accidents are piling up. Populaces are breeding resentment for one another. Animosity is forming between different sapient species. I believe we could temporarily settle things down by unifying against Beelmart, but as I said, it wouldn’t be a permanent fix”

  He had captured everyone’s attention already.

  “I love my country nearly as much as I love my wife. Therefore, I find within myself the desire to protect it from what is coming–I fear a large-scale war across the entire continent. I know that many do not believe in such concerns, but things can rapidly escalate”

  “Every nation, even the minor ones, has its own hidden weapons. Access to an unknown way of power… One or multiple experts of immense personal strength… New or ancient artefacts capable of widespread destruction… The list goes on. We unfortunately live in a world where a nation can only stand up on its own if it has the capabilities to defend itself against foreign aggression”

  “As such, I would greatly appreciate it if you gentlemen could put your wisdom and experience toward refining this”

  As he spoke, Leton brought out a book of sorts. It was rather thick, but lacked any title or proper cover.

  “Within this book are compiled several designs for machines capable of defending Rootriska. To defeat enemies and render our borders unassailable. As much of a genius as I may be, I am far from an expert in many fields. So I require assistance to even know if some of these ideas are even possible with what we have available”

  The book was passed around the table for a long time as everyone present took a long look at its content.

  Felgion Hulx, who had already talked with Leton about this, did not bother, as he had already read the book several times. Everything within is promised to be capable of something incredible at an impressively low cost–Be it at creation or maintenance.

  In essence, nothing that was being described was not possible through other means, but it was the affordability and simplicity that were attractive. For example, one idea explored in the book was a massive, dome-shaped barrier of energy surrounding the entire kingdom.

  It was theoretically possible through many techniques, but the way Leton said he would be able to achieve it was simply ludicrously simplistic and easy to maintain, on top of providing an actually powerful barrier capable of halting the steps of entire armies.

  This alone was worth a lot, but the book was filled with many ideas and theories that could definitely turn Rootiska into an uncontested superpower on the continent.

  The nobles had always known that Leton Nebulo was a genius, but they had absolutely underestimated him nonetheless… It was a good thing that he seemed usually averse to violence and conflict…

  “I see… You must be wondering about the inner workings of curses, right?”

  Jorah Bombidour reached the page where a ‘curse machine’ was being described, and it became apparent that Leton was simply not knowledgeable enough on this particular subject to know if it was actually possible. Hence, the need for outside eyes with knowledge outside the scope of his own.

  “Do you think it could work?”

  “Nothing that I know says that it shouldn’t… I simply wonder how it could be made to consistently work constantly? Anything put into it wouldn’t be able to produce curses forever…”

  “Do not worry about that part, I have ways to mass-produce what is necessary. I merely need the king’s approval before starting, lest it look like I was getting into suspicious activities”

  Thus, Rootriska began preparing itself for the future.