The Mansion Awaits Spring - Chapter 186

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 186
The next morning, Bauman, who opened the door for Kritz visiting the Lunos Family Residence, greeted him with a worried expression.
“Ah, Kritz. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you.”
“Yes, I heard Professor Ram received the report yesterday. If there are any difficult parts in the report, I wanted to explain them……. But is something wrong?”
When Kritz noticed the dark expression and asked, Bauman sighed as if he’d been waiting for the chance.
“That report. The head of our household has been reading the letter sent by the Police Commissioner all night, and spent what was left of dawn reading that report too. I don’t understand why our lady takes so little interest in her own health.”
Now that he had someone to talk to, Bauman continued, breathing out long sighs.
“She gets by this much because she’s young, but I’m terrified she’ll actually fall ill at this rate.”
Even as he worried, he asked Kritz if she had eaten breakfast, then hurried off to prepare the morning meal with April.
After that, Kritz entered April’s bedroom and asked:
“You were up all night?”
At her words, April tried to sit up but grew dizzy and gripped the table.
Kritz watched this and spoke without much concern.
“Well, elders do tend to worry about their health, don’t they?”
“They certainly do. I manage well enough on my own.”
April was relieved that the person Bauman had complained to was Kritz, someone far from the lecturing type.
As for living a chaotic life—Kritz did it far worse. He wasn’t even comparable. Kritz enjoyed alcohol, tobacco, and even gambling.
From such a position, Kritz had little right to nag others about their way of living, and he had no intention of doing so.
Shortly after, Bauman brought pancakes, and the two began their meeting over breakfast.
April spoke as she cut her pancake.
“I read the report, and it seems there’s still no way to extract crude oil alone, nor any method to safely use the natural gas that’s been deposited alongside it.”
“That’s correct, but we are conducting experiments from various angles. We will find a way. Though it will take time.”
“I see.”
April nodded and, after taking a bite of pancake and a sip of coffee, set down her utensils. Then, meeting Kritz’s gaze, she spoke.
“About the crude oil extraction—I hear one of the failed methods could cause a massive explosion.”
“Yes, if we used that method, the entire residence would be blown away. It’s a completely unusable extraction technique.”
As Kritz said this, he furrowed his brow.
He had been working with April for quite some time now.
They’d had truly extensive conversations—from producing alcohol at the distillery to making it marketable. So Kritz understood that April hadn’t brought up this topic simply to say ‘let’s abandon this extraction method.’
April asked:
“How large an explosion are we talking about?”
“It’s the largest explosion we could cause on Right Island. Even if we combined all the weapons we currently have and multiplied them several times over, we couldn’t produce an explosion of that magnitude.”
“I see.”
She nodded and spread some of Right Island’s distinctly tart red currant jam on her pancake before taking a bite.
After swallowing another mouthful, April continued:
“The Lunos Fiefdom is a strategic keypoint of this island. The mountain pass—virtually the only way to cross that mountain range—borders this very fiefdom.”
“……Yes.”
“If in wartime we were to flee across that mountain range to the Eastern Right Island, the Rasa military would absolutely have to pass through this fiefdom. Since I know that, the Emperor of Rasa certainly knows it too.”
Kritz stared at her as she explained this with an ordinary expression and ordinary tone, then realized he ought to make some response and suddenly came to his senses.
“And then?”
“If the Rasa military sets foot on this land, I thought to detonate—wouldn’t that be sufficient coercion against them?”
“I imagine it would be.”
Kritz recalled that moment when April and Pejin had detonated the wedding chapel.
April had evidently gained some understanding from that explosion.
Detonation—an utterly destructive force. Chemical and physical. The fruit of the science April had studied all this time.
Kritz knew that April had endured seven years of confinement right after losing her parents, all for the reconstruction of the Lunos Family.
This grand residence was the reason she endured, the strength that allowed her to keep enduring, and the space of history where all the traces of her life remained.
The fact that she was considering using such a precious place to coerce the Emperor sent a chill through him.
Reading Kritz’s expression, April laughed.
“I’m not saying I’d actually carry it out. It’s just a matter of possibility.”
“Head of House.”
“Yes?”
“Possibility means that even if the probability is minute, there exists a probability of realization.”
“Of course. That’s how coercion works.”
Then Kritz asked:
“But even so…….”
“But?”
“Using something so precious to you as a means of coercion…… wouldn’t that feel terribly hollow to you?”
To his weighty question, April answered calmly:
“You know how much I treasure this residence. Such a thing will never happen. Never. This place is…… everything to me, nearly. Not just to me, but to my parents, and to their parents before them—this place was everything. I will protect my residence.”
“……You’re only running experiments, then?”
“Yes. Experiments alone are enough.”
Moreover, April had an important reason why she could never actually carry out such a detonation plan.
It was a matter connected to Pejin’s life.
April, however, ended the conversation on this topic and resumed her meal.
While they were continuing breakfast with the same menu as always, Hannah, who should have been at school, came rushing into the bedroom.
“Miss! There’s a crisis!”
“What? What’s happened?”
April rose in alarm.
She immediately worried whether something had happened to Fred, but Hannah quickly continued:
“They’ve started extracting crude oil again at the Southern Coast—the Empire!”
“What?”
It was quite some time ago that Imperial merchants had settled at the Southern Coast.
However, because the ground there was so unstable, most had expected losses and abandoned the place. Now came news that crude oil extraction had resumed there.
April sat back in her chair, astounded, while Kritz spoke to her carefully:
“If that’s the case…… the coercion you mentioned will have to be considered as the highest priority.”
April turned to look at him. And without a word, she nodded.
* * *
Pejin felt considerable bewilderment at how things had escalated because he’d taken a single blow.
He was facing Leslie Ragnar, the Police Commissioner and Commissioner of the Rasa Imperial Police.
Leslie, the elder cousin of Lian Ragnar and Head of the Ragnar Family, poured tea for Pejin as they sat across from each other.
Leslie Ragnar asked:
“The Emperor struck you?”
“It’s true, but that’s not something new from yesterday or the day before. I don’t understand why someone like me—busy as I am—should be having this conversation with you, busy as you are.”
“You’re no longer just a child.”
Pejin tried to ignore Leslie Ragnar’s words as he added sugar to his tea. But he stopped when the words continued.
“You are the police officer closest to becoming the next Police Commissioner. More than that, you’re also the police officer most beloved by the citizens of this Empire. For the Emperor to lay hands on you isn’t much different from striking the entire police force.”
“I didn’t know I was of such importance.”
Pejin let out an involuntary laugh and looked down at his tea, which now had too much sugar and was overflowing.
He continued:
“What could the Imperial Household possibly gain from this?”
“A personal apology. That’s what we need to obtain.”
It seemed that an official apology was perhaps too difficult to extract.
Pejin opened his mouth again with a dissatisfied expression.
“Even that’s not enough. Right now, His Majesty says they’re extracting crude oil at the Southern Coast of the Grand Duchy. While that might generate short-term profits, the long-term accident risk is far too high. So couldn’t you convince him to stop that?”
“I can try to speak with him.”
“Yes, then…… please do speak with him.”
Just as the two were having this conversation, a police officer hurried into the reception room and placed a pre-publication newspaper on the table before each of them.
Both men saw the front-page article of the Right Island newspaper and wore different expressions.
The Police Commissioner’s face twisted, while Pejin laughed.
[Weaponization of the Lunos Grand Residence…… Lunos Family Suggests Possibility of Detonating the Residence During Wartime]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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