Mage? Spell Engineer!

Not only Prime Minister Otto, but also the eldest prince was shocked. He had traveled with his father. The previous king of the Byrne Kingdom and the current Albert were all supporters of the Imperial Parliament. It was because of this that the empire was able to integrate the southern states that were more affected by Byrne.

Historically, when Charles XIII was on the throne, the imperfect parts of the empire, the Kingdom of Marin and the Holy Kingdom, started fighting on the mainland. The Kingdom of Byrne at that time still supported the Church of Order, and mistakenly sided with the Holy Kingdom in that war. .

Unexpectedly, the Kingdom of Marin was victorious, and its troops were invincible for a while, making its neighbors who once opposed it tremble. To the surprise of the Byrne Kingdom, the Marin Kingdom did not liquidate itself and only asked the royal family to give up their church beliefs. Byrne, who was too moved to move, immediately fell in love with the Marin Kingdom and became an important member of the integrated empire.

But now it appears to be an outright challenger to the system. The only thing better than in history is that this time Albert did not side with Valois and just said: Let's break up and continue to be friends, okay?

What a joke!

The prime minister did not reply immediately. He tightened his grip on his pipe, relaxed again, and replied gloomily: "Your Majesty, this is not my mission. Even if I make any promises here, I need the final authorization of the Emperor and the Imperial Parliament. But as long as It’s your expressed wish, we will listen carefully and respond carefully.”

"Then what's your purpose here? To get my troops to return to the front line quickly?"

"Yes, I am also sending greetings to you on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. I also want to deal with a personal matter."

The prime minister's last words aroused the king's interest. After all, he has always been known as an iron-blooded and iron-faced man. Such things of public benefit and personal gain rarely happened to Otto: "Oh? Can you tell me more conveniently?"

"I'm getting old!" There were only two members of the royal family, the prime minister and his most trusted secretary in the conference room. The prime minister said openly and frankly: "I was inspecting the manor after retirement recently. It's not bad near the imperial capital. Unfortunately, some bad things happened recently. I had to consider other alternative places within the empire that had pleasant scenery and were not easily disturbed.

"I don't know if you like me, a bad old man, or if you can allow me to conduct an on-the-spot inspection now for the future."

"Then I think Byrne is the perfect fit. You want it to be quiet, with alpine meadows, and lively, with traveling fairs and festivals, and there will also be an opera tour sponsored by our family." Albert proudly introduced himself country.

The prime minister stood up with support from his cane and smiled under his majestic beard: "But there is a prerequisite for me to choose a retirement place: it is within the territory of my motherland, not Marin, but the empire."

“Whatever the future holds, whether you change your mind or not, you will be welcome at Byrne.”

The smile faded, and the prime minister grabbed his hat and saluted: "Farewell, Your Majesty. If you insist on your demands, we can organize a formal meeting."

After leaving the palace, the secretary who was watching the whole process quietly asked the prime minister: "Do you really want to agree to the conditions for Bain's independence?" Since a formal meeting was to be organized, that is to say, there was something to talk about. The secretary did not understand how the prime minister, who had always advocated the expansion of the great empire, could tolerate.

"Whether we want to talk or not, I'm not sure yet. His Majesty the Emperor and I have already expected the worst from Albert's attitude. Besides, you should understand the truth after you have been with me for so long."

"This subordinate is stupid, please enlighten me."

"Lies, lies are most concentratedly born at three moments: after hunting, during war, and before the election. Okay, now we have to do the first thing, go to Kempson."

"For health reasons, please rest first. Even if we leave now, we won't reach Kempson until early tomorrow morning."

"Why, you secretaries and bodyguards are not as energetic as an old man?" After saying this, the prime minister got into the carriage, closed his eyes and fell asleep, and at the same time ordered: "This time we broke up on bad terms, neither you nor I have eaten. For a banquet, have them pack a meal for the trip.

"Half a roast goose with potatoes, two pounds of smoked sausages, a whole herring pickled in vinegar, and whatever you like for dessert. Buy enough ale for everyone, and I want Würzburg red wine and don't forget the eggs."

Although it was said that the prime minister and his personal secretary ate together, judging from usual experience, this capable minister with superhuman energy and memory had an equally amazing appetite. Most of the food he ordered would go into his own stomach. In my prime, I could eat 16 eggs for breakfast. Recently, I often complain that my appetite has weakened and I can only eat 8 eggs after getting up.

"If I want to eat on the road, are boiled eggs in the shell okay?"

The Prime Minister nodded, and the secretary stopped asking. Now that the Lord has entered a moment of silence and reflection, no one except the Emperor can disturb him.

The next stop was the fringe city of Kempson, which was nominally “looking for a place to retire”. Before Rorschach came, that peaceful town might have been a backup option, but now, the [retarded spell] was cast on the brain to choose the retirement manor in an industrial city.

Judging from the information compiled by all parties, a steel factory has appeared in Bain that cannot be ignored, and the person behind it seems to be a spell caster.

In the empire, the Thyssen Steel Works, which produced everything from seamless steel wheels for trains to cannons and muskets, was given enough respect. Its founder could visit the court and palace, and the emperor was willing to personally bring his prince to visit the Thyssen family manor. , every musket and cannon can find its steel seal - the three-ring interlaced family emblem. Even if there are any weapons that are not produced by it, there is a high probability that they use raw materials from Thyssen.

The prime minister needs to see for himself and conduct a personal inspection to see whether the actual situation of the Kempson Steel Plant matches the data collected by the military department, and to evaluate whether it can be comparable to the empire's Thyssen Steel.

The strength of this company is related to his and the empire's attitude towards Byrne, and the attitude of the mage who invented a wonderful vehicle to welcome his young man will also be taken into consideration. If he can be won over, the next idea of ​​​​the Byrne royal family can even be reduced in weight. He firmly believed that as a spellcaster, Rorschach would never be loyal to the monarch of a kingdom.

As the carriage set off, Prime Minister Otto, who was sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes and asked for a confidential file bag from his secretary. After opening it, the documents inside came into view again:

Rorschach's basic information, background check, and all records after being recruited by the agency.

The record ended abruptly after the crash of the airship of his friend Sabins. At that time, the entire agency came to a standstill. After all, it was tied to one person, and the key leader died, so it naturally fell into chaos. Even how the accident happened, the agents of the original agency The investigation is still unclear, and there are still many people who have lost contact. Luo Xia's original person in charge, "Brother Falcon", is one of them.

The Necromancer, the Chief Archmage of the Imperial Army, took over the entire organization, but the Chancellor did not like this man. The agency had the support of the prime minister, which was considered the power he could mobilize. Now that it was swallowed up by the chief of the Crown Prince faction, Otto was even more unhappy.

The only legacy left by my old friend now is the materials and files that were transferred in time by the prime minister. He hoped that there was a file that could be used now.

He put on his reading glasses and looked again. He always felt that there was something strange about this boy from the countryside. His observations while riding in the car only deepened this idea and did not let the prime minister think about it thoroughly.