Hilde's Plan

Count Gardner's Domain.

The Shadow Vanguard had followed Ryan all this way. Even in Hot Spring Province, he had never sent them out to do much. They certainly would not have searched the carriage of a royal family member—especially one so elderly and respected—without reason.

Ryan had made that decision because Count Gardner had given him a few hints.

So, strictly speaking, Ryan had not stumbled across the Magic Crystal Cannons on his own. The discovery had come from Count Gardner, a local noble.

Count Gardner was quite a character. He could be bold when he wanted to be, and when he pleaded poverty in the Imperial Capital, he did it with far more finesse than Viscount Landa. His family's long history also earned him considerable respect among the great nobles.

At the same time, Columbus III's goodwill toward Count Gardner had made the count's allegiance clear: between Columbus and Enric, he followed Columbus.

When others still saw Enric and Columbus as royal family members with little to distinguish them, Count Gardner had already submitted to the authority of Columbus III.

The problem was that years of war had devastated Twilight Province, and Count Gardner's strength had yet to recover.

Rationally speaking, Count Gardner could not afford to involve himself in the royal family's internal affairs.

Nobles could call the emperor the emperor of the Empire and criticize his every move, but they had no such standing in the royal family's internal affairs—especially after the changes to the marquis system and the loss of status suffered by royal family members years ago.

Count Gardner was determined to stay out of it, so he had dropped hints for Ryan when he arrived.

Presumably, he hoped Ryan—a baron favored by Columbus IV—would tell the emperor about Hilde.

Ryan was none too pleased,