Chapter 5: First-Hand Information is Indispensable

“I saw it... The sight of people trampling over these flowers as they ran away.” Clutching my gift, she pleaded with me desperately. Even though I’d just gotten more information, I didn’t understand a thing that was going on. Though it was at least getting through to me that whatever she was talking about wasn’t good news...

“I’m sorry, I don’t really understand what you are talking about, Your Highness.”

“Huh?! Um, I mean...” Alfina was clearly flustered, and we simply looked at each other in confusion. “Um, did you not come here so I could tell you more about the disaster?”

“The... disaster?” My unease and confusion only multiplied at the sudden mention of the word “disaster.”

Hang on, that came up just recently, didn’t it? And from her own lips, no less. Oh, right, the prophecy of disaster. Since she’s talking about it here, there’s no mistaking she’s referring to the disaster in the prophecy from the Spring Festival. So why did she come here to talk with me about it? My knowledge of religious ceremonies here in this world was below that of any member of the general public. I didn’t even think the prophecy was anything more than a New Year’s fortune like back in the other world. What were you supposed to do if your fortune came out as “Horrible Luck: A terrible disaster will occur?”

“I apologize, but I truly do not believe that I can be of any use.”

“But the flower on the bookmark!” She held out the bookmark towards me.

This wasn’t the princess in the courtyard who was calm and gentle in spite of her loneliness. The girl before me, lit by the unreliable sunlight from above, was looking at me with pleading eyes.

The alarm bells in my head grew louder and louder. Before I knew it, I was assaulted by a feeling like I was now being forced to make a tightrope walk over hell. Danger surrounded me on all sides. Regardless of whether I decided on running away or going forth, I had to make doubly sure of every single step. Such was the situation I found myself in.

“By disaster, do you mean the disaster that you announced during the Spring Festival?”

“Y-Yes. Precisely.”

“And you’re referring to the pressed flower on the bookmark, right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying that this flower is related to the prophecy?”

“Yes. So, um, I thought that... it was some sort of... signal... to me... from you...” Her voice grew quieter and trailed off. We finally came to a mutual understanding, but she realized that it wasn’t going the way she hoped.

“That’s not the case, Your Highness. You seemed to express great interest in lotus flowers, so I simply brought you one as thanks for the other day. They are still not in bloom this year, but I had some pressed flowers on hand which were made at a village I deal with.”

The children of the village simply used the flowers we would send along with our honey as bookmarks; that was all it was.

“...But if that’s the case, why are you approaching me, even now...”

“You stuck up for our company’s merchandise in front of Dreyfan. Now, was there anything to be gained by lending me a hand in that situation, Your Highness?” The finishing blow. It goes both ways, so let’s just call it even. In truth, my expectations were to simply cancel out the debt I made to a celebrity, so that was all I needed. “Th-Then... you were simply trying to comfort me...” Alfina was practically in tears with a smile on her face.

Urk, this conversation was going in a strange direction. How was I supposed to answer that?

“Sir? What’s going on?”

And as we stood there completely frozen up, a third voice joined in. I turned around in a fluster, and found Mia standing there looking at me with cold eyes.

Apparently, her meeting with her friends in the reading area had ended. I was curious about what information she now had on the Dreyfans and Kendalls, but this was hardly the atmosphere to bring that up.

*

“So, Princess Alfina did not call you out here for a tryst?”

“Listen, Mia. I was summoned here by Her Highness owing to her duty as the Oracle Princess...” I waved my hands around while trying to explain the situation to Mia in the princess’s stead, seeing that she had turned bright red. Mia’s gaze pierced through me with the eyes of a prosecutor staring down a perp.

“Then what reason did you have for accepting her invitation?”

“U-Um, how should I put this...” Cold sweat ran down my back. If Mia were to tell me she’d been summoned for a secret meeting with the princess and had to be off, I would surely go out of my head too.

As for the princess, she finally realized what this situation looked like to an outsider, and was in a complete fluster. Boy, am I glad I didn’t say anything. I was on the verge of seeming like some kind of excessively self-conscious jerk who couldn’t read the room.

“So you’re saying the bookmark that you so carelessly delivered to Princess Alfina is in some way related to her duty?” After looking at the both of us one after the other, Mia let out a sigh and we returned to the topic at hand.

“My duty as the Oracle Princess is to interpret the prophecy projected by Quell’s Crystal.”

Quell’s Crystal was apparently a transparent globe made of multiple layers. And when it showed signs of a prophecy to come, it emitted a weak light. Apparently, light poured out ever so gradually from the outer layer.

Alfina continued to seriously explain things to us, not that I could get any real impression from any of it. Those individuals chosen as an Oracle Princess secluded themselves within a room in the cathedral when the crystal showed such omens. And within the so-called Room of Prophecy, they approached the crystal and a vague image was projected directly within their mind.

“The first time, I saw a bountiful field of wheat.”

The image of the future gradually grew clearer and clearer, and the last image seen would be reported as the prophecy. However, this time around, the image apparently changed.

“And what I saw last... was the sight of people desperately running away within the same scenery. Small pink flowers fluttered in the air as they were trampled over.” Perhaps reflecting on the confusion she caused, Alfina’s explanation was thorough and concise.

As I listened to her earnest explanation, the crease in my brow grew more pronounced. There were more than enough problems to deal with as it is.

According to her, the image of the prophecy changing partway through wasn’t ordinary. Apparently, the Oracle Princesses before her only ever entered the Room of Prophecy once before the Spring Festival. However, from what Alfina said, a weak reaction from the crystal which wasn’t conclusive enough to use as a prophecy had occurred several times this year. And since this was her duty, she couldn’t attend the Academy all that often.

In other words, the Oracle Princess before my eyes is different from the ones before her. Thinking of it favorably, it would mean that the prophecies until now were just ceremonial, and this was the real thing.

The girl before me spoke at the festival knowing full well that her position was precarious to begin with. She took on a tremendous risk to fulfill the role that had been forced on her because nobody wanted it. At the very least, she believed it to be the truth. So let’s believe... let’s assume that’s the case.

The only one capable of seeing the image is the Oracle Princess. And that image only occurred in her mind. Furthermore, according to her explanations, the cause of the disaster itself wasn’t displayed. It seems all she could feel was that it occurred somewhere in the west. A truly disappointing set of limits, befitting of a prophecy. It had no objectivity at all.

For example, what if the crystal simply had an effect of amplifying its user’s imagination? It’s a far simpler mechanism to implement than showing the future. Even back on Earth, where mana and whatnot didn’t exist, it was possible to stimulate such a reaction with drugs. From what I saw of the Oracle Princess’s treatment at the royal palace, they’re probably thinking something similar themselves.

“His Majesty and the prime minister said that... there was no need to speak of what I saw in the end.” The Princess sadly added one more detail.

Mia turned to look at me. I understood. So she really did defy the intent of the nation to announce the prophecy. Getting involved any further would be accompanied by a suitably terrifying amount of risk. It had at least gotten to the point where we should leave immediately. However, there was a reason I couldn’t do that.

Common sense from the other world was still deeply ingrained within me. It was dangerous to trust in my senses, incapable of believing in prophecies as I was. I had absolutely no disposition towards it, but an energy known as mana did in fact exist here, and there were people capable of using it. As long as it was an unknown quantity to me, I needed to proceed carefully. Above all else, though...

“The last thing you saw was ‘the sight of villagers trampling over pink flowers as they ran away,’ right?” I asked again to be sure. This one detail could have a great effect on the Weinder Company’s interests.

In the event, however small the chance, that this prophecy really was true, this disaster could very well befall that village. I would lose the entire apiculture enterprise that I tried so hard to create. That village was also Mia’s hometown, and I owed them for saving me after “collapsing and nearly dying on the street” around the area. But for now, I needed to tread carefully and take things step by step.

“I see, so knowing where this flower blooms is meaningful information.” I pointed at the small flower left on the table.

Alfina sat there blinking in surprise for a moment, as if caught off guard by my comment. However, her large eyes seemed to understand what I was implying.

“Th-That’s right. Could you please tell me more about where this flower blooms?”

I remained silent. Should I give the information I have on hand to her? In other words, should I acknowledge her as someone I can trust to share this kind of information with? This was a difficult problem for me.

“I will do anything I can to repay you. Of course, I will also ensure no one else knows that you told me anything.”

With such a large disparity in our positions, the most important part of an exchange of information was whether or not the one party was trying to understand the other party’s position. It was important precisely because there was a gap in understanding that couldn’t be filled no matter how hard we tried. Apparently, she did understand that we’d be taking on a tremendous risk with this. She did in fact scheme to call me out in a way that nobody would know. And from our conversation so far, she never once tried to use her social status as a means to order me around.

On the contrary, after the initial uproar calmed down, she sincerely informed us of all the information we wanted. For now, I think she passes. The next problem is...

I felt a tug on my sleeve under the table. Yes, I know, I need to decide quickly or this will gradually head in a worse direction.

I glanced at Alfina once more. She had both her hands clasped together atop the table, awaiting my answer. I didn’t see any hubris in her claiming that she was right, so everyone around her should unconditionally cooperate. I also didn’t sense her trying to swindle us using the common delusion that people who say righteous things were righteous themselves. Incidentally, this scam was particularly dangerous because it didn’t matter if the scammer was aware of it themselves.

“Understood. I’ll tell you about where this lotus flower blooms. However, could I ask you several more questions myself?”

“Y-Yes. Please ask me anything.”

Setting aside her attitude, her naïveté was worrying. Even if we were bearing the risk of telling her what we knew, I felt like there was no point if she only knew that the field of flowers in her head were in fact lotus flowers.

“What do you plan on doing once you know where the flowers bloom?”

“I plan to have the people evacuated, of course.” Alfina answered as if it were perfectly reasonable.

“Who will do that, and how?” And I asked a perfectly reasonable question in return.

“Huh?! Naturally, I will...”

“How do you plan on convincing the villagers to abandon all their nearby fields and run away?”

“B-By telling them that it’s dangerous...”

“And how exactly is it dangerous?”

“Th-There’s a disaster coming...”

“What kind of disaster?”

“I-I don’t know...” Alfina’s voice gradually grew more and more quiet.

“Let’s change the question. Even if they evacuate, how far do they need to run away? When can they return? How will you prepare food and dwellings for them in the meantime?”

“...” Alfina was unable to answer my questions anymore, and I was kicked under the table. Oh, come on. She just put so little thought into it that my tone became a little rougher, is all.

“Ahem. The release of emergency stores of food, appeals for cooperation from the local lords, and depending on the cause, the deployment of the military. There’s a need for the leadership of the nation to plan all of that, right?” Another severe question for a sixteen-year-old girl.

However, the real problem was that Alfina had to convince the king. And the only material proof she had on hand was the vague image in her mind. If they respected the prophecy to begin with, she wouldn’t be in this situation. Meaning that even in this world, a prophecy was unable to move an entire nation. I also believed this was how it should be.

I took a look at Alfina, who had become despondent due to my miscalculation in restraint. I didn’t say so aloud, but there was also a need to consider what to do in the event that a disaster did not occur. Just who would shoulder the enormous cost of a false evacuation and take the responsibility for it? The prime candidate was right here in front of my eyes... But I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about the self-preservation of others right now.

“It stands to reason that you cannot move an entire country with such vague words, Your Highness.”

“That can’t be... But I...” Alfina was about to say something, but once more held her tongue.

In any case, she isn’t getting angry, even with me going so far...? On the contrary, she’s practically looking at me apologetically.

Mia shot a critical glare at me. Look, I get it. If I’m going to say such things, it would’ve been fine to just arbitrarily answer her questions and leave instead.

I stood up from the table. Alfina reached her hand out to stop me, but her hand stopped halfway, lost its strength, and fell back to the table.

“But it’s not to say we lack the means of taking a vague prophecy and turning it into precise information.” I took a map and reference book from a nearby bookshelf and returned to my seat.

Alfina let out a sigh of relief, and Mia breathed a sigh of resignation. There’s no other choice, right? I went that far because I planned on cooperating from the start.

Of course, I had no disposition to mana, the same as any other commoner. And even among said commoners, special topics like prophecies were way outside my field of expertise. However, if we interpreted the prophecy as first-hand information, I could at least teach her how to handle it.

Alfina’s gaze fell onto the map and book, wondering what was about to begin. But I left them shut and set them aside on the table. I then looked straight at the Oracle Princess.

The most important thing here is the first-hand information. In this case, it’s the image of the disaster in her mind... so the primary piece is just a subjective image that only a single person saw in their own head. It makes me want to cry.

“Please, allow me to confirm the contents of the prophecy once more.”

“Of course.” Alfina nodded nervously.

“About the image you saw, Your Highness. Concerning the flowers specifically, are you certain that they were lotus flowers? Could it possibly be another type of flower of similar appearance? Oh, and no using the bookmark to confirm. Please describe the shape and color of the flower in your head as best you can.” I hid the bookmark on the table under my hand.

“...My apologies. I can’t discern such minute details from the image that appears in my mind. The color itself was definitely pink. As for the shape... it wasn’t anything like the flowers I’ve seen growing in the parks of the capital. It was more like, ummm, the wheels of a carriage...”

Alfina continued as she tried taking glances at my hand on the table. An image in one’s mind is very easy to paint over. It’s entirely possible to use a flow of leading questions to produce a completely opposite answer.

The base characteristics were a match. This girl could basically be said to be a prisoner of the capital. Even if she came to the west, she would surely be no less caged up as she was here. For now, I could assess that the credibility of Alfina’s words were quite high when it came to the flowers. The next step was to verify things from a different angle.

“Next, what manner of clothes were the people who were running clad in? I do believe there would be aspects of their clothing that are somewhat different from what would be seen in the capital.”

Alfina silently closed her eyes.

“...All the women had sashes around their waists. They were a little wider than what I’ve seen in the capital. The sashes had a design with a straight line dyed on them... I think the light green sashes had... a deep blue line along them.”

Perhaps as was to be expected, the clothing the women wore stuck more clearly in her memory. I took a look at Mia, and she nodded back to me.

Incidentally, the line on the sash isn’t a dyed design. The women of the villages aren’t wealthy enough to afford dyeing designs onto a piece of cloth, after all. The women of that region simply tie a thin string atop their sashes. It’s something like the decorative string you can see around the obi of traditional Japanese clothing. The color combination of the sash and the string differentiates between married and unmarried women. A deep blue string on a light green sash is the combination for an unmarried woman.

“Were there any other buildings or such that could identify the characteristics of the region?”

“...I think I saw something like a water wheel near the village.”

And with that, both Mia and I trembled slightly. This young lady probably didn’t think that a water wheel was all that strange. However, timber is quite valuable in this country, so it’s peculiar for a small village to have a water wheel.

Lotus flowers growing in the region, the clothing the women wore, and a water wheel. There was in fact a region where all three of those coexist, and it was limited to exactly one place.

We were the ones to install a small water wheel in the village, so that we could collect honey from the beehives more efficiently. Now that we had come this far, I could no longer consider that this was all a trick which had been set up by Alfina from the very beginning. There’s no worth in doing so anymore. Of course, it’d be a different story if she knew exactly what I knew in my head.

“...”

“...”

Mia and I silently nodded at each other, and I opened the book.

This book was a collection of customs from various regions. It was actually quite rare, in that it even contained the details of what manner of clothing commoners wore. In the distant future, it would surely become an important book in the study of folklore.

“About the sash you were telling me about... did it look something like this?”

“...Yes. That is what I saw.” Alfina replied clearly.

She properly understood the meaning behind the question, didn’t mention anything in excess, and answered with only the most necessary words. She was raised in a completely sheltered environment, but she seems wise by nature.

“Understood.” I set the book aside and opened the map.

I traced my finger along the plains near the mountain range to the west. I had previously investigated the distribution of lotus flowers in the region to plan for the future expansion of our apiculture business.

“That flower, the lotus, blooms along the westernmost part of the western region. Also, the characteristics of the sashes you spoke of are unique to the northern part of that region. There’s about twenty villages around here...” I circled my finger around, continuing to limit the area of the map. And then, I stopped on a single point. “...And among them, the only one with a water wheel is this one, Reylia. So... Y-Your Highness?”

A slender white finger was placed atop my other hand which was holding down the map, and I looked up at Alfina in shock.

“I’m truly glad I consulted you about this. You didn’t only believe what I had to say, but you even...”

“N-No, if I...” I was about to say “If I believed you, I wouldn’t have tested you,” but I was stopped by the strength placed in Alfina’s hand. Her white and slender fingers slipped in between mine. The slight chill of her fingers, perhaps from the tension of it all, was strangely pleasant. And then, the portions of our hands that were touching gradually began to warm each other up.

“Ahem. Princess Alfina, I do believe that you are misunderstanding Ricardo. He’s simple, but he won’t take action if it isn’t in his own interest,” Mia said with a cough.

What kind of messed-up personality are you pinning on me? I’m simply a realist. I only believe in taking action for my own sake, is all... Oh, I guess she’s right. Now that’s my dear secretary for you. There really is a need to warn this princess before she gets her hopes up too much.

“Your Highness, what we’re doing right now is simply the first stage regarding the prophecy of disaster. That is to say, we’re analyzing what information we have. I still haven’t assessed whether I believe the prophecy itself. Keep that in mind.”

“Analyzing...? And you still haven’t assessed...?” Alfina brooded over my words.

Well, I guess you would normally start by choosing whether or not you believe in it. However, what I was doing now was deciding on the point that allowed me to assess whether or not I could believe in it. You could say we were still in the early preparatory phase.

“That’s quite complicated. But I do know that you were willing to hear me out seriously, Ricardo. Even now, you are properly considering what I say.”

“If we consider that the disaster will occur when the lotus flowers are in bloom and the harvest is ready, the latest it could happen is in the middle of August. We have precious little time, so I think we should move to the next stage quickly,” Mia remarked.

“I-Is that so?” Alfina pulled her hand back in a fluster upon noticing Mia’s gaze. One step later, I did the same. As the map was about to close itself, Mia pushed up against me from the side and pinned it down with her hand.

Alfina was the same as before, looking at me full of hope, and the weight of her gaze was heavy. Predicting the future is both the greatest and worst goal in economics. It’s normally decided that you’re better off not doing it.

This time around, we had a fixed goal, so it wasn’t so dire. But nevertheless, we’d be lucky if the probability that we hit the mark is even just ten percent. In the worst case, I’ll be forced to tell his innocent girl that I’ve decided not to believe in her prophecy...

“Let’s move on to the next stage.”

Everything up until now was the analysis of the first-hand information. We managed to trim down the list of candidates for the location based on the prophecy. Next, we needed to trim down the list of candidates for the disaster based on the location.