Joyful Island Tourism with the Minister

8th story

Siegfried was growing restless.

‘Damn it all. I have to return to the Kingdom tomorrow, and I’ve accomplished nothing…’

The operation to infiltrate the island with spies, risking everything, had failed before it even began, detected by the Minister.

Other important plans were also thwarted by the tight security, preventing him from even leaving the Imperial Palace.

“Your Highness, allow me to go alone.”

Yennefer, unable to bear it any longer, offered the suggestion, but Siegfried shook his head, a firm denial.

“The Minister’s actions at the banquet have made you, in a sense, even more conspicuous than I am. The moment you are missing, he will notice at once.”

Siegfried, now certain that the man had planned that even this far ahead, felt a chilling fear mixed with grudging admiration for the Minister.

‘Just how many steps ahead is that man seeing? It’s beyond my imagining. If I had such a man at my side, even shattering the Empire… no. Even unifying the continent wouldn’t be just a dream.’

Siegfried knew well enough that desiring what he could not have was a path to emptiness, but still, the sense of loss was real.

Since time immemorial, they said that even a thousand gold coins should be given to acquire a talented mind.

If he could win the Minister to his side, he would gladly offer a hundred million.

‘But the man wouldn’t agree. He is not a creature to be swayed by mere wealth.’

From his words, actions, and the very tracks he left behind, it was questionable whether he could even be considered human.

To put it bluntly, it was as if a demon wore the skin of a man.

“It can’t be helped. It is our failing that we came to enemy territory with insufficient preparation.”

“Your Highness…”

“There’s no need to worry. It’s not as if this was entirely unexpected, and if it fails due to the Minister, no one will be able to assign blame.”

To even consider assigning blame in such a manner, the Labor Kingdom’s Intelligence Bureau would have to be punished first.

They hadn’t even realized that the Prince’s personal information was being thoroughly stripped bare by the Minister.

Thinking differently lightened Siegfried’s heart, and he was comforting the worried Yennefer when…

“Your Highness.”

“I know.”

Multiple presences approached the room where they were staying.

Soon, a knock echoed within the room.

“Who is it?”

“This is Erwin Warmut, Minister of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.”

At that moment, the stomachs of Siegfried and Yennefer, who had just begun to find a measure of peace, began to churn anew.

—

“You’ve traveled so far, it would be a pity to remain in the Imperial Palace only to return. I shall personally guide you through the capital.”

To my considerate proposal, Prince Siegfried nodded with what seemed like genuine pleasure.

“…That is most kind of you. But is it permissible for me to simply go out as I please?”

Hm? What wouldn’t be permissible?

Ah, perhaps Prince Siegfried was unable to leave because he hadn’t received permission to go out?

If that was the case, one couldn’t help but call the prince, contrary to appearances, innocent and timid.

“Of course. There’s no law in the Empire that says guests have to be confined to their rooms.”

“…Is that so? And those knights?”

“They are the Third Imperial Knights. This here is Francesca Cirner, their commander.”

Even considering the entire continent, the capital’s security was quite reliable, but there was always a ‘what if.’

So, I went to Francesca, explaining that the prince, being from so far away, seemed pitiful cooped up in his room and asked if she would escort him as a guard. She readily agreed to accompany him.

I hadn’t expected the entire Third Knights to show up, but hey, the more knights, the better, right?

“Still, it’ll be difficult to move around with so many people. I apologize, but perhaps the prince’s personal guards could stay behind.”

“…Understood. We shall do so.”

And so, we began showing Prince Siegfried and his future wife, Yenifer, around the capital.

“Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to visit?”

“…Nowhere. It is my first time in the capital, after all.”

Certainly, it would be difficult to decide where to go in a city when you don’t know where anything is.

Alright, I’ll take the lead here.

“Then, let’s start with a stroll through the Central Market.”

“…I leave it to you.”

The Prince’s tour of the capital was proceeding smoothly.

As we walked, Prince Siegfried and Yenifer’s eyes darted about, clearly fascinated by the architecture and varied foods, so different from those of the Labor Kingdom.

To think that no one had bothered to guide them around for their entire stay while they were so delighted. Even as an Imperial citizen, I couldn’t help but feel that it was rather cold-hearted.

After walking, eating, drinking, and generally enjoying the sights, the sun was beginning to set.

“I’d like to introduce you to my favorite café as the last stop. Would that be agreeable?”

“Favorite…?”

To end the tour, I took them to my usual café, the one I had visited with Christina before.

“That painting…”

“It’s a white pony. The owner says it’s a painting of a horse they used to own.”

“Ha.”

“Pardon?”

“Hahahahahahahahaha!”

Startled by Prince Siegfried’s sudden, boisterous laughter, I looked back up at the sign.

The painting wasn’t *that* badly done to elicit laughter, was it…?

Compared to the paintings I usually create, that was practically a work of art.

“Your Highness?”

“Heh heh heh. Forgive me. I just…burst out laughing. Ah, a pony. Was it a pony? Thank you, Minister Barmut. Or, may I call you Ervin?”

“The honor would be mine, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Ervin. Thanks to you, I was able to enjoy a bit of sightseeing.”

After that, we stopped at a café for dessert and coffee, and then returned to the Imperial Palace together.

The ending was a little strange, but it seemed I’d succeeded in making a good impression.

The future King and Queen of the Kingdom of Rabor. Having sown seeds of goodwill, they wouldn’t pretend not to know me later, would they?

Someday, when I step down from this ministerial post, perhaps living in the Kingdom of Rabor wouldn’t be so bad.

—

“Heh heh heh heh. I’ve been had. Completely and utterly had.”

Back at the Imperial Palace, as Siegfried, still chuckling, emerged from the bath after they’d washed together, Yeniffer gently smiled, drying his hair.

“For someone who was so thoroughly crushed, you seem rather amused, Your Highness.”

“I was pulverized to such a degree. How can I *not* laugh?”

It was odd enough when he suddenly offered to give us a tour of the capital, but as expected, the places the Minister took them were all locations where Rabor Kingdom spies used to hide.

It was obvious the Imperial Intelligence had already cleaned them out, but still, if the opportunity arose, they’d hoped to find any remaining materials.

That’s why, before departing the kingdom, Siegfried and Yeniffer had memorized the locations of the spies’ hideouts from a map of the capital, so they couldn’t possibly miss them.

That the route they took with the Minister consisted entirely of places where hideouts used to be.

“And he wasn’t even subtle about relishing our reactions.”

“Indeed. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was genuinely enjoying the tour.”

Meanwhile, Siegfried and Yeniffer were becoming more and more rigid, their expressions increasingly difficult to control.

Then, when the Minister finally took them to what he called ‘the most important place for this plan’, Siegfried couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The café with the white pony painted on it. Or rather, the building next to that café.

That was the meeting place.

To receive confidential documents from a government official who’d betrayed the Empire.

“It was all in the Minister’s hands. You could say that the traitor we worked so hard to turn is now useless, or more likely already been dealt with.”

He felt a twinge of guilt, but it couldn’t be helped. That person must have been prepared for such a consequence when they betrayed the Empire.

“That aside, Yeniffer. The Minister…is there any way to get him to come over to our side?”

“Hmm. Someone of his type tends to prioritize his own enjoyment over patriotism or wealth. If Your Highness could create a stage even more interesting than the Empire, perhaps he’d switch sides surprisingly easily.”

A stage more engaging than the Empire itself.

Which meant, in essence, they had to build a nation at least the equal of the Empire.

“Hmm. A thorny problem indeed.”

“We’ll puzzle it out together. Time is on our side, wouldn’t you say?”

“Quite right.”

The following day, Prince Siegfried and his party returned to the Kingdom of Labor.

Though they hadn’t accomplished anything according to their initial plans, they had gained something nonetheless.

And that something was a new objective.

—

John Burghardt, leader of the Owls, contemplated the man tied to the chair, shivering before him.

Not that he was pondering the man himself.

What occupied his thoughts was their master, the Minister.

‘How did the Minister know?’

It wasn’t that John suddenly doubted the Minister’s abilities. It was merely a matter of pure curiosity.

This man before him had been quite meticulous. Had they not secured him at the scene, they might not have realized his betrayal, so thoroughly had he concealed his dealings with the Kingdom of Labor.

And yet, the Minister had known.

Not only that a government official from another department had betrayed the Empire, but the Minister had even precisely identified the location where he intended to meet with Prince Siegfried.

Thanks to that, the Owls, who were escorting the Minister in the shadows, had been able to recognize the traitor’s movements the moment the Minister arrived on the scene with Prince Siegfried.

The traitor had been carrying numerous classified Imperial documents. Each one a potentially devastating loss should it fall into the hands of a foreign power.

“Surely the Minister doesn’t have other hands and feet besides us, does he?”

As if voicing the same thought, Christina’s uneasy words caused the faces of the other Owl members to simultaneously stiffen.

It wasn’t as though their usefulness would vanish if the Minister had other agents, nor was it a matter of outright betrayal.

Indeed, it might be stranger if someone of the Minister’s stature only relied on the intelligence department.

Nevertheless, the Owls were distinctly displeased at the thought of others serving the Minister besides themselves.

Not out of pride, or any such concern.

The emotion they harbored for those imagined subordinates of the Minister was… frankly, jealousy.

“There’s no way.”

“We would have noticed if there were.”

“That’s right, it’s not possible.”

Alexander, Waldemar, and Sergei sequentially refuted Christina’s words. And there was a certain logic to their claim.

It was unlikely the Minister had other agents they weren’t aware of.

“No need for idle talk. We complete the task and return.”

With a swift gesture, the traitor’s head parted from his neck, tumbling down.

Officially, this man would now be listed as having died in an ‘accident’, but regardless, a rumor would circulate within the Imperial government.

A fool who dared to sell imperial secrets had been dealt with.

The same fool who supposedly died in an accident recently.

Once the rumor took root, it would grow and spread.

People would come to understand.

What it meant to betray the Empire.

“Let’s go.”

Having erased all traces, including disposal of the body and destruction of the classified documents, the Owls quietly returned to their nest.