Volume 18 Chapter 4 Is It War？
"Really? No way!"
Seeing Al's reaction, Lord Duran, the margrave's knight, and his squire, Heath exchanged worried looks.
"Sorry, forget I said anything. I just got carried away because you're the grandson of that magician."
"Is it war?"
Al asked seriously.
"Well..."
Lord Duran hesitated. Of course, it could be. But if there was a war, Patricia would be worried, and Naresh, who was in the border city of Parker, would likely have to fight on the front lines.
"I was in the same class as Sir Naresh, who was made a baron. Now, he is..."
Lord Duran sighed heavily at Al's words.
"I see. It was my fault for letting that slip. But please, just let it go. War hasn't started yet. Don't worry. However, it seems we might form an alliance with the Marquis Tagard family from the Tempest Kingdom. We were just talking about how this looks like preparation for war."
"An alliance is preparation for war?"
Al tilted his head. How could forming an alliance lead to war?
"Well, it's complicated," Lord Duran said. "At first, we thought the Marquis Prentis family would quickly take over the entire Tempest Kingdom. They conquered the capital and Count Senety in less than six months."
"But then things took an unexpected turn. We didn't have the information at that time, but rumors spread that Princess Patricia of the Tempest royal family escaped from Count Senet's castle and was still alive, which the Marquis Prentis family couldn't deny."
"As a result, some knights from the kingdom rebelled against the new Tempest king, Marquis Prentis. Plus, the Marquis Tagard family declared they wouldn't recognize Marquis Prentis as the Tempest king."
Patricia's survival had a huge impact...
"So, has it been in a state of civil war all this time?"
Lord Duran nodded with a serious face.
"Yes. The Marquis Tagard family has been asking for help from our Sylvester Kingdom to break this deadlock. They even sent Princess Nora, the younger sister of the Marquis's heir. But until now, the royal family and the higher-ups in the knights were hesitant."
"Now, suddenly, there's talk of forming an alliance," he continued, his gaze sharpening with curiosity. "I suspect this means they've found common ground for aid," he concluded, his voice thoughtful.
It was true that an alliance seemed likely, but Lord Duran's prediction suggested things might get worse. Still, since a veteran knight was saying this, it could be a real possibility.
As Al was thinking about this, their food arrived.
"Let's stop this talk for now. Let's eat."
Lord Duran changed the subject. It seemed like war wouldn't start right away. If he quietly shared this information with Guildmaster Levy, he would surely handle it well.
Al decided to drop the topic and talk about something else.
"Got it. Well, when I was in the capital before, I used to sell rabbits I hunted to this restaurant."
"Really? The grilled rabbit here was delicious, but that was because of you..."
The conversation started with food, and then Orson and Heath, who had been listening quietly, got excited talking about 'Fighting Skills,' making dinner enjoyable.
* * *
"...So that's what it seems."
When Al returned to the Levy merchant guild's mansion and shared what he had heard, Guildmaster Levy let out a big sigh.
"I see. So that's what's been happening. Actually, a few days ago, I heard from Sir Naresh that he was going to accompany the Sylvester royal family to the Tempest Kingdom. But they wouldn't share the details because it involved diplomacy and military matters."
"And," he continued with a frustrated sigh, "they refused to let my mercenary group join."
Was it really okay for Lord Duran to talk about that information at the dinner table? And was it fine to share it with Guildmaster Levy? After asking so many questions, Al started to feel a bit worried.
"Um, could you keep it a secret that I told you?"
Guildmaster Levy smiled at Al.
"Of course. There's a chance that the knights are spreading false information on purpose. We'll check the facts ourselves, so you don't need to worry."
That was a possibility. The business world was full of rumors and information flying around. Guildmaster Levy, who had been successful and kept growing the merchant guild, was truly impressive.
"I'm curious about Sir Naresh joining them. The Sennett family must have some plans with the Sylvester royal family, but if they form an alliance with the Tagard family, it might make their ambitions too obvious and raise suspicions."
Guildmaster Levy seemed to think for a moment, then shook his head.
"I need more information. Anyway, thanks, Al. I'll gather more details from other sources before making a decision. By the way, Orson's treatment is in a week. That's exciting!"
"Yes."
Orson nodded happily. Speaking of which, Al remembered he had something to share with both of them.
"I have something I want to show you, Guildmaster Levy and Orson. I'm sorry if it sounds like bragging, but I've been shopping and having things sent here, so I thought you should know I have this."
"Oh, right. I noticed a decent amount of stuff was delivered. I told them to put it in Warehouse Eight since it was empty. But I was wondering what you were going to do with the wood."
Al took out a button-shaped magic bag from a hidden pocket inside his clothes. He decided to show just one bag for camouflage purposes, the one that was large and not broken.
"This is it. A magic bag. I'm sorry, but I can't reveal where I got it."
"What?"
"No way!"
Orson and Guildmaster Levy's eyes widened in surprise.
"The storage space is 20 meters square and 5 meters high. It's pretty big, so I think everything being delivered can fit in here. Actually, it doesn't react to the 'Detect Magic' spell, so I can't show it publicly, but I thought you two should know."
"That's a huge size... It doesn't react to 'Detect Magic'? Wow... that's something."
Guildmaster Levy seemed to realize the danger right away and was left speechless. If this magic bag was used in a heavily guarded place, anything could be smuggled in.
If the existence of this magic tool was discovered, it could be taken away by the royal family or the Margrave family as a dangerous item.
Al knew that several magicians from the Marquis Prentis family had the same kind of bag, so he thought he should warn them. But explaining would require talking about the ancient ruins in the north too.
He didn't plan to share that much information.
"Until now, there have been many magic tools in your possession, but did the reactions stop because of this?"
It seemed Guildmaster Levy had noticed that change.
"Yes. If all the magic tools are put in here, they won't react to the 'Detect Magic' spell anymore."
Orson didn't quite understand the danger, but he seemed to realize from Al and Guildmaster Levy's conversation that this magic tool needed to be kept a secret. His face looked a bit tense.
"What should I say... It's hard to decide. It's really something else. But, well, it's not really my place to say anything. I get it. I'll trust you, Al. Maybe I'll need to ask for something later. When that time comes, I hope you'll help me out."
Guildmaster Levy looked at Al for a moment and then slowly smiled. Just like when he explained about the teleportation staff, he really listens and trusts him. It's nice to have that.
I have to be careful not to betray this trust... Al promised himself again.
"Okay. Thank you."
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