Hunter and Mad Scien Chapter 155

Kendrick, who had deliberately emphasized that he didn't know the detailed inside story, briefly explained the situation.

So, the stories Esperanza had seen in the newspapers were roughly connected as one issue.

Paolun pirates were blockading the sea routes, preventing rchant ships from moving. Due to this, colonial trade was disrupted and essential goods couldn't co in. Grains and raw materials for manufactured goods were all problematic, but one of the biggest problems was magic stones.

Of course, Osdern had plenty of mines too. In terms of reserves, they could easily last a hundred years. However, technology was truly ambiguous. They couldn't increase the amount of magic stones mined at once, nor could they speed up the process. Since the location of magic stone mines and geological problems were complexly interconnected, let's skip this part.

Anyway, Osdern, which had rapidly built a magical civilization and was promoting the na 'Magical Empire' to the entire world, was filling the shortage of magic stones through colonial trade. In other words, they were robbing at dirt cheap prices.

And now all the rchant ships coming from that very Paolun were completely blocked. While the sky routes were open, airships consud much more magic power compared to steamships and could carry smaller loads at once. Operating them would only result in losses.

The complete shortage of magic stones was problematic, but the bigger problem was money. What money would they use to operate the imdiate national facilities, governnt buildings, air-purifying airships, and steam locomotives that traversed the entire country? Shouldn't they avoid the disgrace of being an empire that couldn't do anything without colonies?

So what the cabinet was urgently discussing was the nationalization of magic stone mines. Of course, they said it would be temporary and they would provide compensation, but compared to the sky-high prices that would result from the magic stone shortage, would they even pay half the proper price?

"Even setting aside other lords, Avondale would have been receiving rare magic stones from his territory's mines for research purposes, so that problem would remain too."

At Kendrick's reluctant revelation, Esperanza's mind also began its fierce rotation for the first ti in a while.

The mine on the outskirts of Avondale City. That's where the magic stone that beca the material for the 'Golden Claw' was discovered. If such magic stones existed again, that place would be the most likely location.

The state was going to steal that.

By whose authority.

"But isn't food more important? Why magic stones first?"

"Because food can be substituted with other things."

Really? Esperanza's eyes narrowed. But it didn't seem like any further answer would co.

"Anyway, that's all I have to tell you. I've given you all the information I can provide, so please don't frequent such dangerous streets. I wouldn't want to set foot here either if it weren't for work."

"Is the child abduction case you ntioned earlier also related to this problem?"

"We're treating it as a common human trafficking case, but it's not sothing a lady should know about."

If it wasn't related, there was no need to pry further.

"May I ask one more thing?"

"Please speak."

Kendrick answered with a reluctant face. Esperanza confird that the immature passion she had seen on his face in the past had been washed away and asked sothing she had been curious about before.

"You're the son of Marquess Poulsbury, so how are you Viscount Poulsbury? Are there two titles in the sa territory?"

Kendrick's tense face beca stupid.

"Ah... to put it simply, it's due to a clerical error from a hundred years ago, but it's beco sowhat historical so we're leaving it as is."

As expected, it was nothing special.

"Let

ask one more thing."

Kendrick really reluctantly dragged out his words.

"Yes, well, go ahead."

"Aren't you more popular with won you don't like than won you do like?"

"...What? Wait. What does that an? Miss Hunter!"

Esperanza shrugged and passed by Kendrick. Kendrick, who had been chasing after Esperanza as she instantly disappeared between the alleys, stopped with a haunted expression.

"Where did she go?"

Instead of searching the alleys for Esperanza who had vanished in an instant, he returned dejectedly to his steam carriage. Unlike other ladies, he thought Esperanza wouldn't be in danger.

She was a suspicious lady in many ways.

It was true that he had genuine and passionate interest. But he also knew well that he couldn't court a lady of uncertain status and no reputation indefinitely. Of course, it couldn't be said that his guardian Avondale's lukewarm attitude had no influence either...

Anyway, it was a good choice. That lady didn't seem like she would beco Lady Poulsbury, and he would soon be able to et another fine lady to pour his passion into.

"But how did she know?"

Kendrick, who had heard exactly the sa words from a young lady he had asked to dance recently, scratched his head.

??????°??☆????°??????

Esperanza, who had returned to the mansion, fell into thought again.

While listening to Kendrick's story, she hadn't thought about it, but it seed like Cider had gotten caught up in Daria's affairs.

Paolun's ard independence movent groups mainly preferred small-scale assassinations of key figures or guerrilla warfare at sea. Not for any other reason, but because they lacked the capital and military power for anything more. Where did such groups suddenly get the power to blockade the seas against the Osdern navy with its state-of-the-art warships?

She recalled the letter the duke had sent. She thought she understood why Daria had done such things.

Around the sa ti as the Paolun pirate incident, a great upheaval occurred in Osdern politics. Parliant passed a vote of no confidence in the cabinet. Pri Minister Tempton took responsibility and resigned from his parliantary seat as well. She didn't know how politics had turned since then, or what incident had caused Raymond Tempton, the leading contributor to Paolun's annexation, to withdraw from politics.

However, what Esperanza knew for certain was that Tempton had returned several years later. The timing roughly coincided with the appearance of hunters. Though not exactly.

For Daria too, it was about ti to finish taming the royal family. Seeing Edmund Seton's face battered in all colors, the queen's ntal state probably wasn't intact by now either. Daria only wanted to use the royal family, not tornt them indiscriminately, so it was ti to throw them a carrot.

'...Is that right?'

That group bound together by bloodline supremacy was sowhat unpleasant. Anyway.

So why was Daria trying to bring down Pri Minister Tempton? Just because of the royal family?

Her thoughts hit a dead end there. If she was going to call him back in several years anyway, why bother? It wasn't like she was trying to kill him cleanly either, and there was no reason to drive him out using this world's thods. To give credit to the royal family? The royal family was in a position where they couldn't be caught having intervened in this series of events. Or conversely, to gain leverage? There was no reason to gain more leverage now.

What would Cider have thought?

Since he now knew what Esperanza had been hiding too.

But Esperanza knew almost nothing about how Cider reached conclusions. Even if she had known, it didn't seem like she could follow his thod. After much deliberation, Esperanza got up from the bed and headed to Cider's study.

The study she entered with only a small lamp was filled with cold air. The particular coldness of a space where people hadn't stayed for long. Esperanza buried herself in the armchair where Cider always sat. The books packed tightly up to the second floor seed ready to pour down on her head at any mont.

Esperanza, who had been looking at the locked research lab door, tightly gripped Cider's letter she had taken from her inventory in one hand.

Now wasn't the ti to think about such things.

Let's think that the purpose of all the things Daria was doing was to make gas and earn money.

In her mind, it seed like Cider was asking in his gentle voice, 'Would soone like Pri Minister Tempton be helpful when creating such a world?'

No.

When appropriately restructuring Osdern to be good for making gas, it would be troubleso if difficult-to-handle figures like Tempton held power. It would be best to bring in a sowhat stupid and obedient person who would listen well to the royal family. But under normal circumstances, the Tempton cabinet's approval ratings showed no sign of falling... so they had caused this incident.

Thinking that way, everything fell into place. But this was all just Esperanza's speculation. It would be nice if there was soone to listen to this story and worry about it together. It would be nice if there were trivial wordplay, laughter, body warmth, and hands that would guide her to answers even if she wandered a little.

Esperanza just blinked while sitting blankly with her knees together.

Thinking alone was more difficult than expected. Since falling into this place, Esperanza had shared all matters big and small with Cider. Filling Cider's large study with the scent of tea. But now this study contained only dry coldness.

Having soone who would correct wrong speculations, soone who would hold on to her even in situations so difficult that her vision went dark.

And not having that person.

She felt suffocated. Esperanza closed her eyes while burying herself in the sofa.

For several days after that, her body was in a dejected state. Perhaps she had caught a cold from sleeping in the cold, she was strangely lethargic. Though a hunter's body shouldn't fall ill from re colds.

She felt no need to maintain her daily routine at all. She would sit blankly reading Cider's letter and nurture pointless anger, then feel miserable as if abandoned by the world. Even within this mansion, she had nowhere to go and wandered around her room.

'What can I do when there's nothing to do.'

The matter of finding Cider's whereabouts was left to the information broker, and what Esperanza could do with the information she currently had was limited.

...Even making excuses, she knew it was ultimately due to her mood. Just because there was nothing to do didn't an she could really do nothing at all.

Esperanza opened the door unsteadily with a sowhat gaunt face. It was a nice day. When the cold winter wind brushed past her cheeks, her ssy mood lifted a little.

That's right. It was already winter.

Wait. Wasn't this sothing to be happy about? Esperanza tilted her head. Then, busy footsteps approached from the end of the hall.

"Oh my, miss. You're awake? Are you feeling better?"

Mrs. Lux approached with delight. The warehouse key in her hand jingled. Esperanza sheepishly rubbed her cheek and smiled.

"It was just a cold. I'm fine. I'm sorry for causing unnecessary worry."

"Don't say such things! Look how thin you've gotten. How shocked the count would have been if he had seen you!"

If that guy had been here, she wouldn't have gotten thin in the first place. I wonder if he's hurt sowhere unknown... While grumbling inwardly, she just smiled outwardly. Then Mrs. Lux narrowed her eyes.

"There really is sothing between you two, isn't there? I thought so. You can't fool old eyes."

If she had said this a month earlier, she could have heard it more happily. Her mouth tasted bitter.