Chapter 15: Fantasies at Full Throttle — Ludwig’s, That Is

"Understood. I'll ensure that things proceed as Your Highness wishes."

"I'll leave it in your capable hands then, Ludwig. Have Tiona see— No, actually, it makes more sense for me to go see her. Arrange for my departure as well, then."

Ludwig took his leave with a bow. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps following him out. He turned to find Anne running toward him.

"Mr. Ludwig, do you have a moment?"

"Hm? Sure. What's the matter?" He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Anne rarely spoke to him directly.

"Um, this might be a dumb question but... what do you think about, um, what Her Highness said?"

"Ah, well... To put it simply, Her Highness never fails to amaze."

His answer elicited a sigh of relief from Anne.

"Oh, that's good. If you agree with her, that means what she's doing isn't a mistake, right?"

"A mistake? What do you mean?"

"Um, what I mean is..."

She proceeded to explain her worries to a curious Ludwig.

"All right... I understand your concern."

"But it's okay, right? Her Highness... She's doing the right thing, right?"

"I can't say for sure if it's right. I don't know if things will work out as she hopes, nor do I presume to understand all her intentions. However, I do think that it's a sensible thing to do."

"A sensible thing to do?" repeated Anne, perplexed.

"Ah, I see now." Ludwig nodded. "You are of common birth, correct? In that case, I can see why this might not make much sense to you. You see, Lady Tiona and her brother Cyril are, as a matter of fact, the only children of the Outcount of Rudolvon."

"Mmhm. And? What does that mean?"

"Nobles place a great amount of significance on their heirs. It's rather likely that the Outcount feels some resistance to the prospect of sending both of his precious heirs to a school in a far distant land."

What if Belluga experienced a violent coup? Or suffered an invasion from another kingdom? Or even something more mundane but no less tragic — a fire at the school that took the lives of some of its students?

"If anything like that were to happen, Rudolvon could lose both of his children, both of his heirs, in one go. No noble would wish to risk such an occurrence. Besides, it's not all about school. I suspect he also wants them to learn about their own county."

They likely had much to learn about the land they would one day rule. They needed to know what kinds of people lived there, what the towns and villages looked like, what kinds of industries existed... and how to govern it all and keep everything running smoothly. For nobles, the path of learning was a long one; there was no shortage of knowledge they needed to acquire.

"That's why if there's a way for his son to receive the same quality of education within the empire, he'd surely prefer that option."

"I see... I never knew there was so much to consider."

"Furthermore, one of Her Highness's schoolmates happens to be the daughter of the Forkroads. Considering their company is involved in book distribution, I wouldn't be surprised if she intends to enlist the aid of this schoolmate to gather the necessary materials, which will allow her to build a repository of knowledge that rivals Belluga. Knowing her, she will be mindful of Rudolvon's concerns and ensure his son receives the highest quality of education the empire has to offer."

Now, while Mia did indeed intend to ask Chloe to get her lots of books, it obviously wasn't because she was mindful of Rudolvon's concerns. She wanted one thing and one thing only: cold-resistant wheat. She wasn't being considerate of the nuanced needs of others. Her decision was a calculated move for the sake of her own interests. Ludwig, of course, had managed to spin it into another act of genius through his brilliantly misguided reasoning, causing the Mia Express to race ever faster along the rails of delusion.

Chances are, Ludwig added silently, this is probably also to balance things out.

The one who drew the shortest straw in the Sealence Forest incident was the Outcount of Rudolvon. Viscount Berman gained glory. The Lulu tribe gained a path toward economic prosperity. The Outcount of Rudolvon, meanwhile, gained nothing. Not only that, he'd have to give up some of his land. "Not having a violent conflict break out at your front door" was hardly an equal reward. While his friendly relations with the Lulus meant he'd officially state that he was glad to see the conflict resolved peacefully, it was unlikely that he'd be fully satisfied by how things had ended up. This proposal of Mia's, then, was probably a form of compensation.

Which again speaks to the integrity of Her Highness, for it shows that she is not someone who uses compassion as an excuse for incompetence.

Mia was as kind as she was compassionate... and twice as clever. While she was lauded as a saint — and rightly so, for she treasured her friends and cared about her subjects deeply — her concern for her people did not manifest as wasteful spending, and her loyalty toward her friends was not expressed through nepotistic favoritism. Instead, she boldly walked that precarious line between person and politics, balancing her duty toward her friends with the responsibilities of a ruler. A benevolent saint. The Great Sage of the Empire. She was not one or the other. She was both the former and the latter.

That's as much as I can figure out... but I wonder if there's still more. What else might she be after?

Years later, Ludwig would have his mind blown when Cyril Rudolvon developed his signature strain of resilient wheat, but again, that is a story for another time.