With two days remaining until the Lantern Festival, Leon and Rossweise found themselves back at the Lionheart Society's clock tower, still grappling with the problem of the paper lanterns.
While the Society lacked a dedicated supplier, they did have a network of contacts within the Empire's business circles who could pull a few strings. Still, the quantities they could secure through these channels wouldn't be nearly enough for Leon's ambitious plan.
His goal was comprehensive: he wanted the recorded message to reach every one of the Empire's five districts, not just the central and upper city areas. Focusing solely on the palace or the affluent districts would leave the vast majority of the populace in the dark, missing the critical chance to witness the truth about their corrupt leaders.
The more people who learned the Empire's secrets, the greater the public pressure would be. They needed widespread support, the voice of the common people, to truly challenge those in power.
With this in mind, Leon decided to seek help from Claudia. His resourceful "Senior," with her newfound interest in human culture, might just have an unconventional solution.
Since Rebecca had mentioned that Claudia had been spending most of her time at the central district's library, that's where Leon and Rossweise headed.
As they approached the grand library building, they overheard a young paperboy nearby, his voice shrill with practiced enthusiasm as he shouted the day's headlines:
"Central City Daily! Get your Central City Daily!"
"Bridge Collapse Between Districts! Who's Truly to Blame for This Tragedy?"
"Secret Royal Warehouse Revealed! What Surprises Lie Inside?"
"Crime Rates Spike Ahead of Lantern Festival! A Failure of Morals or Leadership?"
"Read all about it in the Central City Daily!"
"Sir! Care for a copy?" the boy called out to Leon, waving a newspaper.
Leon, his mind focused on finding Claudia, merely shook his head and brushed past, leading Rossweise into the quiet, hallowed halls of the library.
They found her on the second floor, seated by a large, arched window that bathed the area in soft, afternoon light. Her ocean-blue hair seemed to capture the sun's rays, and she looked the picture of serene concentration, surrounded by a fortress of thick, ancient tomes and a tall stack of newspapers.
Leon and Rossweise approached her table.
Hearing their footsteps, Claudia glanced up from her reading. After a brief pause, a flicker of recognition passed through her eyes as she saw through their simple disguises.
"Not bad disguises," she commented, a faint smile touching her lips. "But I must say, I still prefer Rossweise with her natural silver hair."
[Leon's internal thought: Yeah? Me too, Senior!!]
The two took seats across from her, and Leon's eyes scanned the titles on the desk—mostly dense texts on human history, sociology, and cultural evolution.
"Come to wage war already?" Claudia asked, not looking up as she gracefully flipped a page.
"Almost. The battle begins in two days, during the Lantern Festival," Leon confirmed.
"Lantern Festival..." she mused, her blue eyes twinkling with intellectual curiosity. "It's a fascinating human tradition, dating back over nine hundred years. It was initially created to honor the first great archmage in human history, and has since evolved into one of your major annual celebrations, symbolizing hope and the driving back of darkness."
Leon raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Wow. Looks like you've been doing your homework."
Claudia tapped a finger against her temple, her smile widening slightly. "A fundamental principle: know your enemy, and the world they've built."
Closing her book with a soft thud, she gave them her full attention. "So, the plan is set for two days from now. I assume you have all the pieces in place?"
Leon nodded, laying out his plan to use the lanterns and the resonant recording stones to create a massive, public display that would reveal the Empire's corruption for all to see.
Claudia listened carefully, her expression neutral. When he finished, she remarked, "It's a theatrically sound plan. But with only two days left, do you have enough lanterns and stones to achieve the scale you're describing?"
"That's actually why we're here," Leon admitted. "We've gathered enough recording stones, but we're critically short on lanterns. We can't source them fast enough."
With a sly, knowing smile, Claudia teased, "And what do you expect me to do? Wave a magic wand? I don't exactly look like a lantern maker, do I?" She gestured to her elegant, refined appearance.
Leon laughed softly. "But you did offer to help me, and this counts as part of the overall operation, right? You can't just be the hidden muscle; you have to help with the logistics too."
"Oh, you cheeky brat!" she chided, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "When I agreed to help, it was to confront the Empire head-on—not to go on a frantic shopping spree for festival decorations."
"Then, Senior—" Leon began, leaning forward.
"I'm raising the stakes," Claudia interjected smoothly.
"Raising the stakes?" Leon and Rossweise said in near-unison.
Claudia nodded, her expression turning businesslike. "Originally, the deal was that I'd provide my strength if Helena could have regular visits with your daughters. But now, if I'm also going to assist with gathering lanterns—a significant logistical undertaking—I'll need an extra incentive."
"Name it," Leon said without hesitation, a grin spreading across his face. He was starting to understand Claudia's bargaining style.
Satisfied, Claudia leaned forward, gesturing for them to come closer. As they leaned in, she whispered her new request.
When she finished and leaned back, Leon and Rossweise exchanged a long look, their expressions a mix of sheer surprise and utter confusion.
"That's... quite unexpected," Leon managed, blinking.
"What? Is there a problem?" Claudia asked, arching a perfect eyebrow.
"No, not a problem, really..." Leon stammered. "We just didn't expect you'd be interested in that sort of thing."
Claudia crossed her arms, replying with an air of nonchalant coolness, "It's not for me. It's Helena. She seems to have developed a peculiar fondness for it after her last visit. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
"Alright, no problem," Leon agreed, shaking his head in bemused acceptance. "We'll take care of it after this is all over."
"Good." Claudia's posture relaxed. "I'll hold you to that."
Leon cleared his throat, steering the conversation back to the urgent matter. "Now, about those lanterns... could we ask for your advice?"
Claudia nodded, her demeanor shifting back to that of a strategic advisor. "You're on the right track trying to find suppliers. But independent lantern vendors are scattered throughout the Empire. Collecting a significant quantity from them discreetly and quickly would be difficult, if not impossible."
She paused for effect, then delivered her solution. "However, for this year's Lantern Festival, the royal family itself has built a special, centralized warehouse. It's stocked with tens of thousands of pre-made lanterns, enough to supply the entire celebration across all districts. Your task becomes much simpler: get into that warehouse, insert the recording stones into a strategic number of lanterns, and conceal them with a simple illusion spell. Then, on the night of the festival, when the lanterns are distributed and released... the truth will illuminate the entire Empire."
Leon blinked, momentarily stunned into silence. The solution seemed almost too straightforward.
"What's wrong? Didn't follow?" Claudia asked, noting his expression.
"No, no, I followed perfectly. It's just..." Leon scratched his head, a wave of frustration washing over him. "If there's really a royal warehouse full of lanterns, how come Rebecca and Nacho, who've been operating this intelligence network for years, didn't know about it? How did you, who's been here for less than a week, find out?"
The irony was palpable. Claudia, the newcomer, was providing the key intelligence that had eluded his seasoned operatives.
Claudia picked up the stack of newspapers from her desk and waved them gently in front of his face.
"Because it was only officially announced by the royal heralds this morning," she explained patiently. "The Empire established the warehouse this year as a grand public gesture, a symbol of unity and royal generosity for the festival. The location, the capacity—it's all written here, in plain sight, in the daily news."
"Wait, what?" Leon's mind reeled.
"Leon, your mistake—and the mistake of your entire Lionheart Society—is in assuming that vital intelligence is always hidden, always requiring secret codes, dark alleys, and whispered conversations."
Claudia explained with the patience of a tutor, "In many cases, the most crucial information you need is hiding in the most ordinary, public places. You're so busy looking for secrets in the shadows that you're missing the announcements made in the broad daylight."
Her words struck Leon with the force of a physical blow. He suddenly recalled the paperboy's cries outside the library, the headlines he had dismissed as trivial noise:
"Central City Daily! Central City Daily!"
"Secret Warehouse Revealed! What Surprises Lie Inside?"
It turned out... the secret he'd been desperately seeking was literally being shouted from the street corners.
And he had brushed it off because it sounded like sensationalist tabloid fodder!
Wait—!
This really was a tabloid-style headline! How could anyone expect him to take a paper seriously that screamed about "secret warehouses" right next to stories about a collapsed bridge and rising crime rates?
This was all because of that ridiculous newsboy and his—
"Ouch!"
A sudden, sharp tap on his forehead broke his spiraling thoughts.
It was Claudia, who had rolled up the newspaper and given him a light, chiding smack, much like an elder scolding a distracted child.
Rossweise, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, stifled a laugh—until she, too, received an identical tap on her own forehead from the swift newspaper.
The couple rubbed their smarting foreheads, wearing matching expressions of mock indignation.
"When you're reaching for the stars and plotting to change the world," Claudia advised, her tone softening into something almost maternal, "you must never forget to watch for the puddles at your feet. Sometimes, the solution is lying right there, waiting for you to stop and look down."
It was a profoundly simple, yet thought-provoking line.
Leon realized he had been so focused on the grand scale of his mission—to reveal the Empire's corruption, to fight for justice—that he hadn't even considered reading the morning paper. And in that ordinary act, he had missed the key to his entire plan.
"Well, I didn't mean to turn this into a philosophical lesson," Claudia continued, a gentle smile returning to her face. "Consider it a piece of friendly advice. It might serve you well in the future, beyond this single battle."
The couple nodded, the lesson sinking in deeply.
"Good," Claudia said, standing up and gathering her books. "And... don't forget our little arrangement once this is all over."
"Don't worry, Senior," Leon said, a genuine smile finally breaking through his frustration. "We, the Melkvey family, always keep our promises."
He wasn't sure what he had just agreed to on behalf of his children, but if it secured them the lanterns and Claudia's help, it was a price he was willing to pay.