The Empror's Trap

To ensure absolute secrecy for the cleanup operation at Gray Scales Division, Kenji chose not to submit a memorial to Pluvia, but instead decided to present the matter to her in person at her bedchamber.

Upon hearing of Kenji's sudden visit, Pluvia, who was eating watermelon in her chamber, awkwardly put down the half-eaten slice and had her attendants bring him in.

As soon as Kenji entered, he caught the fresh scent of watermelon. Looking at the table, he indeed saw a half-eaten slice of watermelon...

He glanced outside at the weather—indeed, it was autumn, wasn't it? Eating watermelon in late autumn? Your Majesty certainly had unique tastes.

"Ahem, it's autumn now, and soon it will be cold with no more watermelon to eat," Pluvia waved her hand awkwardly. "I'm just enjoying some watermelon while it's still sweet in these final days. I won't eat any in winter."

In truth, if Pluvia really wanted watermelon, she could still have it in winter.

Camelot had previously researched methods to grow watermelons in winter. In short, it required a cultivator to use techniques to maintain a constant temperature in the melon field, along with extremely delicate, completely pure transparent glass covers to shield the seedlings. By nurturing the ground with magical techniques and using the glass covers for insulation, they could cultivate melons in winter.

The results were quite good—the melons weren't especially sweet, but they were melons nonetheless. However, Pluvia had only eaten them once last winter and never again.

The reason was simple: the melons were too expensive.

Basically, only she as the emperor could enjoy such luxury. Just the glass cover alone was incredibly valuable, plus requiring cultivators to tend the plants and dedicated personnel to watch over them. By the end of the whole process, the cost of the melon she ate was not much cheaper than an equal weight in gold.

Therefore, this growing method was recorded in Camelot's "Agricultural Treatise" as one of the agricultural research projects, but she had removed winter melons from the list of imperial tributes. Spending so much money to satisfy her appetite wasn't worth it. Camelot now needed to be economical, with money spent where it mattered most.

"Ah-ha, Your Majesty is so frugal. I should learn from you," Kenji said.

He could understand her behavior, but still found it somewhat amusing. This attitude of "eat it now or never have it again" was rather entertaining.

"Sit down. Here, I can't finish all this. Have some." Pluvia pointed to the remaining slices of watermelon. "Gray Scales Division reported the situation in Luminara City to me yesterday. It's not looking good."

Gray Scales Division was responsible to both the Grand Marshal and the Emperor, so Pluvia received this information quickly—though certainly not as quickly as Kenji, since the head of Gray Scales Division was in his own household.

"Yes, I have made preparations and am about to clean out the shops, organizations, and individuals in Luminara City who have connections with the Holy Church. Gray Scales Division will submit a list of targeted locations to Your Majesty by tonight at the latest. Then, according to my estimate, action will be taken by tomorrow at the latest," Kenji said.

The direct connection to the Emperor and Grand Marshal showed its advantage—everything could get the green light directly, with remarkable efficiency.

"So quickly?" Pluvia frowned. "Kenji, this is a major operation, and I imagine Gray Scales Division doesn't have enough manpower to investigate each place and person one by one. Aren't you afraid of criticism for acting so rashly?"

"Your Majesty, forgive my directness, but the sooner the better in this matter. Gray Scales Division's intelligence indicates that these church organizations are already preparing to transfer their information and funds out of Luminara City. According to Gray Scales Division's interrogations, organizations represented by the Old Freleng Chamber of Commerce will transfer all their assets within a week to purchase grain, leather, and other supplies to be transported to the border, ready to aid the enemy at any time. Intelligence will also be quickly transmitted abroad."

"We must act quickly and thoroughly," Kenji said.

The stability of Luminara City directly affected the national situation. These church organizations had been hiding obediently in Luminara City for so long that without an extraordinary organization like Gray Scales Division, the officials in Luminara might still think these people were just foreign merchants.

No, or rather, many people knew these people's identities but still allowed them to exist.

There had always been corrupt officials in the court. The previous emperor's frequent foreign military campaigns had indeed neglected domestic affairs considerably.

"...I will issue an order to the citizens of Luminara City. The city will be locked down for three days, but only three days. If Gray Scales Division wants to take action, they must be quick. Luminara is important to all of Camelot, and too many days under martial law could cause trouble," Pluvia said.

Luminara was the capital of Camelot, as well as its economic and cultural center. Three days of martial law would affect the economy, but the political impact would be even greater.

If martial law exceeded three days, and many nearby counties and prefectures learned of it, the news would spread and could cause enormous waves across the country.

So they had to act quickly.

"I will have Lina take action immediately. I guarantee the cleanup will be completed within three days," Kenji said decisively.

If Gray Scales Division didn't have enough manpower, he would deploy his own troops from inside and outside the city to assist with the arrests. They would definitely complete the task.

"Good. With your word, I can rest assured," Pluvia said. Since Kenji had made such a promise, she dared to proceed. If it were anyone else making this promise, she might have had to reconsider.

Kenji picked up a slice of watermelon and took a bite. The sweet freshness spread throughout his mouth. Then he looked up and said, "By the way, Your Majesty, about Lina..."

"What about Lina?"

"Nothing much. It's just that I hope to help Lina shed her background from the Demonic Sect."

"..." Pluvia stared at him with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "Why?"

She always felt that Kenji was up to something. Thinking back to when he had previously spread rumors about marrying Lina to get back at her...

"The fact that the head of Camelot's Gray Scales Division is a former disciple of the Demonic Sect will inevitably be criticized by others. Your Majesty, Gray Scales Division is already hated by hostile forces and corrupt officials. Lina's identity could become a point of attack for them in the future," Kenji explained.

Hearing this, Pluvia breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"In that case, I am powerless to help. Many court officials know about Lina's identity, since the previous emperor didn't hide anything when he suppressed the Demonic Sect. I can only nominally remove this identity for her, but the fact that she was once a Demonic Sect disciple cannot be erased," she said apologetically, as the Demonic Sect background was a fact, and her imperial decree couldn't change the ministers' memories.

"No, what I mean is, if this mission is handled well, could Your Majesty publicly reward Lina in court? This way, those who question her background naturally wouldn't dare say too much."

Kenji knew very well that receiving imperial favor was an excellent way to whitewash one's identity.

"That's not a problem. However," Pluvia smiled and looked thoughtfully at Kenji, "you seem quite concerned about this guard of yours."

"...Your Majesty is perceptive. Lina is like my arms; naturally I must value her."

"Hmph, fine. When you go back, don't forget to report and arrange a formal official uniform for Lina. We can't have her wearing a guard's uniform when receiving rewards—that would be inappropriate."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

....

The next morning at dawn.

Uheya woke up from her sleep.

Since coming to Camelot, she had rarely enjoyed such a regular schedule with good food and drink in this leisurely life. Despite being a hostage, Camelot treated this princess very well, providing servants to attend to her daily needs and special cooks to serve her meals. Though it couldn't be considered rare delicacies, the food was delicious, and that was enough.

She didn't need to do anything except enjoy life, read books, and ride horses every day. This life was simply delightful.

However, beneath the surface tranquility, Uheya's mind was constantly calculating matters concerning her country. Rather than helping her country think through issues, it was more that she had grown accustomed to it. Even though she no longer needed to worry about these troublesome matters, she couldn't help but think about them.

After getting up, she first had a meal, then decided to take a stroll outside with her maid.

With everything prepared, she walked out of her front door, basking in the morning sunlight, feeling content.

Then, she froze.