Sorry for the delay right after the consecutive updates...! I don't think I'll be this late starting tomorrow!
"……Huh?"
The Yustia Kingdom, central district of the Royal Capital.
In one corner of the royal castle—the building that was unquestionably the heart of the nation.
The voice that rang out was that of Laplace—an extremely rare, utterly flabbergasted outburst from the chief advisor to First Prince Helck, the man currently occupying the seat of power after his usurpation.
Gray hair, blue eyes. A wild demeanor and an air of nonchalance defined him—but the reason he was so visibly stunned was… the information he had just received from his subordinate.
It was—
"……No way. That old man actually lost?"
—The failure of the Northern Rebellion.
In other words, the fall of Archbishop Johan.
"Hey, wait, are you serious? What the hell was that mean old geezer doing? There's no way he'd just let his guard down—like hell he's that careless. What on earth happened… Tch, talking to you about it won't help. Sorry, sorry. You're dismissed."
He was about to sink into thought when he noticed his subordinate still standing there, left hanging. He told the man that the details could be found in the submitted documents, sent him away, took a brief pause, then settled into his chair and began reading through the report.
……Honestly, he couldn't believe it.
Johan von Canterbel. A monster of ill intent and the archbishop who had been renowned long before they had even begun operating as an "organization."
His methods aside… his power, and the relentless conviction that would not tolerate goodness—those were genuine. The proof alone of having indirectly defeated the "Sky Witch" was more than enough to make that clear.
That man. A creature who in some ways possessed even greater "power" than themselves. He couldn't fathom a scenario where that man would lose, so he read further, searching for what on earth had happened—
—And immediately retracted that thought.
"—Huh?"
The word slipped out involuntarily.
A fierce, satisfied grin spread across his lips. Because—
"Well, well... So it really was you."
The most critical piece of information recorded in the documents—intelligence on *who* had defeated the Archbishop.
The instant he saw the name of a single man listed among the Third Princess and her subordinates, a grin brimming with absolute conviction and hostility surged to life within Laplace.
"Pulling this off at this timing... means they've been aiming for it since the moment they fled the Royal Capital? ...Tch. What a reckless stunt. Even for a gamble, that's going too far."
And Laplace's mind worked at an extraordinary speed.
From this single piece of information alone, he pieced together the entire backstory with remarkable precision—how Ermes and his group had been attacked, departed the Royal Capital, and then deliberately ventured into the conflict-ridden North in search of the collective fighting strength and a base they sorely lacked.
It was objectively nothing short of reckless madness... but truth be told, he had always thought they might actually pull it off, and now that they had, he had no right to complain.
Moreover, he grew fully convinced that the central figure behind it all was none other than—the very boy Laplace was most wary of: Ermes.
With this single piece of information, everything changed dramatically. As he calculated his next moves at breakneck speed, weighing the actions that would now inevitably have to be revised—there was another knock at the door.
He paused his train of thought for the moment.
He felt no particular displeasure at the interruption. After all... he already knew who had come to visit.
And so, to the person who opened the door and stepped inside, Laplace called out in a casual tone.
"Yo, Boss. You're actually stepping out from behind the curtains today—unusual."
A hint of a wry smile. Barely past the greeting, Laplace held up the documents in his hand and continued.
"You've probably already heard, right? Archbishop Johann has..."
"...fallen."
"They're saying the Third Princess's faction did it. What in the world did they pull off?"
He spread his hands with a helpless look toward his superior, who had returned a nod.
"...What an unbelievable turn of events. I never would've guessed that Johann von Canterbel—the monster born of the Church—could actually lose. And so much for all my plans for the North; I was expecting things to get a lot more chaotic there. Guess it's back to the drawing board for all our calculations and strategy. Ah, honestly—"
So.
Laplace twisted his composed features further into a defiant grin.
"--
Super
,
helpful.
"
There was no trace of falsehood or bravado in his manner.
That was his declaration.
"Honestly, the biggest headache was that nasty Archbishop. In our original plan, he was supposed to be the final boss—the one we'd have to take down last... and would you believe it, they went and beat him for us."
"Really, a huge help—" After adding that, Laplace regarded his one and only superior anew.
"You get it, boss. ...The situation's about to change. Dramatically, fatally change."
He was. The brains of the organization—one of three key executives, a pillar who wove his words with that razor-sharp intellect.
"The lopsided balance has been shattered. With the North fallen, the beings that Archbishop was keeping in check—the ones who stayed in line because he was around—are going to start moving. At the same time... the Third Princess's faction, which suddenly surged in power, will definitely draw some kind of approach. Everywhere you look, the situation is being rewritten."
They couldn't afford to fall behind on this.
Because with Archbishop Johann gone, if things went well, they could pull their plans forward.
--With one more move, they could put this entire country in checkmate. They could bring things to that point.
"We're moving too. ...Yeah, we can move now. Because—"
And to back that up—the grounds for that belief—he pulled out a different set of reports from the ones he'd been holding.
Laplace revealed one more. A fatal piece of information.
"
We found it.
"
Here, for the first time.
The superior before him showed a reaction of genuine, heartfelt astonishment.
"The magic you lost... the magic that was taken from you. The one and only final piece that only you can use to destroy this country. Once we obtain it and crush the interfering forces once and for all... it will finally be time."
A plan spanning decades.
The culmination of everything that had begun on that day, in that place — it was finally within reach.
At that fact, even Laplace felt excitement welling up inside him.
But he suppressed it with steady reason and wisdom. That was his role within this organization.
And so, Laplace rose to his feet.
"Well then, let's get moving. ...That said, we can't do anything about it right away. But there are still things we can do. —Don't worry about it. Because—"
Once again, he spoke the words he had said before.
To him, and to the organization, it was self-evident. Along with the conviction that only they could possess — one that remained unchanged even in this drastically altered situation — he delivered his usual line.
"No matter what happens, it's all set up so that we come out on top in the end. Right?"
At those words brimming with confidence, his superior nodded in agreement.
The two of them, possessed of terrifying power, began to walk.
...And then.
"Hm? —Oh, the First Prince, is it?"
The boss spoke, as though something had just occurred to him.
To that question he had posed — the question concerning his original duties — Laplace...
——So you were here. Someone like you.
...Terrifying.
He let out a voice so cold and disinterested — hardly the kind of tone you'd expect from someone who served a master, even if it was only in name.
"Ah, I couldn't care less anymore. I'll admit he's been putting in honest effort in his own way... but he's royalty of this country, through and through. The Second Prince, who was vastly superior in ability alone, was honestly the better pick — and this one doesn't even have that. The fact that he accepted everything I said without a single doubt proves he's hopeless."
In a flat, mechanical tone — truly the voice of someone who had written another off entirely.
"He'll self-destruct on his own if you just leave him be. ...No, no, don't underestimate him, alright? If anything, I'm the one who wants to say that — I just wish he'd show even a shred of something worth being cautious about."
That was right — he didn't have the slightest interest left in that prince. When you truly stop caring about something, you really do feel nothing at all. That was simply his nature.
And so — the object of Laplace's interest now. The being he was concerned with, was someone else entirely.
"...Well then. I don't think our reunion will be all that far off."
That being... was a single boy.
The boy he had been certain would be a threat from the very first moment they crossed paths — and who had delivered a solid kick to his face during their second encounter in the Royal Capital.
Having defeated that Archbishop and all — there was no doubt he had grown into an even greater threat.
(I'll pay back that debt in full. And then, after that...)
Even as he recognized the rare sentiment welling up within himself,
— Laplace vanished into the darkness alongside his superior, all the while continuing to devise countermeasures against that silver-haired boy.
◆
——Now then, everyone's here.
And in the north. In the conference room of the fortress where the former Northern Alliance had been stationed.
Having surveyed the assembled core members of the Third Princess's faction... Yurgen von Traukia opened his mouth to speak.
"Of course, but... there have been developments in various places while we were putting down the northern rebellion."
Information gathered over the several days since the northern rebellion ended, during which they sent personnel to various locations while simultaneously reorganizing the now-swelled Third Princess's faction. Yurgen now shared the results of that intelligence-gathering with everyone assembled.
"First, the First Prince's faction in the Royal Capital. They seem to be making quite the splash."
"Brother Helc... making quite the splash?"
Whether out of worry or unease.
Lilianne kept a grip on the sleeve of her mentor, Ermes, seated beside her, her lovely features tinged with anxiety as she questioned Yurgen.
Understanding her feelings but believing he must not sugarcoat things, Yurgen pressed on firmly.
"...It appears they've been forcing neighboring nobles into submission using rather heavy-handed methods. Specifically, they're taking a stance where even the slightest show of resistance could lead to military force."
"That's..."
"Fortunately, the forces of the 'organization' backing him are powerful. Many nobles are submitting, but... that's undoubtedly creating its fair share of friction. You should assume the risk of collapse is growing with each passing day."
Or perhaps, Yurgen continued, that is exactly what Laplace—the one standing behind Helc—is aiming for.
At its core, this is nothing more than a brazen usurpation. There is no doubt that is the only course of action available to them, but given that Helc's closest advisors are entirely rotten to the core, it is tantamount to standing with a lit fuse in hand while diligently piling on more gunpowder.
"...!"
There is not much time left.
Recognizing this even as it dawned on her, Lilianne squeezed Ermes's hand. Drawing courage from that grip, she lifted her gaze forward once more.
At the very least... now was no time to hang her head. That understanding was clear.
It was the strength she had unquestionably gained through the journey up to this point. Ermes felt a swell of joy at that, and Yurgen returned a smile before continuing.
"Now then, moving on... the nobles who belong to neither us nor the First Prince's faction—what are commonly called the neutral nobles..."
The neutral nobles.
It had been less than a month since the usurpation began, naturally. When you included those who had formerly been part of the First Prince's camp through forceful means, a considerable number of nobles had yet to determine their allegiance.
"Those nobles, however, have yet to make any clear moves regarding their standing. Instead—apparently, there is a trend of them rallying under a certain noble's banner."
"A certain... noble?"
Unfamiliar information.
Ermes couldn't help but ask again. His companions seemed to share the same confusion, turning their gazes toward Yurugen. He acknowledged their unspoken question with a single nod.
"Yeah. I haven't mentioned it until now... or rather, I haven't had the chance to, but such a household does exist. If you will, you could call them the 'de facto leaders among the neutral nobles'—there is one such family."
"I see..."
"Sooner or later, we will need to make contact with that household as well. However... at the very least, if they aren't currently making moves to side with either faction, I believe we can put them on the back burner."
"You're right, Father. More pressing than that right now—"
Katia nodded in agreement with Yurugen's proposal and pressed on with the conversation.
At her words... everyone tensed up. Without a doubt, this was the crux of the entire discussion. It was the very reason they had been called here for this emergency meeting.
"...Yes, Katia is absolutely right. That's correct."
Having read the question in their minds, Yurugen continued.
"Then—regarding the 'Church' that has summoned us this time."
"What kind of organization it is, what its structure looks like, and what aims we can speculate it holds. Let us go over this once more—in detail."
The organization whose stronghold they were about to step into. ...An opponent they might, depending on the circumstances, have to fight.
With a steady tone, he began to speak.
Next time, the latter half of the meeting discussion. A further information reveal regarding the Church—stay tuned!
And now, a quick announcement from my activity report!
I've released some of the illustrations from this work...!
You can see incredibly cool depictions of Ermes and Katia, so please do check them out!
Only five days left until release day...! The excitement is really starting to build.
Pre-orders have already begun on various sites.
You can head to the product page — which also features read-through previews — via the image link at the bottom of the screen,
and I'd be absolutely thrilled if you decided to pick up a copy!
So going forward, I hope you'll continue to support "Recreator of Creation Magic"!