Chapter 2: Blue Roses
Part 1
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day, 8:02
Dressed in his white full plate armor, his sword by his side, a fully-equipped Climb stepped into the Valencia Palace.
The Valencia Palace was roughly divided into three wings, and he had just entered one of them. This was the largest of the three, where the Royal Family resided.
Unlike Climb’s dwelling place earlier, the Palace was very well-lit, collecting light from the outside in a brilliant display that seemed to make the interior sparkle.
The polished hallways were free of litter; practically spotless, in fact. The reason why Climb’s full plate armor made no sound as he walked upon it was because it had mithril and orichalcum in its construction, and it was additionally enchanted on top of that.
Along the clean and spacious hallways were the elite soldiers assigned to guard duty in the palace. They stood resplendent in their full plate armor — they were knights.
The Knights of the Empire were commoners recruited and trained into professional soldiers. In contrast, the Kingdom’s knights were usually third sons of landed nobles or others who could not otherwise inherit the family estate. However, the Crown paid them very highly, and so only first-rate swordsmen were accepted for membership. Not even nobles could sneak in through backdoor connections.
The best way to describe them would be “the King’s personal guard”.
Incidentally, Gazef’s position as Warrior-Captain was because many people opposed his knighthood, and so the King created a new appointment for him. Since then, the group of elite soldiers that he had picked and trained personally were known as Warriors.
Climb nodded slightly to them. Almost all of them returned the gesture. Only a few of them did so reluctantly; the vast majority were sincere in their courtesy. They might be nobles, but they were also men of martial spirit who were sworn to the King. Excellent warriors who devoted their lives to their King were worthy of their respect.
In contrast, Climb passed another group of people in the hallway who viewed him with open hostility.
They were the maids. Almost all of them frowned whenever they saw Climb.
Unlike regular maids, the maidservants of the Royal Palace were all noblewomen who had come here to raise their own standing. Thus, to some extent, they were of higher status than Climb. In particular, the maids who personally served the Royal Family were heiresses of high-ranking nobility. They plainly displayed their anger at having to bow and scrape before a man who was beneath a mere peasant.
It was true that Climb was lower-born than they were, so it was not hard to see why they would give him the stink-eye when Renner was not looking. Climb understood this, and he had never once gotten angry at them for that.
However, that mindset, combined with Climb’s own blank expression, made the maids think he was snubbing them and it only deepened their anger for him. Meanwhile, Climb paid that vicious cycle no heed. Or rather, it might be better to say that if he was really that careful, he ought to be able to tie off those loose ends in a better way.
Even so, Climb felt mentally fatigued after walking through this palace.
There were other members of the Royal Family in the Palace besides Renner and Ranpossa III.
—Ggh?!
As Climb saw one of those royals approach, he immediately went to the wall, his back ramrod straight, and pressed his hand to his chest in a salute.
Two people approached him. The one behind was a tall, skinny man, with a head of slicked-back blond hair.
His name was Marquis Raeven, one of the Kingdom’s Six Great Nobles.
The problem was the slightly plump man walking in front of him. His name was Zanack Valreon Igana Ryle Vaiself. He was the King’s second son, and second in line for the throne.
Zanack stopped, and his fatty-jowled face contorted.
“Oh, if it isn’t Climb. Are you going to see thart monster?”
There was only one person whom Prince Zanack referred to a monster. Climb knew that what he was about to do might well give offense to a social superior, but he simply could not let it slide.
“Your Highness. Forgive my impertinence, but Lady Renner is no monster. A gentle, compassionate and beautiful person like herself is more like the Kingdom’s treasure.”
She had solved the slave problem and proposed policies which put the common man first. If she did not qualify as a treasure, then what did? Granted, the nobles frequently obstructed her legislation and prevented most of her policies from being implemented, but Climb still knew how much she thought of the people.
This gentle woman wept before Climb whenever her populist policies were denied. What right did a useless man (Zanack) have to lecture her?
Anger flared up within Climb’s heart, and he longed to give Zanack a good punch.
They might only be half-related by blood, but they were still of the same bloodline, and he should not be saying such things. However, Climb did not allow his anger to take physical form.
Renner had once said, “My brother wants to provoke you into slandering him. I’m sure he’s trying to find an excuse to take you away from me. Climb, you must not show any weakness to my brother.”
Climb thought back to the day when he had solemnly sworn that he would never betray that forlorn look on his master’s face, she who had been abandoned even by her family.
“I never said Renner was a monster. That’s just what you’re thinking… forget it, enough with the cliched excuses. Still, to think you’d actually consider her a treasure. When she makes her proposals, does she actually think they’d be accepted? I can’t help but think that she suggests them even when she knows they’ll be rejected anyway.”
How could that be? It was impossible. This man was simply guessing wildly in his hideous jealousy.
“Your servant submits that such is not the case here.”
“Huhuhuhu… So you don’t consider that woman a monster. I don’t know if you have terrible taste or if her acting’s too good… I’d suggest you doubt her a little more.”
“How could I doubt her? Renner-sama is a treasure of the Kingdom. Of that I have no doubt.”
Everything she did was righteous. Climb could come to that conclusion because he had been watching from beside her.
“Really now, is that so? How interesting. Then, could you send that monster a message? …Tell her that ‘while I, as her elder brother, consider you as a political tool, if you’re willing to help me, I can relieve you of your inheritance and grant you a domain on the borderlands’.”
Frustration surged up in Climb’s heart.
“…Surely you jest. I can hardly believe you would actually tell me that in a place like this, so I shall pretend that I never heard it.”
“Huhuhuhu. What a shame. Let’s go, Marquis Raeven.”
The silent man nodded from where he had been watching Climb and Zanack from the side.
Climb did not quite understand Marquis Raeven. He seemed to have drawn a clear line between himself and Climb, but he did not look at Climb the same way the other nobles did. Renner had not given Climb any special instructions about Raeven either.
“Ah, yes. Marquis Raeven agrees with me that that woman is a monster. No, it is more that we have the same vision, hence our alliance.”
“—My Prince.”
“Let me say it, Marquis Raeven. Heed my words, Climb. If you were blindly devoted to her, I wouldn’t be telling you all this. However… I feel that you’ve been deceived by that monster. That’s why I’m telling you, in good faith, about her monstrous nature.”
“My Prince, forgive my rudeness, but could you tell me in what way is Renner-sama a monster? Nobody cares more for the country and the people than she does.”
“…That’s because everything she does is a waste of effort. She moves too much for too little gain. At first, I thought she was simply inept at dealing with others. Then, while discussing the matter with Marquis Raeven, I realised that she might already have accounted for that. Once I realised that, everything fell into place. If that was really the case, then she would be a woman who, while locked up the palace, could manipulate the nobles as she desired. What is that, if not a monster?”
“Certainly you must be mistaken. Renner-sama is not that kind of person,” Climb insisted.
Her tears were most definitely genuine. Renner was a compassionate woman. Climb knew this better than anyone else, given that she had picked him up.
However, Climb’s words could not move the Prince. He smiled bitterly, and then left Climb. Marquis Raeven followed behind him.
Climb muttered to himself in the now-deserted corridor.
“Renner-sama is the kindest person in our country. My existence is proof of that. If…”
Climb swallowed the following words, but spoke them in his heart.
If Renner-sama were to rule the Kingdom, it would surely become a great nation that puts the people first.
Of course, that was an impossible dream given the reality of the succession. Even so, Climb could not abandon that idea.
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day, 8:11
Shortly after that, Climb arrived at his most frequently-visited room in the palace.
After checking several times to make sure nobody was around, he reached out and turned the doorknob.
Entering without knocking was an exceedingly impolite course of action. However, the owner of this room had asked him to do so. His mistress had refused to listen to his protests, no matter what he said.
In the end, Climb had given in. There was no way he could win when women’s tears flowed. Still, his mistress had permitted him several exceptions to that. For instance, there was no way he could barge in unannounced if the King was present.
That said, entering without knocking was very stressful on Climb. People who do that ought to be punished. It was only natural for him to feel stressed out when he thought about that as he opened the door.
Just as Climb was about to push it open, he heard the sounds of a heated discussion through the half-opened door.
There were two voices, both female.
One of them belonged to his mistress. Climb was still standing outside the door but she had not noticed him. That was probably because she was too excited about the discussion. That being the case, Climb did not wish to dampen her ardor. Climb stood still, listening to the discussion within the room. He felt guilty about eavesdropping, but he would feel worse if he interrupted their conversation.
“—I told you, didn’t I? People have always focused on immediate gains.”
“Hm…”
“…The crop rotation plan you were talking about, Renner… I have no idea how that will increase yields… but how long will it take to show results?”
“About six years or so.”
“And how much money will be lost in planting other crops during these six years?”
“That would depend on the crops in question. However, assuming a normal yield is 1, I think the yield would go down to 0.8… in other words, it’s a 20% loss of revenue. However, after the sixth year, the yield will go up by 0.3 forever. I’m sure the figure will be higher if we add pastures for livestock into the mix.”
“…That does sound quite tempting, but can farmers really take a loss of 20% of their income for six whole years?”
“…I think we could have the country extend interest-free loans to compensate for the 20% loss and then ask for repayment after the yields return to normal… If the yields don’t go up, then it won’t have to be repaid, or there could be some other way. The important thing is that once the yields go up, the loans can be paid off in four years.”
“That might be hard.”
“Why is that?”
“I told you, didn’t I? People prefer to focus on immediate gains, and many people want stability. A lot of people will hesitate even if you tell them they’ll be able to get 130% of their original crops in six years.”
“I… don’t get it. It worked really well on the test field…”
“Maybe the experiment went well, but you still can’t guarantee that it’ll succeed.”
“…Well, it’s true that we didn’t foresee every possible condition while conducting the experiment, so we can’t be absolutely certain of the results. If we had to consider soil quality and the weather as well, the experiment would have become too big…:”
“That’s troubling. I don’t know if that 30% increase is a minimum figure or an average amount. Either way, it’s not very convincing. You need to guarantee profits, and that they won’t lose out in the short term.”
“How about subsidizing the 20% shortfall for the six-year period?”
“The Noble Faction would love that, because it would weaken the King’s power.”
“But, if we can guarantee a big return after six years, the Kingdom will grow stronger too, right?”
“That also means that the opposing Noble Faction will become stronger as well, while the King’s side will have 20% lower yields. The nobles of the Royal Faction won’t stand for it.”
“Then how about asking the merchants…”
“Those big traders? They have their own politics among them. If they help the Royals too readily, it might ruin their relationship with the Nobles.”
“There sure are a lot of problems… Lakyus.”
“…And they all come up because you’re not good at forward planning. Well… I do understand it’s hard to get a proposal passed when there are two huge blocs within the country… What about just implementing it under Crown territory?”
“My brothers won’t approve.”
“Ah, you mean those ret… those gentlemen who left their wisdom in their mothers’ bellies for your sake.”
“…But we don’t have the same mother.”
“Ahhhh, then they left it in the King! Still, it’s pretty bad when even the Royal Family isn’t united…”
The room fell silent, which told Climb that the discussion was over.
“Ah, you can come in. Can’t he, Renner?”
“Hm?”
Climb’s heart lurched as he heard those words. He was surprised that she had sensed his presence, but at the same time, he had been somewhat expecting that.
He slowly opened the door.
“—Pardon me.”
A familiar sight filled Climb’s eyes.
The room was luxurious but not tacky, and there were two blonde-haired maidens seated at a windowside table.
Both of them were beautiful young ladies in complementary dresses.
One was the owner of this room, Renner.
The other one sat opposite her. Her eyes were green and her lips were pink, and she was in radiant health. While her looks fell short of Renner, she exuded a charm of her own. If Renner sparkled like a gemstone, then she glowed with vitality.
Her name was Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
It was hard to tell given the sheer pink dress she wore, but this woman was the leader of one of the two adamantite-ranked adventurer teams in the Kingdom, and Lakyus’ closest friend.
She had racked up a considerable tally of accomplishments at the tender age of 19, and the fact that she had attained the coveted rank of adamantite must be due to her astounding talent. Climb felt the stirring of jealousy in the depths of his soul.
“Good morning, Renner-sama, Aindra-sama.”
“Good morning, Climb.”
“Morning.”
After greeting them, Climb made to move to his designated location — behind and to the right fo Renner — but a voice halted him.
“Climb, not there. Here.”
Renner indicated the chair to her right.
Climb found this very strange. There were five chairs arranged around the circular table. That much was normal. However, three cups of tea had been poured.
One was in front of Renner, another was before Lakyus, and one more was in front of the seat beside Lakyus — not the one Renner had indicated. Climb looked around, but he could not find any trace of the third person.
Climb was surprised, but he looked at the chair anyway.
Renner’s orders to Climb had caused a great deal of strain for him, be it in a commoner sharing a table with their master — a member of royalty — or in barging into a room uninvited.
“But…”
Climb looked pleadingly to the other woman for help. He hoped against all hope that she would reject the request, but that hope was promptly denied him.
“I don’t mind.”
“Th-this… Aindra-sama…”
“I told you before, didn’t I? Call me Lakyus.”
Lakyus looked to Renner.
“Climb’s special.”
“…Meanie.”
Lakyus appended what sounded like a heart to the end of her sentence in sickly-sweet tones, to which Renner replied with a note of mock complaint and a smile.
Of course, that was if a curl of the lips which was not matched by her eyes counted as a smile.
“Aindra-sama, please don’t tease me.”
“Fine fine fine. You really are a stick in the mud, aren’t you, Climb? You should learn not to get hung up on details like her.”
“Eh? Teasing?”
Faced with Renner’s look of surprise, Lakyus froze in an incredibly fake way before exhaling with exaggerated intensity.
“Of course. Well, Climb is special, but that’s because he’s yours.”
Renner’s face flushed pink, and she clapped her hands to her cheeks. Climb had no idea what to do and looked away from Renner, and then his eyes went wide.
That was because there was someone seated in the shadows in the corner of the room, hugging their knees to themselves. She was a woman, who wore form-fitting black clothing that seemed utterly incongruous with the room’s atmosphere.
“Wha-!”
Shocked, Climb grabbed at the sword at his waist and lowered his stance, prepared to protect Renner.
Lakyus sighed.
“Now you’ve gone and scared Climb by taking on that stance.”
There was no caution or awareness of danger in Lakyus’s cool voice. Climb realized what that meant and let the strength drain from his shoulders.
“Understood, boss.”
The woman seated in the darkness sprang to her feet in an instant.
“Ah, you probably don’t know her, Climb. She’s a member of my team—”
“—It’s Tina-san,” Renner helpfully supplied.
From what Climb knew, the adamantite adventurer team “Blue Rose” was composed of five women; the leader and divine magic caster Lakyus, the warrior Gagaran, the arcane magic caster Evileye, and then the rogues Tia and Tina.
Climb had seen the first three before, but not the latter two.
So she must be… I see. Her reputation’s not for show.
Given her long limbs and her tight-fitting clothes, she looked the part of someone versed in thief-type techniques.
“…Forgive me. Pleased to meet you, my name is Climb.”
Climb bowed deeply to Tina.
“Huh? Don’t worry about it.
She waved casually to Climb, and then she silently stalked towards the table with the fluid grace of a savage beast. Then, she took a seat on the chair beside Lakyus. It would seem the tea from just now was hers.
Climb carefully surveyed his surroundings to check for another unseen female. There were only three cups of tea on the table, so it seemed unlikely, but he did so anyway.
Lakyus sensed the reason behind Climb’s gawking and said:
“Tia’s not here. Gagaran and Evileye both dislike stuffy occasions… but it’s not that stuffy, is it? I’m wearing a proper dress just in case, but I didn’t insist on them doing the same.”
Lakyus might have said that, but the fact was that etiquette required one to wear formal dress in front of a princess. Of course, Climb had no intention of saying that to the face of Renner’s friend — particularly a lady who was a member of the peerage.
“I see. Still, it is an honor to make the acquaintance of the famed Tina-sama. I hope I will have the chance to benefit from your guidance in the future.”
“Talk after you sit down, Climb.”
Saying so, Renner poured a fresh cup of tea. The tea which flowed from the magic item known as a Warm Bottle was piping hot, as though it had just been brewed.
The Warm Bottle could maintain the temperature and composition of its contents for an hour, and it was one of Renner’s favored magic items. It saw frequent use when entertaining important guests, though not at other times.
Climb knew that there was no protesting this and resigned himself. Thus, he sat down and drank his tea.
“It’s delicious, Renner-sama.”
Renner smiled, but in all honesty, Climb could not tell if it was good or not. Still, since Renner had made it, he automatically deemed it good.
Suddenly, a flat, emotionless voice spoke out.
“—That girl should be gathering intelligence today. The three of us were supposed to come here together, but in the end our Oni leader handed out work at the last minute. It’s all our Oni leader’s fault.”
Needless to say, that voice came from Tina. A frightening smile came over Lakyus’ face as she heard the words “Oni”. Climb tore his eyes away and said:
“I see… I hope I’ll be able to see her sometime.”
“Climb, Tina-san and Tia-san are twins. Even their hairstyles are almost identical.”
“So once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen the other.”
Climb did not think the matter was that simple, but he nodded in understanding.
Still, Tina stared unabashedly at Climb, making him feel uncomfortable.His original plan was just to bear with it, but then he realised that she might have noticed something about him, and so he made up his mind to ask her:
“Is something the matter?”