"One, two, three. One, two, three."
In time with Serenade's rhythm, the two of us waltzed.
There were no mistakes anymore, and I found myself keeping a decent rhythm. Serenade grinned.
"You're dancing quite well now, my lord, aren't you?"
"..."
I quietly looked at Serenade.
Fernandez's words kept ringing in my ears.
- This time, she's a genuine lady of noble blood. A princess of the Ariane Kingdom, as you know, the Ariane Kingdom is the largest ally in the North...
- If you accept this marriage proposal, you can return with enough elite soldiers to protect Crossroad.
My teeth ground together.
- I'll break off the engagement with Silver Winter. And meet the princess of the Ariane Kingdom.
I had said this to avoid the situation at that time.
But rationally thinking, this choice was obviously right.
A daughter on the brink of ruin from the Silver Winter Merchant Guild and a princess from the powerful Northern kingdom.
The comparison itself was embarrassing. There was no need to weigh which side was more beneficial for the monster frontline.
Even if the Silver Winter Merchant Guild was large, it couldn't compare to the strength of a kingdom.
Moreover, the Ariane Kingdom was the strongest military power among the Northern states.
'There were some mercenaries from the Ariane Kingdom in the game.'
As befitting those from the frozen lands, each was an incredibly tough character.
With ice resistance as standard, and even a few SSR ranks.
If I strategically married the princess of the Ariane Kingdom, I could deploy these robust Northern soldiers on the monster frontline.
But was it only that? By strategically marrying as the Imperial Family wishes, my relationship with them would improve.
Then I could receive support from the central.
Immediately this time, they would support elite troops when I returned to Crossroad.
However-
"..."
It felt uncomfortable.
Something indescribable was nagging at my intuition.
Thorns.
Guardians.
Another frontline.
Fate of destruction...
My hesitation wasn't because the lady dancing and holding my hand was pitiable.
It was a gamer's intuition, honed through 742 strategies.
There was something in that route.
But what on earth was it?
Strategy isn't conducted through emotions or intuition.
It is a well-trodden path based on concrete data and evidence.
And the data and evidence clearly pointed towards the princess of the Ariane Kingdom.
"..."
I sensed Serenade looking intently at my troubled face. Suddenly regaining my senses, I continued to dance and asked,
"Serenade, what's the progress on the task I assigned earlier?"
"Ah, yes! I was just about to tell you."
I had instructed Serenade to reorganize the merchant guild's finances to enable information trading. That's what I was asking about.
"In every city where we have a guild branch, there are information sources. Mostly they were used to understand local prices, weather, and the status of specialty products."
"Can you make use of them?"
"Yes. Since the connections are already established, all we have to do is change the type of information collected."
The information network was already completed nationwide.
"And I have systemized a code that our family used independently, and had every city's guild branch manager master it."
Serenade spoke methodically.
"Using this method, all the branch managers can write the code, but only I and my closest staff can decode it."
The encryption method was also prepared.
"Moreover, not to boast about our guild... each branch owns a Messenger Hawk."
"You mean they use hawks to deliver mail?"
"Yes. After a rival guild deliberately killed our messenger hawks, my angry father introduced them. Taming magic was needed, so it was incredibly expensive, but the accuracy, speed, and reliability are far superior."
This guild had more than I thought.
I nodded my head.
"Good, Serenade. Then use those information sources, the coded messages, and the hawk friends to collect the information I'll instruct for the next three days."
I then detailed the information that the Silver Winter Merchant Guild needed to collect, speaking at length and with precision.
After hearing the entire story, Serenade looked at me, swallowing her dry saliva.
"Is, is this okay? This information could be quite dangerous..."
I spoke sternly.
"It's necessary for your family to survive, Serenade. You must carry it out properly."
Serenade's face turned pale, but with a resolute expression, she nodded her head.
"Understood. As you command, my lord."
"Spare no expense on this. Even if the information seems unrelated, gather as much as you can. Quantity over quality, collect as much information as possible."
Thus, we continued our meeting while dancing, and today's dance practice came to an end.
Serenade and I stood facing each other, bowing.
"It was a good time, my lord."
"I enjoyed it too, Serenade."
We exchanged greetings, now familiar to each other.
I looked at Serenade's flushed face as she caught her breath and thought to myself.
Whether the Silver Winter Merchant Guild would survive or perish,
It all depended entirely on the information they collected.
'Do your best, Serenade.'
The data and evidence had left Silver Winter.
But my intuition was still telling me to stand by Serenade's side.
I hoped my intuition was right. But if the data and evidence were too strong, I might have to make a cruel choice for the sake of strategy.
***
As the Victory Celebration Festival drew near, the Imperial Capital became increasingly busy and chaotic.
In every alley of the city, lanterns wrapped in colorful cloth were hung, and flags of many nations were displayed.
The design of the international flags was quite deliberate, with the Empire's flag alongside the flags of its allied nations, particularly emphasizing those of the Northern Front allies.
Cliché but effective.
Time flew, and suddenly it was the day before the party.
Heeding Alberto's tearful plea to stay quietly in the palace, I donned an invisible cloak and stepped outside.
'It's too late to listen to you now, Alberto. The festival eve, what a mess.'
After safely escaping the palace, I removed the cloak and put it in my inventory.
I whistled as I surveyed the bustling city streets, filled with vendors, stalls, food, entertainment, and throngs of excited people.
'It would be fun to bring my party members here.'
As I walked through the noisy streets, I briefly imagined bringing my party members here.
Evangeline would lead the way, hopping around, promising to be the guide since she had recently graduated from here, and then fall flat on her face due to her [Error-Prone] trait.
Damien would scout around with wide eyes, pointing out 'They're selling chicken skewers there!' or 'They sell fried bread there!' with his sharp eyes.
Junior might hover around shops selling fireworks or magic balloons, muttering something like, 'I should have tried running a stall, too.'
Lucas would probably stick right behind me, sternly protecting me, and feeding me anything I picked to eat.
As I wandered the festival streets imagining the antics of my main party members, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Huh?
I turned to find Elize, still in her fearsome face, maid's attire, and carrying that ominous urn.
"You're here, Your Highness."
I clicked my tongue.
"Why don't you lighten up a bit for the festival, Elize?"
"..."
"At least put down that coffin while you walk around."
What's an coffin doing at a festival? People around are scared of it. Besides, its contents are truly frightening.
Ignoring my words, Elize grumbled in her characteristic gloomy voice.
"My master commanded me. She said His Highness the Prince would surely roam the city alone, so I must escort you."
"So you were waiting for me?"
"I was standing by near the palace, and I felt an invisible presence. I followed it and found it was Your Highness."
Had she sensed and followed me through the cloak that even level 3 detection magic couldn't catch?
Truly an SSR-ranked snif... I mean, she certainly has good detection abilities. (TL Note: He was going to say Sniffing Dog)
"Right now, many foreigners have arrived in the Imperial Capital. Though the central commercial army has heightened its security, the excitement of the festival, coupled with the usual circumstances, has increased the likelihood of disturbances."
Elize's piercing blue eyes sharply scanned the surroundings.
"I will escort you. Let's move to safer places."
"Aren't you the most dangerous of all?"
That was quite a statement coming from the one who had once aimed at my throat.
"...At this moment, I have no intention of harming you, Your Highness."
Elize glanced at me briefly.
"You've changed, Your Highness... and, most importantly, I am not a shameless person. I have no intention of stalking the one to whom I owe my life."
"Then I'm relieved."
I shrugged my shoulders and began to walk forward. Elize quickly followed behind me.
"So, where are we headed?"
"To your master."
Where else would I go? I must check on the dance the night before the party.
"Why, do you dislike it?"
I asked, and Elize responded brusquely.
"Honestly, I do not like it, but since she enjoys it. I've also heard that I should bring you to the lady as soon as possible."
"You are not being honest, I see."
Some escort this is. She could have just sent a message saying, 'Elize is coming to meet you, so come to me.'
"...Is everything okay at the merchant guild?"
As I waded through the bustling street toward the dock, I suddenly asked Elize.
"Is there no pressure from the Imperial Family, or covert operations from the secret group... nothing unusual?"
"Nothing."
Elize, who answered coldly, looked at me a bit surprised.
"Do you expect something to happen soon?"
"Who knows? You never know how things will turn out in this world."
So far, the Imperial Family hasn't touched the Silver Winter Merchant Guild.
Perhaps they've judged that it's better not to cause unnecessary turmoil with such an essential event ahead.
Or maybe they're just too busy to care.
There were no edicts from the Margrave, no movements to seize the guild.
'There's still a chance.'
If tomorrow's party goes well...
The Silver Winter Merchant Guild still has a way to survive. Even if I join hands with Serenade and Ariane Kingdom...
"Huh?"
That's when it happened.
Elize began to sniff around, detecting a smell. What's up with that dog nose?
"I smell something burning somewhere..."
"Really? Isn't that just the smell of meat grilling from the left stand?"
"No, this is..."
Elize's blue eyes widened.
"It's the smell of a fire."
A foreboding sensation ran down my spine.
Without a word, Elize and I made eye contact and started running south through the crowd.
We could see the thick smoke rising in the southern sky.
Pushing past screaming, fleeing people to reach the dock, we were met with enormous flames.
The building engulfed in fire, burning intensely, was the very building where I had been practicing my social dance just yesterday.
It was the building of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild.
"...Milady."
Elize let out an unprecedented scream of terror and dashed toward the burning building.
"Lady Serenade!"
Damn it all.
I hurriedly chased after her.