viii

Horse-drawn taxis stopped on the side of the road in a civilian area full of dust and dirt. As the second state secretary of the Julok Republic, known as the "curable child crying at night", Nikolai Machiavelli did not live in a mansion, but chose an ordinary three-story apartment building in the civilian area as his residence.

Even as a politician in a free country, it's admirable to do that—Bonnie thought as she walked toward the building's main entrance.

The apartment building itself is not old, at best only five or six years old, which is a bit unusual in a city with a long history. It was clear that a spell user was inhabiting it—as the grates of the outlets of the nearby sewers glowed with purifying magic. Judging by the fact that the magic lid has not been stolen by money-grubbers, the apartment's defenses are not as modest as they seem. The second secretary of state has few personal enemies, but public and political enemies are full of pits, and I am afraid that they can fill this street - for example, in the Holy Korman Empire, there are several dukes and marquis who want his life. The residents of the apartment are probably guards or mercenaries, right?

"Since I don't have an appointment, let's say hello first. A smile spread across her face in men's clothing. Out of nowhere, Bonnie pulled out the holy book. "I didn't erase the memories of those two last time, so it would be a problem to recognize me. ”

With the faint sound of prayer, a silver serpent-like light burst out of her right hand, slyly flying along the exterior walls and windows of the apartment building. The light haunted the apartment building, haunted the building, and finally stopped in front of a window on the second floor, from which a magical alarm sounded, accompanied by the sound of stumbling footsteps. When the chaos was almost over, she easily put away the holy book and approached the main entrance of the apartment with poise under the gaze of at least ten pairs of suspicious eyes. Of course, there were already alarmed doormen waiting there.

"Tell Monsieur Machiavelli that a friend from the church wants to meet him. I have no ill will. Bonnie lowered the brim of her hat and tried to keep her voice down, "I don't want to wait. ”

Sometimes the less you say, the more effective it is. The doorman had apparently seen her perform before, and quickly ran in to report it—and it was just a formality. Bonnie knew that eighty percent of his masters were in the vicinity, so she stayed where she was and waited for them.

"Maybe I should make an appointment later instead of using these unconventional tactics all the time," she thought to herself. However, that would have to wait until her intelligence organization infiltrated the world, and at the current rate, by 1675 it would probably only be a tenth of the goal. Intelligence organizations are never built by order, and the industry is full of betrayal, competition, brutality, and blood. In the midst of the old world, with three absolute powers, it seemed so difficult to build her ideal country.

"So I'm going to choose one at last," she whispered a little wearily, "rather than doing all the dirty work on my own." ”

That's when Machiavelli appeared, the male one. The grim man who wore a black mage robe on the ship that day was dressed very neatly today, and he also wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which looked like an ordinary clerk no matter how he looked. Of course, in fact he was more than just an ordinary clerk. Seeing the young gentleman wearing a black top hat in front of him, Machiavelli was stunned for a moment, looked at the other party and spoke.

"Pardon my rudeness, Your Excellency sounds familiar to me, but I can't remember where I've seen you. ”

That's good, Bonnie whispered to herself, it would be a problem for me to recognize it. She confessed her false background in a false voice: "I come from the church in the southern city. An agent, or a philanthropist – or an investor. ”

"Oh. Machiavelli answered the promise without sincerity, as he usually does in a communicative tone, "Investor." ”

Seeing this response, Bonnie raised her chin slightly, put her hand to her mouth, and said in a mosquito-like voice, "If it doesn't work with you, can you call out the other half of you......?" Virial. ”

The Second Secretary of State's face did not change when he heard this, but Bonnie could see the shock in his eyes. It is clear that now he is recalculating the weight of the "investor" in front of him. The secretary of state was very cautious and tentative, with luck in his heart: "But Nikolai Machiavelli is our man. I'm afraid of assassination, but I'm not scared enough to find a stand-in. ”

"Female's. Bonnie spat out the word again and bet on the next chip. This time, the opponent finally folded and conceded defeat.

“...... I think we should come to my room and talk. Machiavelli whispered, leading her to his room on the second floor, "But she's not in Kengler right now. ”

"May I see this as a kind of prevarication, Mr. Nikolai? ”

Hearing the other side call himself "Nikolai" instead of "Machiavelli", the state secretary sighed lightly: "Believe it or not, she has gone to the south." ”

*** ***

A large patch of lead swept across the right side of the car, causing a terrible neighing of the horse. This is the sixth and final horse. It uses a shotgun with special melee effects, and it is a weapon that is very effective against large targets such as horses.

"It seems that it is difficult to prepare such a thing...... Has our purpose been revealed?"

The green-haired woman thought about it, and glanced at Mr. Ambassador Plenipotentiary beside her—the gentleman had fainted from the confusion just now. In any case, he would not have known her true identity when he woke up - if he had had a chance to wake up. With the loss of horses, there is no possibility of mobile protection, and now the whole defensive position is full of holes.

There was no more the sound of the big weapons firing just now. With the effect of the magic, she could barely hear the slightest snort and thump. The other side is preparing, preparing for a general attack. If you look at the composition of the Free Army, the strength of the opponent is about a whole standard squad...... Probably more, one more, no, two teams of adventurers...... No, two. XIII, XIX, XIV...... Twenty-four enemies.

"Lady Maggie, what should I do?"

There were only five guards left in the convoy. Although it is an absolute disadvantage in numbers, no one has flinched under the effect of uplifting magic. That's all the chips she, "Lily Maggie," can use. Six against twenty-four, mercenaries just for money are prepared for an opponent whose strength is difficult to estimate...... It's hard to get worse than now.

"Even at the cost of revealing the most secret identity......"

"Lily" heard the faint sound of footsteps scurrying through the trees, approaching their carriage. The enemy abandoned the use of firearms in favor of lightly armed approaching tactics. There was no doubt that there were people in the Julok government who had secretly communicated with each other, and unlike the first two groups of encounters, this group of people was targeting the envoy himself. She didn't want to solve this problem with mind control magic. It is stupid to control others with magic, but it is wise to control others with benefits.

"Do you want to use close combat? Then it's hard to say whether you'll win or lose. ”

The greenhead pulled a pair of light green silk gloves out of her pocket and put them on her hands. The back of the glove is painted with mysterious oriental characters and symbols, and the scent of cinnamon is exotic. She continued to listen to her opponent's movements: for some reason, the enemy was scattered, and one of them was moving in the direction of the new reinforcements.

"Possibility one, they're going to the code. Possibility two, the newcomer is the commander and wants to leave the reserves. Possibility three...... That's not their reinforcements at all. ”

Then the countermeasures are obvious, and they couldn't be more obvious.

"All, prepare your swords and spears, as mercenaries, you should all have melee weapons, right?"

The guards unsheathed their swords hesitantly: "However, there are many more of them......

"Then it would be nice to hit a few less at a time," the slender fingers danced quietly under the long sleeves, drawing magical ripples, "cheer up, get ready to meet the first batch!"

Under the influence of spiritual magic, the guards also became excited, but because the environment did not allow it, they did not point the tip of their sword at the sky.

In this era, few people other than Maggia and Veri knew of the decisive role of mind control magic in hand-to-hand combat.

*** ***

"You may be seated. What do you want to drink?"

"The black tea is ready. The butler, dressed as a man, looked around. Cramped and restrained little apartment with only three rooms - including the kitchen. At least one thing, it seems, is not lying: the female Machiavelli does not live here.

"Uh, let me find out where the tea is......"

Hearing the guest's request, Nikolai in a suit climbed into a chair and busily rummaged through the closet, opening one small metal box after another, sniffing inside. The boxes are covered with vague text, some of which are names of spices such as "*", "Afero", "pepper", "fennel", and others are names of various beverage plants. There are a lot of them, but there are very few things in each box.

Bonnie watched her master rummaging around and suddenly felt a little ridiculous. She is now being regarded by future generations as the "root of all evil" of Nicolai, and Machiavelli is waiting for the other party to find tea for her to entertain her—all of which sounds so unreal, but it is happening. That great man who is proficient in strategy and immoral, still has such a good family man's side?

"Did Mr. Nikolai cook all his own meals? ”

"Yes, the room is cramped, and the employment is too cramped. I'm pretty good at peppercorns...... Ah, there it is. Nikolai poured out the blackened dry tea from a small box in the deepest part, looking like it had been soaked in seawater, "Sorry, I haven't bought a new one in a long time, it may not taste too good, please bear with me." ”

Bonnie stared at the inferior tea bricks, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. In this era, tea was imported to the West in the form of tea bricks, but it is indeed rare to have such tea bricks. Living in such a small apartment, with no servants and only a few bodyguards, even the tea bricks are the worst. She no longer believes that this is a political performance, she prefers to believe that it is nature. How the hell did Verry find such a materialistic man as a cover? As a politician, he is simply unassailable......

"Please. At some point, Nikolai had already made tea and pushed it in front of her.

Bonnie picked up the tea without a trace of aroma, pretended to be tasting tea, and said slowly, "Let's start talking about business." I have come to Kengel on behalf of the Krosso Brothers. Our bank would like to show its support to the crumbling government of Kengrad. ”

"Oh...... I wonder how much money your bank can provide?" the Secretary of State shook the teacup in his hand slightly, "If the interest rate on the loan is too high, the parliament will not approve it." Even I, the second secretary in charge of the interior affairs of the Republic, could not persuade them to borrow usury at such times. ”

"Five million gold pounds at the rate of seven thousandths per annum are all cash. I believe that this money will be sufficient to help you survive your immediate needs, and it is equivalent to the annual subsidies that the other three republics give to the northern garrisons of Julok combined. The money has now reached Lenny in the form of platinum and gold. I hope that this money can be used to strengthen the defense line in the north. ”

Bonnie didn't hesitate to quote a staggering amount, which was about three-quarters of all her assets. Hearing this number, even Nikolai gasped. The idea of using this money to replenish the funding gap in the Northern Defense Line is indeed tempting, but ......

"Seven thousandths? As a speculator, this interest rate is too low. Say, what more do you want?"

"We want to be given the right to act as an agent for all future government bonds and banknotes to be issued within the rule of the Julok Directory. ”

The teacup in Nikolai's hand paused and stopped on the table. "At the moment our parliament does not have such a plan. Do you want to pre-empt this right? I'm afraid I can't promise you. ”

"You will soon have this plan, and with your fame you will definitely be able to fulfill our request. After all, it was simply impossible to support the five free divisions and two national divisions, as well as the huge expenses of the northern defense line, with Julock's own financial resources. And when the fighting breaks out near Fortiburg, your council will agree. Bonnie sneered lightly, "Your government can't even sustain its usual expenses. ”

"The war will not break out, because the peace envoy has gone to Lennie. Nikolai retorted, "We only need to borrow from local banks and not issue public bonds to survive the current crisis." ”

"Impossible. When the wheel of the crisis is turning, it has to run over something to stop. Do you believe that your terms will be accepted by the Lennies, and they will make conditions that you will never accept...... For example, the trial of Radetz and Govar. Peace talks were only possible after the group of parliamentarians who had never experienced war realized the danger, cruelty and cost of war. ”

"But Maggia also went to Lennie, and she can control ......" Nikolai, realizing that he had slipped his mouth, jerked off the subject.

"Mind control? That thing isn't a panacea. Maybe the other Machiavelli makes you think it's omnipotent, but in fact it has weaknesses. ”

"You...... Even this knows?!" Nikolai reflexively stood up, took a step back, and nearly tripped over a chair, "Have we really met somewhere before?Who the hell are you?!"

Bonnie didn't answer the question, chuckling and changing the subject: "Our bank can help you make proposals for bonds and banknotes, and together we can save this crumbling republic." Anyway, in the end, someone will definitely propose to issue bonds and banknotes, so it is better for us to do it. ”

At that moment, the state secretary felt like a frog targeted by a snake. The delicate butler in front of him seemed to be very polite, but the actual meaning inside was tight. Issuance of banknotes...... What a bold speculator, but he seems to have no choice now. Both in public and private.

"Can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Okay. Once you've figured it out, sign the magical contract. Bonnie dropped a gleaming parchment paper and an invitation, "I'm going back to prepare for the charity performance." On the night of Advent Sunday, you are welcome to come and see, here is the invitation. ”

Looking at the contract that would be cursed if he broke it, the male Nikolai Machiavelli could only smile bitterly.

"Women are so powerful these days. Times have changed...... bar. ”

*** ***

Much later, when she recalls her first truly treacherous battle, Danica is surprised to find that she was undaunted.

Maybe it's because of a strong and trustworthy partner, maybe it's because the enemy isn't very vicious, maybe it's because there are people waiting for them to save it, or maybe it's because they don't know the danger of the situation...... It wasn't until much after the battle was over that she understood the danger of the situation at that time.

The group of blockers who rushed over were definitely not ordinary soldiers or bandits. They were well armed, each with two muskets long and short, weapons that shimmered with magical light, and the leader was dressed in magical full-body armor. Not only that, but they also have good tactics and strategies, and they have a lot more back-ups. In order to deal with Danika and the others, they sent seven people over. Seven-on-five, well-organized, and with the right strategy.

They had only made one mistake: they should not have misestimated the strength of Huran, Di Martel and Pike, and Tapu. In order to prioritize the defeat of the mage, the enemy only sent two men to drag down the two men who were not amazing.

That's their biggest failure.

It took less than two minutes for Xiulan and Pike to shatter the skulls of the two men and pierce their hearts. At this time, the enemy's home team has not been able to break through the defense of Reeve and Uncle Jett.

The priestess of Muska is best at "glamorous battles" – "glamorous battles" that are difficult to grasp for those who have never seen them. The magic of the god of beauty has dazzling effects and imposing names. The "Divine Shield" commonly used by other priests becomes a "Radiant Shield" when it arrives at Reve, emitting a dazzling light. The colorful balls of light flying in the air, the dazzling light that shot at the priest, and the mighty winged handsome angels that were summoned frightened the poor mercenaries enough, and they rushed madly towards the priestess, trying to get rid of the greatest danger first. However, they ran into Uncle Jett, who was good at defense. Uncle is not only good at defensive magic, but also good at all kinds of strange fighting techniques. His hands weren't very quick, but he was always able to knock the mercenaries out of the way with precision.

As Reeve and Jett attract the attention of all their enemies, Danica hides behind a tree and concentrates on preparing the most mundane and unfettered flaming arrows to attack the soldiers who have been thrown out one by one. In front of Reve's beauty, sensuality, and brilliance, she felt like a poor harlequin.

"Anyway, as long as you do something, right?"

Although she thought so in her heart, out of a subconscious comparison mentality, she concentrated all her will on the flame arrow in her hand. In the taxonomy of later generations, the sad magic that only belonged to the second stage quietly produced subtle changes in her hands. The hot magic arrows gradually turned into hot spears, not only burning enemies, but also piercing them.

But no one noticed the subtle change, and the adventurers only noticed that the enemies responsible for blocking them from falling one by one in the gorgeous white light. Some of them tried to resist with magic and reflexes, but they couldn't get away.

Then, they broke through the siege and rescued the poor green-haired woman, which should be said in theory, but Danika felt that the truth was a little wrong with this description.

By the time they arrived, there were only two living people left in the car: the green-haired woman who appeared to be the commander, and a gentleman who had passed out. At the sight of them, the green-haired woman clenched her hands nervously, her pale yellow thick cotton dress had been dyed red. The dozen or so remaining attackers who rushed in were all dead. The convoy's guards were also killed, and they all had a resolute expression on their faces when they died. As Xiulan comforts the woman, Danika and Pike crouch down to examine the body.

"Quirky. A few bodies had been examined, and Pike and Tap muttered to himself thoughtfully.

Most of the wounds of the deceased are located in strange places, such as stab wounds under the ribs or in the back. It is hard to imagine that a well-trained warrior would be stabbed in these positions - unless betrayed by his own people. The wounds of the guards were even more bizarre, and some of them even died from fatal wounds to the throat.

"How the hell is this wound caused...... Are they infighting?" Jett also crouched down, flipping the corpse, "Hmm...... What is this?"

Several of them focused on what Jett had turned out—a soldier's epaulette. The unit badge of the Fifth National Division of the Free Army is very familiar. They had seen it before when they were on this patrol duty......

Danica, Reeve, Pike, and Jett let out a moan at the same time, and only Xiulan, who was talking to the woman, was still confused.

"Looks like you're in trouble...... Would you be interested in being my bodyguard, to Lenny? ”

Upon learning of their predicament, the green-haired woman, who calls herself "Lily Maggie", offers an invitation. After listening to that number, no one could find a reason to refuse.