The murmuring suddenly stopped.

The reason was simple: His Majesty the King strode briskly to the front of the stage. At the sight of him, everyone rose. The Mages and Priests inclined their heads in respect, while the Nobility bowed deeply. They then welcomed the master of the Kingdom with a round of applause.

"Your discussions are quite lively. I could hear them even from outside."

"Our apologies for disturbing Your Majesty."

"No, no, it is I who should apologize to you gentlemen. Please understand that after becoming King, my time no longer belongs to myself, nor to a select few."

"Yes, you are the lord of the Kingdom, the representative of all people, just as we are the representatives of the Valois people." This was spoken by one of the Nobility. They had always considered themselves representatives of the Valois people—a consciousness forged in the many wars against Istani and the Empire.

Charles XVI quite agreed. He smiled and walked to his temporary throne but did not sit down. "Indeed, well said. And Master Kano has also spoken well. Your proposal will certainly increase public confidence in the currency."

"I feel this is something Mr. Nekker has not fully considered. The late King taught me that the King, the Nobility, and the people must first trust one another before they can seek mutual benefit."

’Mutual benefit? What mutual benefit? This is a life-or-death struggle!’ Nekker could only manage a stiff smile and praise, "Your Majesty is wise."

"Your Majesty is wise!" It was the most unified cheer of the entire conference.

The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance soon understood why the King hadn’t taken his seat. He announced to the assembly, "Since everyone is willing to adopt Master Kano’s brilliant proposal, I will ask Minister Nekker to further refine his own. As for the time..."

He pulled out his personally-crafted Pocket Watch and glanced at it. "Preparing a meal for two hundred people is no small challenge. It is time to invite you all to sample the results of the royal chefs’ labor! I will not mistreat those who share the burdens of our country. Please, come to the banquet hall for lunch!"

’No, no, no!’ Nekker desperately wanted to stop this, but he couldn’t possibly ask the King to retract his invitation with everyone watching.

’Your Majesty, your hospitable offer will give these people time to collude! It will give them the chance to nitpick every word and fight for favorable terms! It will let them unite and act in concert...’ Nekker had a vague premonition that the Noble Conference would spiral out of control because of Charles XVI’s banquet.

And Dipresy... Nekker glanced at the Red-robed Prime Minister. That lame man wasn’t stopping it. ’He wants to collude with the Archbishops and the Sword Nobles!’ Nekker quickly realized. He himself was a commoner who had made his start in the banking industry, whereas Dipresy was an Archbishop and a Great Noble. Collusion at this moment was to his advantage.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, with the King and his subjects all in good spirits, His Majesty once again made his exit.

His Majesty was off to take a pleasant afternoon nap, once again leaving the two ministers to preside over the conference.

However, after being forced to add clauses stipulating the independence and oversight of currency issuance, Nekker reiterated his own reform measures. He recited his ideal blueprint in a loud voice, persisting until his voice grew hoarse and he felt a painful, bloody tang in his throat.

But the reaction was lukewarm. The Archbishops and Nobility in the front rows were dozing off; they weren’t listening, merely waiting for the Minister of Finance to finish.

In fact, had the vote been held on the spot that morning, there might have been a sliver of a chance. But after all the colluding, the attendees’ collective response was that such drastic changes required the convocation of a Third Level Estate Assembly to be passed.

Convening an assembly that included the Third Estate was not something that could be done immediately. This meant that even if the new tax laws were passed at the Third Level Estate Assembly, their implementation would be delayed until the following year.

’They still want to squeeze out one last haul!’

The Chief Justice also launched an attack, demanding that Nekker fully disclose the treasury’s finances and explain the Royal Family’s enormous expenditures item by item.

"Disclose it!" "Disclose it!" The shouts merged together.

Nekker waited until the shouters were hoarse and tired before he spoke. "No comment."

When the results of the failed vote were announced, Nekker spoke. "Here, in this place, I feel utterly humiliated and ashamed. Please understand, this is not for my own sake, but for all of you present, and for the country I so deeply love. I will now submit my resignation to His Majesty. Please allow me to excuse myself."

The Minister of Finance was sent off with hisses and boos. In the end, some even began to applaud, as if some great victory had been won.

...

「In the research building, after the conference ended.」

"Come on, help me proofread this and prepare a typed manuscript." Pascal entered the office hugging a stack of conference notes. He had gathered his girlfriend, Paulina, and his good junior, Rorschach.

The Great Mage’s assistant was, naturally, one of Kano’s students. Rorschach, being an "Empireist," certainly wouldn’t have attended. While the conference was in session, he was busy seeing off Valon—by stuffing him into a carriage filled with recycled glass bottles. So, the one accompanying Master Kano was, of course, Pascal.

He had been responsible for taking the minutes and was now outsourcing the rest of the work to Paulina and Rorschach.

As Rorschach eagerly took the papers, he reminded Pascal, "Master Kano took you to such an important conference. Is it really alright for you to show us such confidential material?"

"Hey, don’t you try to find an excuse to slip away. If I did this all by myself, I’d be up all night. Besides, I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it."

’Well, if you put it that way, I’ll take it...’ Rorschach successfully got his hands on a portion of the conference minutes.

Paulina, who was very familiar with Pascal, sensed something was wrong with the handwriting. "Has your penmanship gotten better?"

"No, no, it’s all thanks to the Enchanted Speedwriting Pen. I just had to record who was speaking and let it do the rest. It just means you two will have the tough job of correcting its mistakes while you type."

After he finished typing, Rorschach suggested they swap manuscripts to proofread, successfully managing to read through all the material.

"So the Minister of Finance resigned?"

Pascal nodded. "Master Kano had a private audience with the King afterward. I saw that man, Nekker, leaving the Royal Palace."

It was hard to call the conference a success or a show of unity. Of all the two ministers’ proposals, only a temporary increase in the transaction tax was passed. As a compromise, the Church agreed to make another cash donation to fill the treasury’s coffers, allowing the Kingdom to function until the autumn harvest was over and large-scale taxation could begin.

However, any reform that involved new taxes or touched upon privileged interests was flatly rejected. The King, making a final appearance, expressed his hope to submit the matter to the Valuva High Court of Arbitration for deliberation, but he was immediately rebuffed by the Chief Justice, who was one of the Robed Nobility.

Only a Third Level Estate Assembly—an assembly encompassing all social classes—could grant His Majesty and his ministers the legitimacy to raise taxes and enact reforms. That was the argument these "champions of justice" used to shut him down.

"At least Master Kano’s proposal was kept," Pascal said, also feeling quite proud.

It wasn’t a total loss for Nekker, however. His monetary policy received approval; the new currency, linked to tax revenue, was passed by the conference. The old and new Nobility jointly nominated Duke Melovinca to oversee the matter, which greatly displeased Charles XVI.

"Looks to me like those people are just eager to cut their losses, and now they want to get their hands on the right to mint currency. Your His Majesty the King only cares about whether his personal treasury is full, failing to see how valuable the money of the future will be." Rorschach delivered this sharp critique while tapping away at the keyboard, as if he were back in his old days as a keyboard warrior on the forums.

"You’re pretty skilled with that typewriter," Pascal remarked. He was still pecking at the keys one at a time with his index fingers. Rorschach’s speed, by comparison, was much faster.