The Enemy Comes into Focus

We kept selling water straight through until evening, when an official came to shut us down.

I couldn't blame them.

At this rate, people would be lining up around the clock, night included.

I was also worried about Alexia.

She'd been generating water with magic all day.

No matter how capable she was, pushing any further would be dangerous.

A decent amount of water had been distributed on this first day alone.

We decided to serve only the customers still in line, then called it for the day.

When people asked when we'd sell again, I looked to Alexia.

It was hard to tell with the hood, but she was visibly drained.

I asked in a low voice whether we should take a day off to be safe. Alexia shook her head.

"We'll do it again tomorrow."

Alexia's answer put the crowd at ease, and they finally dispersed.

If we sold the same amount tomorrow, nobody would resort to anything drastic.

But her face, peeking from beneath the hood, looked gaunt. She was utterly exhausted.

Having her sleep in the wagon in this condition was out of the question.

We reassembled the wagon and headed for an inn.

The nearest inn was small, but clean enough inside.

The innkeeper had been one of our water customers, so we were warmly welcomed.

I rented two rooms for two.

The inn's bath was out of service, naturally, so we used some of our reserve water to wipe down.

Pushing Alexia any further really would be dangerous.

"I'd like to share a room with Azu so she can transfer some of her mana to me."

At Alexia's request, I ended up rooming with Elza instead.

I was still worried, so I brought food to Alexia's room and peeked in. She and Azu were sitting with hands clasped, meditating.

Alexia's pallid complexion gradually regained its color.

After a while, she seemed much better.

"Phew… Thank you, Azu. I've recovered enough. I'm fine now. I was prepared for it, but that really took a toll."

"You worked hard today."

"Yes, I'm glad we managed for now. Oh, you were there?"

She'd only just noticed me.

Azu had spotted me ages ago.

The fatigue was clearly lingering.

I handed them each a sandwich of toasted jerky and vegetables tucked into bread.

"Are you really alright?"

"No issue at all. Who do you think I am? Besides, it's still nowhere near enough."

"Supplying all the water this city needs on your own was never realistic."

"I know that."

And yet her face said she was going to do it anyway.

Pressing the point further would be boorish.

I left Azu in charge of looking after Alexia.

She told me to leave it to her.

Back in my room, Elza was combing her long hair.

She'd changed out of her priest robe into sleepwear.

She looked every bit the refined young lady.

"Aren't you tired, Elza? You were applying blessings behind the counter all day."

"Well, not as tired as Alexia-chan. Blessings are just borrowing a little of God's power, after all."

"I see. Hang in there a bit longer."

"That's fine with me, of course, but… what are we going to do after this?"

Elza's question was a fair one.

Just selling water was a stopgap. It wouldn't solve the underlying problem.

A knock came at the window. Tap, tap.

I opened it, and Finn slipped inside.

"Heya. Still alive?"

"Oh my, you're…"

"Hey there. Priestess lady."

After greeting Elza, Finn immediately produced several sheets of paper and showed them to me.

When I reached for them, she pulled half of them back.

"Hey!"

"That's six gold coins' worth so far. The rest'll be three more."

"… I'll take the six gold coins' worth for now."

I took the first batch from Finn and read through them.

The contents were mainly about Baron Aarg.

Including the name of his patron.

"Looks like he was originally a militant-type noble, but age has him playing politics more these days."

A rough outline of Baron Aarg's recent movements was written down.

It was easily worth six gold coins.

"Here's the rest."

I handed Finn three more gold coins.

"Good call. Skimping never pays. Well then, same time next time."

With that, Finn slipped back out the window.

Would it kill her to use a door?

Then again, maybe this was easier for her.

"A spy, then."

"Yeah, more capable than I expected. Thought she was just some reckless hothead at first, but…"

The additional documents were mostly about the patron.

The very patron who had backed Alexia's family.

A count.

What was written there carried a distinct whiff of something shady.

Elza sat beside me and peered at the papers.

The faint scent of Elza's hair reached me.

"The Imperial Senate…"

"Yeah. A seat is opening up soon. And this count's name is among the leading candidates."

The Imperial Senate was a governing body, and a seat on it meant immense power and privilege.

A marquis or duke might expect one, but for a count, securing a place on the Senate would be exceptionally difficult.

He must have been maneuvering masterfully.

And indeed, it seemed he'd been working aggressively to earn endorsements.

"Some things never change, no matter the era."

"Don't sound so old."

The documents showed he'd been diligent with gifts and favors, too.

Most likely, some powerful noble wanted the Elemental Stone.

That was probably why Baron Aarg had been tasked with all of this.

But anyone with a pulse could see that a Senate seat was a prize worth fighting over. Even a middling merchant like me knew that much.

And conveniently, Finn had also included names of rival nobles.

The one holding the highest rank among them was a marquis.

More than enough to go up against a count.

The question was how to get them moving.

There was the matter of justification, and frankly, I had no connections to begin with.

Taking too long would mean running out of time.

Now then, what to do.