Chapter 2, Part 2

It had been two days since Philip’s murder rocked Re-Estize. King Zanac had immediately ordered an investigation into this matter and today was the day of the report. As such, the throne room of the Valencia Palace was packed full of nobles. Despite this, only one person spoke. The mustached man who served as the captain of the palace’s guards. He stood in the middle of the room, as he addressed the king.

“I have conducted the investigation into the deaths of Philip-san and Samuel-san. Five days ago, a court meeting was held here, where the Minister of Commerce made certain demands of Philip-san. Witnesses testified that when it ended, Philip-san and Samuel-san agreed to meet at Philip-san’s residence three days later,” he began.

“Two days ago, Philip-san and Samuel-san were slain inside Philip-san’s residence. Two maids and five guards saw the assassin. Unfortunately, he was wearing a hood, so they didn’t see his face. As you all know, Philip’s estate had also been set on fire, and so any possible clues were lost in the flames,” the man paused for a moment, during which the nobles exploded in conversation.

Although they all expressed their grief and anger at the brazen assassination, one could detect a hint of another emotion in the glances they cast at each other. The captain wasn’t done however, he raised his hand calling for silence, before continuing.

“Despite the flames destroying the house, a safe which had been reinforced by a protection spell survived the flames. Luckily, the Magician’s Guild was able to open it. Inside were various documents belonging to Philip-san, the relevant one is this – an agreement by Philip-san to grant his grain trade deal to King Zanac, in exchange for certain conditions,” he said as he showed a document he held in his hands.

The room reacted immediately. Shouts of doubt, disbelief, and anger could all be heard. Many of the nobles rushed forward to take a closer look at the document, causing the captain to pull back in order to protect it. It took nearly a minute for everyone to calm down enough to hear Zanac’s order to bring him the contract. He examined it carefully before handing it over to Count Lytton.

“Hm, Philip’s seal is intact, it looks authentic. Also, it is dated the next day after the date of his assassination,” Zanac declared.

“Yes, Your Majesty. It would appear Philip-san was planning to present this agreement to you, after discussing things with Samuel-san,” the captain nodded.

“But, did anyone actually know about his intentions to do so?” Count Lytton asked with a scowl on his face as he handed the agreement back to Zanac.

“I have spoken to his carriage driver and confirmed who Philip-san talked to after the court meeting. Right after it, Philip-san went to one Hilma Cygnaeus, a long-term friend of his. She admitted that Philip-san was concerned about the demands the Minister of Commerce had made and wanted to ask her for advice. She further confirms that she advised Philip-san to grant his trade deal to the royal family, and Philip-san decided to do just that,” he motioned to the nobles that he wasn’t finished yet and to keep quiet. “After his visit to Hilma, Philip-san went to the merchant that represents the Sorcerer Kingdom. Upon questioning, this merchant confirmed that Philip-san told him of his plan to grant the trade deal to the royal family, and he was asking if the Sorcerer Kingdom would have any issues with him doing so.”

“Then one of these two is behind the murder!” Someone from the noble faction yelled.

“Hold on just a moment, why would either one of them kill Philip-san?” Someone else shouted in return.

“Is there anything else?” King Zanac asked.

“No, Your Majesty. The rest of his days were spent doing the usual things, and none of the people he met were able to provide useful information,” the captain replied.

“Then, what is your conclusion?” Zanac asked.

“Aside from the small chance the assassinations were unrelated, it would appear that Philip-san was killed to prevent him from making good on his intention to grant his trade deal to the royal family. It’s unclear if Samuel-san’s death is related to this or if he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” the captain declared.

Zanac nodded and looked meaningfully at Count Lytton.

“I can assure Your Majesty I have nothing to do with this. As the Minister of Commerce, my only goal was to make the realm more secure. Philip-dono granting the trade deal to the royal family would accomplish that just fine, so there was no reason for me to wish his death,” he shrugged as if this point was self-evident. “Besides, if I was willing to stoop so low, wouldn’t it make more sense to assassinate him sooner, when the kingdom was much more desperate for food supplies than it is now? Not to mention, this assassination obviously frames me as the main suspect. Would a man with my reputation do something this stupid?” Lytton asked with a half-smile.

“That would indeed be out of character for you. Besides, any accusations are pointless without proof to support them. Captain, I trust there hasn’t been any evidence to indicate who had hired the assassin?” King Zanac asked.

“I suspect the assassination was done by the Eight Fingers. However, I haven’t had the time to dig deeper,” the man replied.

“In that case, let us set this matter aside. There is something else we need to discuss – the matter of the grain trade deal with the Sorcerer Kingdom,” Zanac said.

“Wait, wait, wait. The rising star of nobility had just been assassinated, and we are going to drop the matter just like this?!” An enraged noble from the Greenhorns shouted. “Does it mean it’s fine to assassinate nobles now?!”

“Calm down, I can assure you that those behind this murder will be brought to justice, but as the captain said, he needs more time to conduct a full investigation. So, unless you have any evidence as to who it might be, there is nothing we can do right now,” King Zanac said.

“Yea, I wonder who could it be,” the noble replied while starring daggers at Count Lytton.

The Count looked like he had swallowed a fly, but didn’t say anything. Instead, it were the other members of the noble faction that came to his rescue.

“You dare to accuse Count Lytton? With no evidence at that? You should be punished for slender!” One of the shouted.

“What? I didn’t say nothing. Of course, someone as honorable as Count Lytton would never orchestrate an assassination. I am sure the fact that he had the strongest motive and is now the biggest winner are just a coincidence,” the Greenhorns noble replied with a mocking smirk.

“You… you bastard!” The noble shouted, how could he let this third son of some insignificant noble insult his superior.

“Stop this at once! This is why I said we should drop this matter for now. Without further evidence, we can only trade baseless accusations that won’t lead anywhere. I will hear no more of this issue. Anyone who insists on continuing will be removed from the throne room,” King Zanac said loudly.

The nobles stared at each other, but didn’t say anymore. With the order restored, Zanac continued.

“Back to the trade deal, the kingdom still requires an external supply of food, so we should renew the contract,” a noble from the Greenhorns faction shouted immediately.

“I agree, and since this matter is of great importance to the kingdom, as the Minister of Commerce I shall handle it personally,” Count Lytton declared with a small bow.

This sly fox, as if I would ever allow you a chance to take over such a deal, Zanac thought as he glanced at the Count.

“Indeed, establishing this trade deal anew is of paramount importance for the kingdom. But, this murder places us in a difficult spot. Many here have speculated that Philip had some special relationship with the Sorcerer Kingdom. Now, with him dead, will the Sorcerer Kingdom wish to renew the contract? Should they decline, it would spell a great deal of trouble for us,” Zanac said.

“All the more reasons for me to handle this personally,” Lytton said.

“No one here can doubt your experience in delicate matters. Still, two heads are better than one. And given the importance of securing this trade deal, I will go to the Sorcerer Kingdom to do it myself,” King Zanac declared.

The room went into commotion with these words. Most of the nobles seemed to express concerns over such an action. Still, everyone understood the reasoning. Neither King Zanac nor Count Lytton could allow the other side to gain control over the new trade deal. Still, for the King of Re-Estize to personally go to the Sorcerer Kingdom to negotiate such a contract would be seen as weakness.

“Your Majesty, it is too dangerous for you to do so. Just think of the fate of this nation if something were to happen to you. Besides, negotiating trade deals on a national level is the responsibility of the Minister of Commerce,” Lytton said, to great applause from members of his noble faction.

“I believe there will be no issues with my security,” Zanac said while motioning at the new Warrior Captain, Lemus Vitor, who stood nearby. “Also, the revival of the demon Jaldabaoth is coming up. I can use this visit to find out how the Sorcerer Kingdom has prepared for his arrival as well as secure their help in case Jaldabaoth attacks my nation again.”

Most of the present made a sour face when the demon was mentioned. It was because of the disappearance of large amounts of food stocksand other items which were warehoused in the district that Jaldabaoth attacked, that the Kingdom was in its current predicament. Combined with the deaths of some 170,000 men during the massacre at the Katze Plains, the kingdom had neither the manpower needed to produce the food they required nor the stocks of food that would be needed to get by until the situation improved. It could even appear that this one-two combination was planned in advance. But, the heroic sacrifice the Sorcerer King made when he fought Jaldabaoth in the Holy Kingdom had erased any such notions people could have.

The gathered nobles debated some more, but they were unable to come up with a compelling argument for King Zanac not to go personally. In part, this was due to Count Lytton not pushing the issue too hard. He understood that if he wanted to, Zanac could pursue the matter of Philip’s murder much more aggressively. And even though he had no part in it, evidence could always be found, if someone wished to find it hard enough. Since Zanac chose not to go all out on this issue, Count Lytton felt he had to temper his aggression as well.

Two weeks later

King Zanac and Count Lytton looked curiously through the carriage’s windows at the passersby, as they traveled through the streets of E-Rantel. Although, after being awed by the magnificent statues guarding the gates into the city, and then terrified by the encounter with the Death Knight at the immigration embassy building, it was pretty hard to shock them now. Most of the residents were still human, with lizardmen and toadmen accounting for most of the demi-humans. Still, they also saw some kind of large bug-like creatures and several beastmen walk by.

The carriage stopped at the Golden Pavilion – E-Rantel didn’t have a castle, and so there were no guest quarters for visitors to stay at. The rooms had already been arranged for them. As a very important delegation, they were met at the gates by one of the Sorcerer King’s servants, a gorgeous maid who wore glasses and had her hair in a bun. After a brief discussion, it was agreed that Zanac and Lytton would rest for three hours, and then have an audience with Albedo. Afterward, there would be a banquet in their honor, but Zanac wanted to handle business dealings first.

Laying on the bed in his room and trying to relax, Zanac was thinking about how to handle the upcoming negotiations. Securing the trade deal was a must for the Re-Estize Kingdom, and so he wanted to prepare a good answer for any potential demand from the Sorcerer Kingdom.

Three hours later, the same maid came to escort them to their meeting with Albedo. The King and the Count once again rode through the street in their carriage, though this time their attention was occupied by the pretty maid which accompanied them. Soon, they arrived in front of the undead king’s residence, though the building didn’t look all that impressive. Yuri Alpha guided them inside and into an office where Albedo waited for them.

Yuri introduced the two sides before she excused herself and left the room. Zanac was once again struck by the otherworldly beauty before him. The two sides exchanged greetings and pleasantries before moving on to the serious topics.

“Albedo-san, there are two reasons for my visit – due to Philip’s death the trade deal he had with the Sorcerer Kingdom is now void. We hope we can make a new deal. Additionally, I’d like to confirm the rumors that the Slane Theocracy is working together with the Sorcerer Kingdom to put together a force that will confront Jaldabaoth when he shows up,” Zanac explained.

“Philip’s death is truly unfortunate. Such a young, ambitious noble, cut down in the prime of his life,” Albedo said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Yes, it’s a big loss to my kingdom,” Zanac nodded mirroring Albedo’s mood.

“He was a good friend of the Sorcerer Kingdom, and an important trade partner, so his death hurts us deeply. One could even say that his murder is an insult to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Of course, since he died in the Re-Estize Kingdom, it’s outside our jurisdiction and we will not do anything. However, I hope that you will perform a thorough investigation and bring those responsible to justice,” Albeo said.

“Of course, in fact, we have already begun,” Zanac replied.

Meanwhile, Count Lytton could only smile awkwardly, as the primary suspect, he couldn’t say much on this topic, even if he was completely innocent. He cleared his throat and used that pause in the conversation to change the subject.

“Then, regarding the grain trade deal.”

“Let’s not waste each others’ time. Why don’t you tell me what kind of deal you want,” Albedo smiled at the Count.

“Mm, in that case, we would like to make the same deal as the late Philip-dono. The Ministry of Commerce would act as the primary buyer on behalf of the Re-Estize Kingdom, and then we would distribute the grain between the nobles,” Lytton explained.

“I am not certain how familiar you are with Philip’s contract, but there were several points regarding pricing as well as some others,” Albedo said slowly.

“Of course, Albedo-sama. Please tell us what conditions you would like to include,” Zanac said quickly.

“First, the price at which we will sell our grain – Philip’s price was special… fufu, the way he approached me back then, so bold…,” Albedo coughed before continuing, “I truly wanted to support his ambition.”

There was a small pause as Albedo looked as if she was reminiscing about the past. The other two didn’t want to speak first. After a brief silence, Albedo spoke.

“Your price would be twenty percent higher. We also wish to keep the retail price the same – some unscrupulous nobles might see this as a chance to fill their coffers, but the reason we are doing it is to save your people from starvation. As such, the retail price must be stable and affordable,” Albedo explained.

“That won’t be an issue,” Count Lytton assured her.

“Another thing, Philip had tried to use this trade deal to create and empower his own faction. I can’t blame him for that, one could argue he had to do so in order not to get swallowed up by the other two factions. However, this had also led to inner turmoil in your kingdom, and arguably was the cause of his death. The Sorcerer Kingdom wishes for Re-Estize to be a stable nation, as such I want to add a clause that states that once the Ministry of Commerce purchases the grain, they will make it available for purchase to any noble who wishes to do so. Regardless of that noble’s political association,” Albedo said.

Zanac and Lytton exchanged a glance, each one could read the thoughts of the other. Although such a clause would mean that neither of them could use the trade deal to boost their power, it would also guarantee that no one else could. Meanwhile, they would earn some goodwill from the people living on their own lands, by selling them the grain at affordable prices. This was a clear improvement over the previous arrangement, where Philip and his faction earned the gratitude of the people.

“Very well, we will accept such a condition,” Zanac nodded after a brief moment of contemplation.

“There is one more condition,” Albedo said with a smile. “As I mentioned, Philip’s death could be viewed as an insult to our nation. As such, the culprit behind his murder must be brought to justice. Our final condition is that the one behind the assassination of Philip-dono must be found and punished within six months. If you fail to do so, then the contract will be voided,” Albedo proclaimed.

“I believe we will be able to do so even sooner,” Zanac said with a slight smirk.

“Um, I must protest this clause. I, of course, want the justice to be served, but such a condition makes it very likely that someone would be used as a scapegoat, in case the investigation is unable to find the real culprit,” Count Lytton said.

“Naturally, if anyone is accused of being behind this crime, then adequate evidence would need to be presented,” Albedo replied.

“No need to worry, Lytton-dono. My kingdom is not a lawless land where anyone can be accused of a crime. I have no issue with this condition,” Zanac said.

Lytton nodded as well. He was a little worried about Albedo’s insistence, but he couldn’t say anything to refuse her demand. Stating that it was unacceptable because he was the most obvious suspect wouldn’t make for a good point.After he saw Lytton agreeing to Albedo’s condition, Zanac decided to change the subject.

“Then, let us talk about Jaldabaoth,” Zanac said.

“As you know, in four months it will be two years since the day he was slain. From then on, Jaldabaoth can return to this world. As you might’ve heard, the Slane Theocracy had offered to help us fight him. The force they gather will be stationed nearby and ready to be deployed at any moment,” Albedo explained.

“And should Jaldabaoth attack the Re-Estize Kingdom again?” King Zanac asked.

“We will move to confront him,” Albedo replied.

“And this, um, protection, are there any conditions attached?”

“Since Jaldabaoth is a renegade servant of Ainz Ooal Gown, we consider it our duty to eliminate him from this world. There are no conditions attached to receiving our help, should he choose to attack your nation,” Albedo said.

Zanac nodded, it was the same for when the Holy Kingdom requested help. Of course, the Holy Kingdom still chose to become a vassal and later a full part of the Sorcerer Kingdom anyway, but that was a thought for another time. With their business concluded, they spend a bit of time discussing the upcoming banquet and some other small matters, before the two bid Albedo farewell and left.

That night, Zanac was thinking over the recent events as he went to bed. In retrospect I was a bit too hasty with ordering Philip’s assassination, but who would’ve thought he would choose to grant me the trade deal, instead of creating an uprising against the noble faction. He shook his head, that was truly a move outside of his expectations.

But, the way things turned out is quite good as well. I’ve secured the grain trade and the conditions for it were quite reasonable. So there shouldn’t be any mass starvation or the associated uprisings. And Albedo’s insistence that we find the culprit plays right into my hands. I just need to spread the information about the trade deal being dependent on us finding a mastermind behind Philip’s murder, and the commoners will be quite relieved when we find him. They might even applaud our efforts. Philip was rather beloved by the people.

As he went to sleep, there was a satisfied smile on his face.

In the end, everything turned out great.

 

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