A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 433 Extremists

"The weather has changed so quickly?" Prime Minister Otto stood up and looked at the sky, which had become somewhat dark and gloomy. It was close to noon, and the sunlight, which should have been getting stronger, was shrouded in dark clouds.

For the past few hours, he had been talking to a young man named "Bart," trying to gain a deeper understanding of Byrne through him. Bart was a good conversationalist; he had lived in Byrne with his family as a child and had some knowledge of its past, studied at the magic academy in the capital, identified with the imperial system, and was now positioned as the "princess's consort" within the kingdom's upper echelons.

More importantly, the Chancellor could exploit Bart's adoration for him, like a ripe fruit, by gently "pressing" him with his words, and the information he wanted would flow out like juice, except for matters related to Rorschach.

He was hesitant; he was restraining himself from expressing himself.

No problem, the prime minister thought easily, because he was about to meet Rorschach in person.

"Yes, the weather has changed." Bart also stood up from the meeting room, looking out the window. "The weather in Byrne is like this from spring to summer; the weather can change in the blink of an eye. The herdsmen on the meadow should be gathering their cattle and sheep now."

The prime minister nodded: "The north of the empire wouldn't happen so suddenly. I'm not familiar enough with the climate in the south."

In Istanbul, discussing the weather is a common way to start a conversation; the fact that the two were discussing the weather now indicated that their conversation was nearing its end. Andrei entered at just the right moment: "Your Excellency, Master Rorschach has returned. He invites you to dinner."

As for Bart, Andrei added, "Master Bart, two officers from the garrison are looking for you; they have matters that require your decision."

Barth looked reluctant and regretful. Chancellor Otto took the initiative to shake hands with the young man with whom he had hit it off: "You have left a deep impression on me. Thank you for keeping this old man company."

The final polite exchanges dispelled Bart's slight unease, and he happily took his leave.

The meal was served in the circular restaurant in the central tower of the steel plant, and the Chancellor and Rorschach had completely different experiences. Through the window, the Chancellor saw the circular steel plant, and his first impression was that it was clean, larger and more integrated than all of Thyssen's plant areas, with fewer chimneys.

Most of the chimneys simply puff out white steam, unlike Thyssen, which is filled with thick smoke that can blacken people and is covered with carbon ash and slag.

Rorschach, on the other hand, would think of the Starlight Torch Tower, wondering if Archmage Kano was still dining there.

"I'm sorry, your arrival was too sudden, and I have something I have to deal with." This was a lie; his trip to the Elemental Plane was more driven by interest.

"But I received a very well-prepared and grand reception. Thank you, Venerable Rorschach." This was the truth, the prime minister emphasized the word "very well-prepared."

During the meal, the prime minister's personal secretary was also present. The food was brought from the canteen: beef broth, sausages, and buttered bread, as well as a salad with a choice of mayonnaise or vinaigrette. The prime minister glanced at the dishes and saw that, apart from the sausages, they were all Valois dishes.

"Excuse me." The secretary poked around in the food with a long needle before using the [Purify Food] scroll. Rorschach didn't comment, simply starting to eat.

Now, the prime minister has to go through this "ritual" with every meal. Even the food purchased on short notice before departure is inspected and purified by his secretary. Mr. Otto explained, "I'm sorry, there have been more attacks on the imperial high command recently, so I have to give up the hottest first bite and let the poison test needle taste it first."

"Your meal must have been quite expensive." Rorschach noticed that the long needle wasn't an ordinary silver needle; the wooden handle at the tip had magical circuits, making it a magical item. "May I ask, who dares to lay a hand on the Empire's Chancellor?"

"Of course, they are the most unscrupulous group of people on the mainland, the spellcasters."

"Old man, aren't you killing the conversation?" Luo Xia tried to salvage the situation: "If it really is a mage who made the move, I think your current methods will probably be ineffective."

"I agree with that, but what I said earlier wasn't quite accurate. Besides spellcasters, they also employ and train adventurers and other professionals, and they insist on using methods that don't show any magical involvement, such as causing airships to crash."

"Airship crashed?"

"Yes, for example, your former superior, His Excellency Sabin, who is a good friend of mine." The prime minister had his secretary place the file on the table. He pushed the file toward Rorschach.

Rorschach stopped eating and opened the file to check his recorded actions, reports written by "Forest Falcon" and "Night Owl," his own reports, and published articles until the war, when the file records stopped.

Why did it have to be interrupted before the war? Was the chief of staff killed around that time? Rorschach watched silently, showing no emotion.

The prime minister continued, "The agency was established with my support and with His Majesty's permission. However, there is also a secret organization among the military mages that is also responsible for intelligence activities, but their members are all excellent spellcasters."

"So the mage's intelligence network destroyed the mechanism?"

The prime minister shook his head: "In the end, it was indeed a merger, and now everything is under the command of the chief mage accompanying the army. The ones who are really biting at 'high-value targets' like mad dogs are the retired members of the organization. They have been ordered by the chief not to join the mage tower, not to teach at the academy, and can only get a manor to live as farmers, just like other meritorious officers."

The "farmers" mentioned by the prime minister were estate owners, but these people were clearly not content with being mere lords. Not to mention the spellcasters, even among ordinary retired military officers, many from the lower classes were dissatisfied with such arrangements. In particular, those born into commoner families saw their comrades with noble blood enjoying promising futures after gaining military merit, while they themselves could only guard a few dozen or a hundred acres of land and serfs brought from the north during peacetime.

These former soldiers didn't have many material desires. Their adherence to discipline led them to a Puritanical lifestyle. Some used their small fortunes for speculation, while others were dissatisfied with the status quo and demanded greater influence and the same upward mobility as officers with aristocratic lineage.

This is the group of people, and spellcasters are a special existence. Many of them are low-level spellcasters produced by the academy. The pride of mages makes them unable to tolerate rural life. Even if they can gain without working, there are those who have failed in their speculations, and they are extremely resentful of the current state of the empire.

These people colluded, openly operating under the banner of a "retired officers' club," but secretly and systematically advocating for war. They longed to be drafted and to receive greater spoils from the war.

Those within the empire who hinder the war are considered enemies, such as Sebins, who understands Valuwa's potential and hopes the empire will make further preparations. The Chief of the Agency is certainly not a dove, but his rationality and restraint are seen as obstacles by those people, especially the balance of power between the defense agencies and the mage organizations, which they resent.

Now these people have achieved their goal: the war has begun, and the chief military mage has reused them, turning the organization into a clandestine force for the princes and hawks.

They were indeed mad dogs, believing that extreme, terrifying violence could solve all problems. This information reminded Rorschach of the inexplicable assassination attempt before Bart's wedding.

(End of this chapter)