Sebastian's Perspective:

“Arterios!!” I shouted, waving and running toward him.

“Seb?” Arterios asked me.

“I finally found you two. I have something important to tell you,” I said, panting as I came running.

“Slow down, catch your breath first,” he told me.

“Err, can I ask a question?” Maria said. “Who is this man?”

“Oh, me? I'm the man who’s going to provide a solution to our problem.”

“Our problem?” Arterios said, irritated. “He’s a merchant who found an ancient Elvish item. When you informed me about my sister being missing, we were negotiating for his information, but I think we stopped the negotiations. Unfortunately for him, I have something more important to deal with than magical stones.”

“But I didn’t come about the stones, I’m here about your sister,” he said.

“What?” Both Maria and Arterios said at the same time.

“What do you mean by that?” Arterios said.

“You’re currently trespassing inside the royal court of Dracathea. Do you think the king is going to accept you and answer your questions? Or will you ask for the help of a kind noble who will eventually enslave both of you because of your ears?”

“He’s right. Art, we didn’t think about that, did we?” the girl said, to which I replied, “Don’t worry, I’m a rich merchant who won’t enslave either of you. But instead…” I turned toward Arterios, “I want a positive answer to our previous negotiations.”

“I see… okay then, when can we meet him?” Arterios asked me, still looking irritated.

“Tomorrow. I’ve already spoken to the right people, and he’ll meet us tomorrow.”

“Thank you, uh, Thanos. You’re a great help.”

“You’re welcome, maid girl. But it’s not that simple yet. The situation isn’t as your friend over there remembers it, so today you’re going to get educated on the situation inside the palace.”

“Tch, okay, let’s go back to the inn then,” Arterios said angrily.

---

Maria’s Perspective:

Art is angry, but why? From the moment he saw him, he’s been irritated about something I didn’t notice. He should be happy that Sebastian appeared, but…

---

Back in the Inn –

“Okay, so I’m going to describe the situation to you, so try to remember as much as possible. It’s really important to understand that the way things work here is nothing like Elviel.

The king, Diederik, is the highest authority and he hypothetically can do whatever he pleases. Next in power is his only son, Ignaz, who he has placed in Estella to make sure the woman who rules it doesn’t do anything ‘fishy’. Back in Dracathea, alongside the king, a small council rules the country. A council that, if every member agrees on something, their opinion is more important than the king’s. Some people aren’t happy with that, and they would be happy without them. I’m sure you met my friend Lucius. I sent him to bring you inside the royal court, and he’s the one who got the king’s permission for us to meet him tomorrow.”

“So the shift of power Lucius was talking about was the council?” Arterios asked.

“Hey, no comments, just pay attention and ask questions later,” Sebastian said to Art, who still had the same irritated look from before.

“Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the council. The king wants it gone because it’s the one that actually rules the country. We will negotiate it tomorrow, but the plan is that we get rid of the council, and he helps us find the princes. Now, any questions?”

I raised my hand.

“Maid girl.”

“Maria,” Art cut in.

“Maria, what do you want to ask?”

“How are we going to get rid of the council?”

“Good question, Maria. How should we? Well, we can always just cut their throats, but the king himself would have done it already if that was the solution. I believe the best way is by using your friend’s authority as the Elvish prince to minimize their power. Then we’ll cut their throats.”

“What do you mean you’ll use my authority?” Art asked, now calmer than before.

“You will start a war against Dracathea. If they are murdered, another person takes charge, but in war, the only one who has authority is the king. During war, he can do whatever he wants, and the council is powerless—even to the point of destroying it.”

“So what you want is for Art to start a war so the man in power would change. It’s just a typical thing written in their laws,” I said.

“Bingo,” Sebastian said, praising me, but he soon stopped as Art looked angry again… and a bit threatening.

“I’m going home, so you two get a good night’s sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. I’ll meet you in the morning at the tea shop down the road… good night.”

He told us and left.

“Do you think we can trust him?” I asked, since I had never met him before.

“The plan to start a war is really dangerous, and I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t suggested by him. From what I understand, he loves Elviel and wants to live there. I don’t think he would try to hurt it in any way.”

“Okay, then we should get some rest. Good night, Art.”

“Good night.”