"The Doge was quite flustered!"

"We're in the same boat, Princess. The council is in absolute chaos!"

"Now, now, everyone calm down..."

"If you were planning something like this, you should have at least given us a hint!"

"Exactly. We're talking about the Italian mainland, of all places!"

"I get it, alright... Hmm, by the way, you two seem to be in sync? Perhaps you've been sharing drinks behind my back..."

"Is this really the time for jokes?!"

As if rehearsed, they blurted out the exact same words without the slightest deviation. They immediately narrowed their eyes and turned to look at each other. The sharp gazes they exchanged were as piercing as those they had directed at me.

"Sigh, anyway, the Consul has instructed us not to offer you any discounts for the next few months, Princess. The priority shipping fleet we had allocated will also be significantly reduced."

Cosimo was the first to look away. He folded his arms and shook his head as if to say it couldn't be helped.

"You're not saying you won't sell to me, right?"

"We still need to make a living."

Cosimo shrugged his shoulders. Lorenzo promptly continued.

"The same goes for us. Especially strategic resources like iron ore—you'll have trouble getting your hands on any for several months."

"Are you sure about that? Iron ore becomes a space-wasting nuisance if you don't sell it quickly."

"I hear Conrad of Jerusalem is forming a direct knightly order to protect the Holy Land. We can sell it there as a donation."

Lorenzo maintained a serious expression, indicating this was no joke.

"A direct knightly order to protect Jerusalem..."

As a history buff in my previous life, I couldn't help but be intrigued. Anyone who's studied the Crusades would have admired the famous Knights Templar.

"I should go see it sometime."

"You're still joking around."

Lorenzo let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. Cosimo nodded and picked up the conversation.

"Because of you, Princess, a mobilization order was issued back home. Even my father was called up and had to undergo pike training."

"That's you people overreacting..."

Bari was merely the heel of the Italian boot. In terms of direct distance, Bari to Genoa or Bari to Thessaloniki wouldn't be that different.

"I hope we won't have to face such embarrassment next time. We in Venice always want to remain Rome's closest ally."

"I agree."

The two of them glared at me again, speaking in unison. Honestly, it was the first time I'd seen these two so angry.

"I said I understand. Now, enough with the irritation, both of you take a gift."

"A gift?"

Cosimo tilted his head. I handed over two pieces of parchment that had been sitting on my desk.

"It's an investment prospectus for the Clysma Canal."

"Clysma..." "Canal?"

Once again, the two finished each other's sentences. They really did have good chemistry.

"Yes, I'm planning a major renovation of the canal in the near future."

When people think of 'canals,' they often assume it's cutting-edge technology, but that's not always the case. The foundation of the Clysma—that is, the Suez Canal—had existed since ancient Egyptian times.

"If you invest now, you'll get a two-year free pass plus maps of Southeast Asia as a bonus! Such opportunities don't come around often."

"Free pass...?"

Cosimo still wore a puzzled expression. Lorenzo quietly studied the parchment before speaking.

"So you're saying we can use the canal free of charge for two years."

"Correct. You're sharp as always."

"Ah..."

Cosimo finally nodded in understanding. He continued reading the parchment and asked:

"What's this Southeast Asia map?"

"What else would it be? It's a map of the southeastern region of Asia."

"No, I know that... but the example illustration looks quite unfamiliar."

He pointed to a small map on the parchment.

"It looks quite detailed... is this accurate?"

"Of course it is."

The source was Google Maps in my head. Of course, I'm no genius, so I only got the approximate locations right.

"Rumor has it that region is the source of cloves and pepper. What do you think? Don't you want to explore beyond the Red Sea?"

"Ah... so that's why you prepared this."

Cosimo took a sip of his apple juice spiced with pepper, as if finally understanding. It might seem like a strange combination, but surprisingly, pepper was considered quite a premium addition to juice in this era.

Lorenzo continued studying the parchment for a while longer before nodding and speaking.

"Indeed, if Rome and the merchant republics join forces, a major renovation of the canal would be possible."

He put down the parchment with interest.

"By the way, I didn't know Rome and the Crusaders had advanced as far as the Nile region."

"Yes, I also heard the border between the Crusader kingdoms and the Fatimids was the Sinai Peninsula."

Cosimo chimed in.

"Sinai is correct."

"Pardon?"

"The border between the two countries is indeed the Sinai Peninsula."

A moment of silence. The two exchanged bewildered glances.

"You said you're reopening the canal?"

Cosimo asked first. I nodded.

"And Clysma, where the canal is located, is still Fatimid territory."

Lorenzo continued. I nodded again.

Silence fell once more. Cosimo blinked, deep in thought, before his expression turned to shock.

"Are... are you a warmonger?"

"Watch your language... Why? Couldn't I acquire Clysma through diplomacy?"

"That's impossible. There aren't any Jews in Clysma."

Anyone listening might think I was some kind of Jewish mastermind... As I laughed incredulously, Lorenzo quickly picked up the conversation.

"Is this statement directed at me personally? Or is it an official message to the Republic?"

Lorenzo was certainly more composed than Cosimo. I shrugged and replied:

"Didn't you two say I should tell you in advance next time?"

I took another sip of juice before continuing.

"Of course, I'm not planning to do it right away. Fall of this year at the earliest."

I could go anytime, but the soldiers couldn't. It hadn't been that long since the Crusades ended, and launching another large-scale expedition would surely tank morale among the troops.

"I see. Then I'll prepare the iron ore!"

Cosimo finally brightened up, raising his voice. Lorenzo made an "oh!" expression and tucked the parchment into his bag.

"I'll, I'll immediately propose this to the Doge."

"I'd appreciate that~"

In any case, the more iron ore, the better.

In this era, the quality of iron ore varied tremendously depending on the vein, and naturally, the more you purchased, the higher the probability of finding high-quality ore.

"So you're in for the canal project?"

I asked again as the two hurriedly packed their bags.

"We'll consider it positively."

Once again, they spoke in perfect unison, not a syllable out of place.

※※

"Did they really find one?"

"Yes, Princess. He was originally a blacksmith who, after his business failed, volunteered with a caravan crossing the Silk Road and eventually made his way to Antioch."

"What a fate... So what did he say?"

"He says his memory isn't perfect, but given the equipment and time, he'll try to recreate it."

"Excellent! Tell him I'll provide all the funding he needs, so he shouldn't worry."

"Yes, Princess."

Nikephoros nodded. Then he asked:

"By the way, what exactly is this 'super steel method'?"

"I don't know either."

"Pardon?"

"I don't know the principles. I just know it's a method for refining high-purity steel."

I was a fan of military history, not alternative history or the history of science.

Well, what I'm doing now is basically an alternative history cliché.

"...You haven't been reading some strange book, have you?"

"It's not like that. It's definitely a real technique."

I had at least heard the name. It's common knowledge that East Asian ironworking technology was ahead of contemporary European methods.

"The current steel production method is far too inefficient. If even a slightly improved smelting method could be introduced, our blacksmiths could catch a break."

My current method for producing plate armor was extremely crude.

1. Collect high-quality iron ore from across the empire.

2. Have imperial blacksmiths smelt it.

3. Strike the resulting armor with a greatsword and keep only those that withstand the blow.

4. Arsenal

In this situation, the imperial forge's fires never had a chance to die down. Even at this moment, the empire's blacksmiths were silently enduring 140-hour workweeks to produce armor for the Egyptian expedition.

"I'm not sure. I wonder if such a method really exists."

"Nikephoros, even you once marveled at the high-quality steel from India."

"India is such a vast country. Of course they would produce plenty of high-quality iron ore."

"But I doubt anyone else collects iron ore from across the country and smelts steel in such a haphazard way as I do."

"Who knows."

Nikephoros shrugged. Perhaps due to his age, he had a somewhat stubborn side to him.

I waved my hand dismissively and turned away.

"Anyway, there's no harm in trying. I'll handle this myself, so you can consider it taken care of."

Nikephoros nodded as if it were only natural. Then, carefully looking out the window, he continued:

"By the way, Princess, you really don't care about race or religion, do you?"

"Nikephoros, is this your first time seeing an East Asian?"

"Well... I've heard the name 'China' before, but that's about it."

"Hmm, I see."

The person right in front of you is actually from there, you know.

"Well, they're not much different from the kebabs, right? Even the Magyars still have some East Asian features if you look closely."

"Hmm... but they still look somewhat different."

"Do they?"

They look very similar to me.

Honestly, I still get startled when I unexpectedly run into Uncle Tati.

"Should we visit after we open the canal?"

"Visit where?"

"China. Or Korea would be fine too."

"...Excuse me?"

Nikephoros narrowed his eyes as if to say, "What on earth are you talking about?"

"I'm joking, just joking. No sense of humor."

Why make such a face... I waved my hand dismissively.

"Anyway, you've worked hard. I didn't think you'd actually find one."

"It's all thanks to the merchants. You should thank them."

Nikephoros bowed slightly. Then, after watching me cautiously for a moment, he carefully approached my side.

"Should I give you a reward?"

I asked, unsurprised—of course he would want one.

Nod.

Nikephoros silently nodded.

You're not a child... I answered while turning pages.

"Wait a moment. Let me just finish processing these documents."

What Nikephoros wanted was typically one of two things: an awkward hug or a lap pillow.

Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to want the latter this time. As I quickly moved my pen, a question suddenly occurred to me.

"My thighs... aren't they a bit narrow?"

"No, they're more comfortable than any pillow in this world."

Nikephoros answered firmly. There wasn't the slightest hesitation in his clear eyes.

You don't have to go that far... I shrugged with feigned embarrassment, and Nikephoros quietly smiled and continued:

"Your thighs... they contain dreams."

"...?"

Somehow, he seemed to be becoming more and more like Conrad.