Disappointing Teleportation Magic ~ Even Though The Movement Distance Is Only 1 Millimeter, I Will Rise Through Ingenuity ~ - Chapter 53.1

About twenty days had passed since the day of the memorial service.

Kazumi Umino and her group were receiving daily beauty treatments in the new rooms provided to them.

Before the wyvern incident, these treatments were limited to the faction of the Second Prince, but now they were available to anyone, regardless of faction. The Second Prince’s faction had tried to use the treatments to break apart the other factions, but the First Prince’s faction seemed to be demonstrating their broad-mindedness by making the treatments available to all.

As a result, Kazumi Umino’s salon was beginning to gather information from both factions. In contrast to their situation, I was limited to shuttling between the dormitory and the royal family’s area, with my only source of information being Alberic.

The information needed for me to determine my future path relied heavily on what Kazumi Umino and the others could find out. Recently, our dinners had become a time for exchanging information after the day’s work.

“The Second Prince’s forces seem to be steadily reclaiming territory.”

“So, Fulmelinta doesn’t intend to hold on to the land?”

“That seems likely. From what I heard today, they’ve already reclaimed half of Eberwein’s territory.”

According to the information Kazumi Umino gathered, Second Prince Bernort had departed the capital and was organizing his troops in the territory of Count Zarettino, which bordered Eberwein’s domain. Bernort’s forces had been winning battle after battle, liberating village after village in Eberwein’s occupied territory.

“It’s good for the country to stabilize, but it’s troubling that the Second Prince’s faction is doing so well.”

“Yeah, I can’t help but wish they’d fail in their efforts and… But I can’t say that out loud anywhere else.”

“Exactly…”

As someone who had been summoned from Japan by the Second Prince’s faction and suffered greatly as a result, I couldn’t help but hope for Bernort’s downfall, or even his death, but of course, I couldn’t openly express that.

“Lord Yuto, may I have a moment?”

“What is it, Araseli?”

“The information that Kazumi mentioned earlier…”

“The Second Prince’s victories?”

“Yes, I believe it may be exaggerated.”

“What? Really?”

“The information we’ve received indicates that Prince Bernort left for Count Zarettino’s territory three days after the memorial service, in his private carriage. It would have taken at least seven days to reach the location. So, if he arrived ten days ago, and only then started organizing his forces and advancing, the earliest the battle could have started would be two days ago.”

“But if they’ve been winning battle after battle…”

“Lord Yuto, it takes time for reports of victories to arrive as well.”

“Oh, right…”

Living in Japan, where the internet is ubiquitous, we had become used to getting information instantly, even from the other side of the world. But in this world, it takes time for information to reach us. Even with fast messengers, it would take three to four days.

If that’s the case, they would have reclaimed half the lost territory within just two or three days of battle. Even if the Second Prince’s forces were exceptionally skilled, this outcome seems suspicious.

“From what we’ve gathered, there haven’t been any messengers arriving from the direction of Fulmelinta.”

“Are there any other methods of communication?”

“While messages can be sent using birds, they aren’t used frequently, and they cannot convey detailed information. From what we know, it seems that the story Kazumi heard was pre-prepared.”

In other words, it was propaganda from the Second Prince’s faction.

“But if they struggle in the actual battle, how do they plan to cover it up?”

“They likely underestimate Fulmelinta’s forces. They seem to believe that the loss of Eberwein’s territory was due to their troops being weakened by the wyvern attacks.”