How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

The cannonballs of this era were not the exploding type manufactured by modern nations in my past life. They were closer to chunks of scrap metal molded into a round shape to make them easier to fire from a cannon. That was also the reason why their destructive power was so lacking.

Could this be the reason why Jason’s cannons were described as remarkably powerful in the original story? Perhaps Jason had created an exploding cannonball that was reasonably close to the modern style. If that were the case, carrying a cannonball around could be somewhat understood.

No, even so, that is still difficult to comprehend.

While I was trying to imagine the thought process of a genius who seemed out of his mind, Lord Mildred asked cautiously.

“Your Highness, Grand Consort. Are you truly planning to entrust the development of cannons to that man?”

“Does his claim not sound quite enticing?”

“The wild rumors floating around the port are not reliable. You must filter what you hear, Your Highness.”

“I am aware. However, there is no smoke without fire.”

“Smoke… without fire?”

I let out a dry cough and gave a light nod. Pushing through like this made even me feel embarrassed, but perhaps because of my past track record, the knights, especially Gerhardt and Wilhelm, seemed inclined to agree.

“Has there ever been a time we suffered a loss by following the words of the Grand Consort, Your Highness? Well, things will turn out well this time too.”

“Gerhardt is right. Even if that man claiming to be a cannon maker was just boasting, we have nothing to lose by checking it out.”

“Thank you for believing in me. It has not been long since I heard the rumor, so his traces should be findable at Port Belforte. As for that task, while Sir Johannes is visiting the shipyard…”

I was about to entrust Sir Johannes with the task of finding and bringing Jason back, but his rigid posture as he stared intently at me caught my eye. With a slightly awkward expression, I turned my head toward Gerhardt.

“No, it would be better for Gerhardt to go. Focus your search around the taverns and inns, and the moment you find him, invite him to the Grand Ducal Castle.”

“Invite… him? Yes, ah, I understand, Your Highness.”

His face looked as though he wanted to say ‘what do you mean invite’ when referring to a wandering braggart, but Gerhardt answered readily and bowed to me.

A few days later, Sir Johannes and Gerhardt left for Port Belforte. Lord Mildred, who was in charge of the Eastern Continent trade, was scheduled to set sail as soon as the repairs on the third vessel were completed. In the meantime, the glass workshop, which had gained momentum, was producing high-quality glass craftwork day by day. Thanks to this, the trade going back and forth with Kalhaven Port on the Northern Continent yielded even higher profits than when Tristan and I had managed it directly.

All the things Tristan and I had worked hard for were beginning to show tangible results like that.

Yet, news from Tristan and the second vessel still had not arrived. At times, my heart floated restlessly while waiting for Tristan. And in the next moment, I would fall into despair. Hope and pain alternated within my heart at every single moment. Even so, everything appeared peaceful on the surface. Hezekia was changing quietly and calmly, utterly unrelated to the turmoil inside me.

Until one day, when dreadfully despairing news arrived.

“Your Highness, Grand Consort, Your Highness! T- Terrible… terrible news!”

A knight who had been patrolling the fields rushed into the Grand Ducal Castle. The face of the man, who leapt off his horse as if rolling off it, was completely covered in thick dust.

“What is the matter? Speak slowly.”

My heart began to thud violently at an ominous premonition. The knight gasped heavily for breath and cried out haltingly.

“In the south, a s- swarm of locusts… A swarm of locusts is moving north. It is a massive number!”

“What…?”

It was a completely unbelievable situation. I froze, unable to say a single word.

I knew better than anyone just how threatening a swarm of locusts could be. Especially when entering the harvest season like right now, the damage would be catastrophic. The memory of reading the scene in the original work, The Chronicles of the Sword, where the fields were completely devastated after being raided by locusts, was vivid. But…

‘The Hezekia Territory has never been raided by a swarm of locusts!’

In the original story, this event was something that took place in a certain earldom at the southern tip of the Rubyere Empire. Furthermore, it was an event meant to happen about five years from now.