"......"

  Seeing Marsim Letyer fall silent again, The Investor immediately pressed his advantage.

  "More importantly, do not forget—by the Ninth Princess’s side stands that one—"

  "The greatest prodigy of the current age, Hulim Heyerar!"

  The moment he heard that name, Marsim’s gaze darkened sharply.

  The Investor keenly noticed this change and intensified his persuasion.

  "Lord Marsim, does this combination—not just an imperial heir, but paired with the descendant of the legendary Guardian Knight—not strike a familiar chord~?"

  "Oh my, how strange. It seems history has seen such a pairing before. I cannot quite recall the details, though. Perhaps you could refresh my memory, Lord Marsim?"

  "That’s enough——!!!"

  Marsim roared in fury.

  The Investor smiled and fell silent, simply staring at Marsim wordlessly.

  He knew Marsim had been teetering on this decision from the start; he himself was merely giving him a final push.

  And now that the push had been given, it was time for Marsim to choose......

  After some time, Marsim’s rage subsided. He fixed The Investor with a cold stare, and after a long pause, spoke in a low voice:

  "......Tell me your plan."

  At these words, The Investor broke into a broad, triumphant smile.

  "An excellent choice~!"

  "The plan is simple: prevent the Ninth Princess from graduating successfully. As for the Guardian Knight’s descendant—yes, she is a prodigy, but a prodigy who has not yet come into her power is nothing more than a title......"

  Marsim frowned deeply.

  "You speak too lightly! Royal family members are not so easily harmed! Even if we succeeded, the empire’s wrath would come down upon us, and I would be found out sooner or later."

  "Rest assured~, we have no intention of going that far. Princess Alicia Serions will not be in mortal danger—merely injured enough that she can only barely graduate from Manacos Magic Academy. The royal family would not pursue the matter too rigorously then, would they?"

  "Furthermore, with such an incident, the other three heirs would surely seize the chance to attack her. The investigation would most likely fizzle out altogether~!"

  Marsim fell into thought for a few seconds, then nodded.

  "......You are right. But what exactly do you intend to do?"

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "I must warn you—Crown Prince Drehack Serions will never endorse such actions."

  "I am well aware of that. Next, I will persuade the Third Prince, Theodore Serions, to secretly incite conflict between the other three. At that point, you need only nudge events along in key places."

  "This way, Crown Prince Drehack will not blame you—he will believe the Third Prince struck first."

  Marsim frowned again.

  "You want us to fight Princess Felena Serions and Princess Alicia?"

  "Hehe~, patience. Letting the three of you clash is merely a smokescreen. The true goal is to lay the groundwork for an irreconcilable conflict to come......"

  Then The Investor laid out his complete plan to Marsim.

  After hearing the details, Marsim looked astonished.

  "This...... Can it truly be done?"

  The Investor smiled confidently:

  "If no unexpected variables arise, it will be done without fail~."

  "And when that day comes, the Fourth Princess and Third Prince will have exhausted each other, leaving them no strength to compete for the throne. The Ninth Princess will fail to graduate with distinction and lose her greatest ally—and her faction will decline naturally."

  "Only then will Crown Prince Drehack’s position be truly unshakable~!"

  "......"

  Marsim hesitated for a long while, then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

  "Very well! We will proceed as you say. I hope you are as good as your word."

  "Hehe~, leave it all to me......"

  ......

  Inside the temple ruins.

  "......I see. You have set your sights not only on Alicia but on me as well."

  Hulim glanced down at the Magic Circle beneath her feet.

  "No wonder you prepared something like this."

  "Hehe, you remain remarkably composed!"

  "What use would panic be?"

  The Investor laughed at her response.

  "Oh? A valid point. Truly worthy of the greatest prodigy in a millennium! Such resolve is admirable~!"

  "May I ask you one more question?"

  "Hehe, ask whatever you like."

  The Investor chuckled dismissively.

  "You——"

  Hulim’s calm tone suddenly turned a few degrees colder.

  "——are you a member of Gulos?"

  "......"

  The Investor froze, his smile fading slowly from his face.

  "This is quite a surprise...... How did you see through it? I have never once revealed this detail."

  "Your aura."

  Hulim replied,

  "The aura you exude is identical to those of Gulos. I have crossed paths with Gulos many times—I know their aura well."

  "I see, how fascinating! Hahaha......"

  The Investor burst into laughter.

  "To be honest, I was so confident in hiding my identity that I dared to set foot in Langard. Yet I never imagined I would be exposed by something as trivial as my own aura. It seems I must be even more careful in the future~."

  "Among the three branches of Gulos, which one do you belong to?"

  "Hehe~,"

  The Investor said with a smile,

  "Which branch do you think I belong to~?"

  Hulim stared at The Investor and spoke slowly:

  "......Of Gulos’s three branches: the one led by the Pillar of Faith, which controls intelligence, operates only in the shadows, commanding all manner of underground forces and achieving its ends through unsavory means."

  "The one led by the Pillar of War, which wields military power, roams the world and achieves its goals through brute force. And finally, the Pillar of Wealth——"

  "A mysterious branch, known only for controlling a vast underground network of capital flow. Few of its members have ever been spoken of......"

  "Disguising yourself as an investor to meddle in the empire’s core affairs—if successful, the returns would surely be immense, would they not? Am I correct, ‘The Investor’ of the Pillar of Wealth?"

  Clap! Clap! Clap!

  The Investor began to applaud.

  "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant analysis!"

  As the applause died down, The Investor’s tone took on a dangerous edge.

  "It is a good thing we acted when we did. If we had let you continue to grow, sooner or later you would have become a mortal threat to Gulos. And besides......"

  He glanced at Berzera Ud, lying unconscious on the ground.

  "From the moment you arrived, you have been far too calm—as if none of this has caught you by surprise......"

  Knocking Berzera out so cleanly, as if you did not want him to witness what comes next......

  "Is that so surprising?"

  Hulim replied flatly.

  "......"

  The Investor narrowed his eyes, the cold gaze hidden behind them fixing intently on Hulim.

  "......Tell me—how did you know?"