Rewrite That Witch
CH512 · Rewrite
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Chapter 512: An Old Friend and a New Friend

King’s City was a treasure trove—there was no disputing that.

Backward in many ways, its magnificent buildings meaning little to Roland’s eye, it remained the most brilliant pearl in the Kingdom of Graycastle. In population alone, it dwarfed every other city: the nobility here far exceeded that of any province, since the first thing any lord who lost rank and land did was come to King’s City to find new footing. Count the landless nobles and the knights canonized by the royalty, and the numbers swelled further. Nearly twenty percent of the Inner City’s residents were noblemen. Most had received a primary education; most could read and write. In Roland’s thinking, they were all potential officials—men without land or property who would not resist the new policies too fiercely, and whose experience would help them adapt to new things faster than common men.

In terms of industry, King’s City also concentrated the best craftsmen and merchants from every trade. Beyond the merchant and craftsmen unions stood the largest alchemist association in the kingdom and the only astrologer association. Roland had coveted these talents since before the campaign, which was precisely why he had summoned Barov and Kyle Sichi—to make use of them.

As for wealth: the palace collections alone were worth ten times what Duke Ryan’s coffers had held. Gold royals, jewelry, and golden handicrafts filled several storehouses. The properties confiscated from the ministers who had fallen alongside Timothy added to an astonishing total. If everything were seized, the City of Neverwinter could run comfortably for two or three years. But Roland had no intention of taking it all. That would waste time and create instability. King’s City needed resources to function; money stacked in a basement served no one, and lavish spending without purpose served no one either. Circulate it.

Given the choice, he would have spent half a year here processing everything. But Fallen Dragon Ridge and the Southernmost Region, both adjacent to the Western Region, were more pressing than a city in the middle of the kingdom.

Shortly after Iron Axe left, a guard appeared at the door. “Your Majesty, a businesswoman outside the palace by the name of Margaret is requesting an audience.”

Roland’s eyes lit up. “Bring her in.”

When she walked into the hall, he rose from his seat and crossed to meet her, smiling. “We finally meet again.”

“I didn’t expect it would be inside the palace of the Kingdom of Graycastle.” Margaret raised her hem in a curtsey. “You always manage to surprise me, Your Highness—or rather, I should say Your Majesty now.”

“It doesn’t matter. The enthronement hasn’t been held; I’m not officially king yet.” He waved a hand.

“You don’t seem anxious about it, and you do carry yourself like a king.” She covered her mouth, amused. “From now on, business opportunities will be everywhere in this city. As an old friend, I expect you’ll take good care of me.”

“Of course. Even if you hadn’t come to me, I’d have found you.” He laughed openly. “You may not know this yet, but Border Town and Longsong Stronghold are being integrated into one large city. The steam engine company has opened several new production lines—yield will triple. New commodities are coming too, and I promise they’ll be unparalleled across the Four Kingdoms.”

“I’ve already seen what you’re capable of, so we can discuss those things later in detail.” Margaret nodded. “But that’s not why I came today. I’d like to ask another favor.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Tell me.”

“Could we…” She glanced around the hall. “Move somewhere else to talk?”

If the Chamber of Commerce’s resources can’t solve this, and it requires this much secrecy… has she really run into something serious? “Then let’s go to my study.”

The study occupied the top floor of the Tower of Crown—originally Wimbledon III’s own. As a child, Prince Roland had wanted to reach that room more than almost anywhere in the palace. It was the only place where he could find his reticent father. Roland had chosen it now for a different reason: it sat too high for secret passages, and the only access was a single winding stair, easy to defend, hard to storm.

“You can speak now.”

Only Roland and Margaret remained in the room—plus Nightingale, who had already concealed herself.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I swore to someone I’d tell this only to you.” Margaret bowed her head. “Thunder wants to see you.”

“Thunder?” Roland straightened. “You mean the most famous explorer in the Fjords? Didn’t he… die in a shipwreck?”

“A real explorer may believe in the three gods, but he wouldn’t go to them so easily.” Margaret shook her head. “He doesn’t want his whereabouts known—especially not to Lightning, which is why I needed secrecy. Thunder had planned to contact you through Tilly, but you occupied King’s City faster than he expected, so he changed his plan at the last moment.” She paused. “He also said he found something unbelievable in the east of the Shadow Islands. Something you’d definitely be interested in—something that may be connected to ruins from hundreds of years ago.”

“Wait—is he in King’s City now?”

“Yes. He arrived yesterday and made this decision after meeting with me.”

“You don’t seem surprised that he’s alive.” Roland studied her. “You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”

Margaret nodded.

“So the first time you came to Border Town—that wasn’t because of my trade routes. You came to find Lightning.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you from the start.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “Lightning wears a Magic Stone. Thunder can use it to locate her. He sent me there just to confirm she was safe. After learning that Lightning was settled in your domain, he decided to keep his survival secret, to keep his daughter away from the life of an explorer.”

That explains everything. The earlier “coincidence”—Margaret’s arrival, the business partnership, the routes that opened so quickly—had rested on a foundation he hadn’t seen. Without Lightning, the steam engine trade would have taken far longer to find its way.

“King’s City is still in disorder and I can’t leave the palace,” Roland said after a moment. “If Thunder wants to meet me, bring him here. I promise I won’t divulge his whereabouts to Lightning.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.” Margaret’s gratitude was plain. She bowed again. “I’ll deliver your reply as soon as possible.”

After the servants had seen her out and Roland returned to the hall, another guard appeared. “Your Majesty—a nobleman outside claims to be your old friend. He’s making rather a fuss about being let in.”

That was unexpected. Roland had assumed the lesser nobles would come eventually, but not this quickly. Logic suggested they should have waited to read the political weather before advancing—especially with Timothy not yet beheaded. And Prince Roland had been in poor standing with most nobles, so who would call themselves his friend so boldly?

“What’s his name?”

“Sir Yorko, Your Majesty.”

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