Chapter 40 - 40 Marriage
The victory ceremony had concluded, and with various matters in the Royal Capital settled, Steve was set to return home. Cyril and Aila were to remain in the Royal Capital for a while, as they had things to attend to before their wedding.
With Cyril absent from the Archibalt Territory, reports to the Royal Research Institute would be delayed. However, Steve had left behind so many research subjects that the Institute didn't mind; they readily granted Cyril's leave.
As soon as Steve returned to the domain, a summons arrived from Aurora. He headed to the office after being called by Brian. His family, Cody, and Bella were all there.
Steve had a rough idea of what the purpose was.
"A summons from Her Excellency?"
"Umu. She says it's urgent, but do you have any idea why?"
Steve nodded at Brian's question.
"It's likely about the Magic Mirror or the minecarts. Since the Royal Research Institute is short-staffed and can't research everything, Her Excellency probably wants to claim the credit for those first."
Abigail looked disappointed at her son's opinion.
"Steve-chan, you really don't understand a woman's heart, do you?"
Sherry, Christina, and Bella all nodded at those words.
"Mother, do you know Her Excellency's objective?"
"Of course. It's about the marriage of the young lady from House Shields. She was aiming for you, Steve-chan."
"Was she?"
Since Christina was present, Steve deliberately feigned ignorance. That aside, he hadn't expected to be asked about Daphne.
"I feel bad for Chris-chan, but our boy is quite popular. The problem is his density. If he weren't so dense, he might be making even more women cry."
"I wasn't exactly educated on such matters by Father. Well, I was told that making a woman cry goes against chivalry, though."
"Oh, poor Chris-chan. We really need to educate our boy properly on these things."
Sherry and Christina nodded vigorously at Abigail's words. Bella, who felt it was fine for Steve to take as many wives as he wished, was quite tolerant regarding his circumstances with women.
"I can't keep Her Excellency waiting too long, so I'll be going now."
Sensing the atmosphere was unfavorable, Steve teleported to Sowell Land as if escaping. He wanted to drop by Emmanuel's trading company, but he prioritized Aurora's summons and headed there first.
Incidentally, the destination for this teleportation was the Archibalt family townhouse in Sowell Land. Brian had told him to show his face there occasionally to check on the state of the house. He claimed that doing so would keep the servants on their toes.
Despite Steve's sudden appearance, the servants were used to it and showed no surprise. They greeted him as usual and inquired about preparing meals or a bath. Once they learned those weren't necessary, they returned to their daily duties.
Instead of teleporting directly from there to Aurora's castle, Steve observed the town as he walked.
The town was bustling with prosperity due to the victory and financial reforms; goods were selling like wildfire.
"This is bad. At this rate, a recession will follow as a reaction."
Steve muttered to himself.
They had won the war and reparations would be coming in, and the general atmosphere made people's purse strings loose. When people spend money so aggressively, they eat up future demand, which leads to a recession. Even worse is when people make capital investments without realizing they are cannibalizing future demand.
Once supply and demand flip, it turns into a price-cutting war.
At first glance, low prices seem like a good thing, but deflation causes the economy to shrink. Since the factories in the Archibalt Territory don't produce daily necessities, it's obvious that their products would be the first to see budget cuts during a recession.
Furthermore, children's toys were selling rapidly due to the boom. The only way forward was to stimulate demand with the next product. And that would surely be necessary in a few years.
Walking while sensing the market's atmosphere in such a way, he arrived at Aurora's castle. He informed the gatekeeper that he had been summoned by Aurora and asked to be announced.
After a while, Harry came to receive him.
"Welcome. From what I can see, you arrived on foot rather than by carriage or magic."
"Yes. I had my reasons for coming on foot. Is there a problem?"
"Yes. If word gets out that the Dragon Wing Medal recipient was made to walk, there's no telling what others might say about my master. Noble society is moved by such rumors, after all."
"What a hassle."
"Indeed."
As for Harry, he was concerned that treating Steve—a Dragon Wing Medalist—negligently would spread as a scandal. He had assumed Steve would teleport in as usual, so he hadn't imagined he would come on foot and thus hadn't warned him against it.
Steve wanted nothing to do with such a bothersome noble society, but in reality, he would become even more deeply involved due to his father's elevation in rank.
Harry then guided him to a salon.
"It's not the usual office, I see."
"It is to avoid prying eyes. It is only natural given your position."
"It's not like the content of the conversation is going to change, though."
He sighed again, thinking about how troublesome it all was.
Once guided inside, Aurora was waiting for him.
"Welcome, Sir Dragon Wing Medalist."
"I trust Your Excellency is in good health... or rather, being called 'Sir Dragon Wing Medalist' by you makes me feel quite ticklish. I'd prefer another form of address if possible."
"Oh, in that case, you'll just have to have someone else receive the Dragon Wing Medal as well. That way, people won't know which one is being referred to, and they'll stop using that title."
"If you know of any candidates, I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me. Preferably someone younger, as it would be troublesome if they reached the end of their life before me."
"Do you really think such an absurd person exists? Receiving the Dragon Wing Medal while still a minor?"
"It's hurtful to be called absurd."
To Steve, being called absurd was offensive. While his receiving the award had certainly broken common sense, being called 'absurd' felt like the nuance was off.
"We can save that for another time. What is the business for today?"
"It's about the marriage of the Royal Guard Knights Order Captain's daughter. According to my information, she held feelings for you and had always said she would only marry someone stronger than herself. For her to suddenly change her mind means something happened. You know something, don't you?"
"It's not exactly 'something' significant..."
When Steve spoke evasively, Aurora's gaze grew sharp.
From Steve's perspective, he wanted to prevent rumors about Daphne's upcoming marriage and Scarlett's attack from spreading, so he didn't want to tell anyone. Even considering the risks of maneuvering against Aurora, that didn't change.
At the same time, he was surprised that Abigail's prediction had been spot on. Steve had never imagined he would be summoned for such a topic.
"Presenting His Majesty with something that is a mirror on one side and glass on the other, and changing the rules for the retirement of female knights... there's no way that amounts to 'nothing'."
"You are well-informed."
"I have eyes that see well and ears that hear well," Aurora boasted of her intelligence agency's excellence. Steve gave up, thinking he had no choice but to talk. He judged that by providing accurate information, he could prevent false information from being circulated.
"In that case, I suppose I shall be the mouth that speaks well. It really isn't much, but I'll tell you."
Thus, Steve told Aurora about Daphne.
After hearing the general outline, Aurora was exasperated.
"So, you sent the mage employed by Margrave Cleiman back with nothing but a promise. What a waste. That was a very effective card to hold."
"For my part, I didn't want her to have a flawed marriage."
"The fact that she broke her engagement with Margrave Cleiman's daughter is already a flaw in itself."
"That's true. I should have said I didn't want any further flaws. Well, in any case, I would appreciate it if you kept this uninteresting story to yourself."
Aurora chuckled at Steve's request.
"Don't you think the reason it didn't become 'interesting' was thanks to my information?"
"I am grateful for that. It was thanks to Your Excellency that it didn't develop into a major conspiracy and I wasn't dragged into it."
"Exactly. And you see, I teach children that gratitude should be shown in a tangible form."
Aurora finally demanded an information fee from Steve. Steve was indeed grateful that Aurora's information had allowed him to be wary of Daphne and make her give up on marrying him.
He was thankful, but when asked for a reward, he struggled with what to send.
"I ask this at the risk of being rude, but what is it you desire?"
"Let's see... I wonder if I could have one of those mysterious mirrors you presented to His Majesty. It seems like one could peek into a person's true heart without even using magic."
"Understood. Please contact me once the size is decided. I will deliver it in that size."
Steve was impressed that Aurora had seen through the use of the Magic Mirror, thinking she was truly the leader who united the Western region.
"And also..."
"Is there still more?"
Steve showed clear wariness at the atmosphere suggesting her demands might escalate.
However, Aurora paid no mind to his reaction.
"You haven't thanked me for lending you those clothes yet."
"I was very much in your debt on that occasion."
"Indeed. I thought it would be pitiful if you were pointed at for looking shabby in a place where so many nobles gathered."
Aurora put on a theatrical display for Steve.
Having been shown that, Steve let out a sigh.
"So, what is your request?"
"It helps that you're quick on the uptake. I hear that the Royal Research Institute has so many research subjects that some are being left untouched. I wonder if I could have one of those?"
"If that's the case, I shall give you the manufacturing method for the Magic Mirror."
"Oh, can it be made without magic?"
Aurora had assumed the Magic Mirror was made through magic.
It was true that Steve was currently making them with magic, but the principle itself was scientific. By changing the light transmittance depending on the side, it became a Magic Mirror.
A normal mirror reflects 100% of light and has 0% transmittance, but if you make a mirror that isn't like that, it becomes a Magic Mirror.
However, the priority for that research at the Royal Research Institute was currently low, and the reality was that it hadn't been touched.
"Well, since Sir Cyril is busy with wedding preparations, I'll have him write up something like a report in his spare time. Will it suffice if I hand that over to Your Excellency?"
"Yes, that will be plenty."
At that point, Steve thought of one more thing.
"Oh, I shall also give Your Excellency some jellyfish as a gift."
"Jellyfish? You mean those creatures in the sea?"
"Yes. By spreading them on the fields, there is a possibility that crop yields will increase."
"Then it would be logical to use them in your own territory. There must be a catch if you're giving them to me."
"Your insight is impressive. It is exactly as you say, but since we lack the space to conduct experiments, I was hoping Your Excellency could cooperate with the testing."
Experiments for soil improvement using jellyfish were being conducted at the Royal Research Institute and in the Archibalt Territory. Since the Archibalt Territory originally had low yields, the damage if the experiment failed would be significant, so they were forced to stick to small-scale tests.
Therefore, he decided to ask Aurora, who had high crop yields, for help.
"And the compensation?"
"Currently, creating fertilizer from jellyfish requires magic. Therefore, I shall prioritize selling the fertilizer produced in our territory to Your Excellency."
"You're going to sell it?"
"Procurement involves costs, after all."
"Well, fine. If it goes well, it's a deal that has merits for this side too. Besides, I've been invited to the wedding at Marquess Earhart's and the wedding at Duke Stuart's, and it's going to be expensive. I need to increase my income even a little. Thanks to a certain someone, I'm about to go bankrupt from wedding gifts."
Aurora laughed as she looked at Steve, who was involved in both weddings.