Once I was situated as the tenth princess, I contacted Keane about the vision I had. I wasn’t too surprised when he informed me that he had been officially instated as the next head of medical research with Autumn remaining as his assistant.

“We probably don’t have long until your vision,” Keane considered, “Since everyone already has the positions you saw in the vision it is even possible that the disease already exists, and the vision was giving you a clue as to its unique traits and the danger of it. As for the old headmaster… I can’t really imagine him standing still and taking the death sentence. When he chose that option he must have had some sort of plan.”

“We also might have to watch out for his allies we didn’t know about,” I agreed, “but the disease is more important right now. We need to find leads with the little information we do have.”

“Information you do have?” Alois asked, startling me for a moment. No matter how hard I tried I still couldn’t detect him until he wanted to be noticed.

“There is a possibility Gaia, or what is left of it, plans to purposefully use a disease as a weapon against us,” Keane explained.

“A disease? That would be a disaster in most places but in Tethia we have magic and potions that can cure most diseases on the continent,” Alois pointed out.

“That’s right. There are only seven known diseases that magic cannot cure and three of them are not native to this part of the world,” Keane acknowledged, “With leaves us with five probably options. One of them being a new or mutated disease. But which disease is most likely to cause sudden madness?”

“Madness?” Alois asked, “There was something sort of like that where I grew up, but it wasn’t very serious and only lasted for about a day. Afterward, some people would have a cold or a headache. That seems a bit tame for a weapon.”

“But they could have mutated it,” Keane muttered, “Where did you grow up and what was this disease called?”

Alois grimaced slightly. “Well, I doubt you will find any records on it. My family kept the disease very secret since they didn’t want people to start leaving or stop coming. You could say they are the classic merchants with black souls. I lived in the Lion Seaport trade city, but the actual disease showed up in a fishing village down the coastline.”

“The seaport?” Keane asked in surprise, “I had heard that you were from a merchant family large enough to have a base in the capital, but I have heard that setting up a business in the seaport is a lot harder.”

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I thought about it for a moment. “Alois, your family wouldn’t happen to run the merchant’s association there, would they?”

Alois nodded with a bitter smile. “That’s right. They pretty much run the city there too. That is why this disease was never reported to the capital and people dismissed it as some sort of sea cold.”

“It’s the only lead we have right now. You don’t mind us investigating your family while we are at it, do you?” I asked Alois.

“Feel free. I was disinherited so I don’t have anything to do with those leeches anymore,” Alois assured me, “Though if anyone were to side with Gaia it would definitely be them.”

“I wonder why so many people in Tethia are so against Tethia having magic,” I muttered, “They must have a reason. No matter how many times I look back at it, the… Osmond seemed perfectly sane to me.”

“With a disease that affects the mind, it would be easy to add in some extra ideas,” Keane suggested.

“Someone with the ability to become headmaster would never fall to something like that,” Alois shot down, “Even if he did before, he was always the type who questions everything. I am regretting not asking any more questions back then. He liked me a lot so I am sure he would have told me his reasons.”

“I am regretting not asking more myself,” I agreed, “Osmond was always a strong believer that all magic has a price. Maybe he knows something that we don’t about that price.”

“You guys got off track again,” Autumn pointed out, one of his cat ears twitching. He seemed like he was in a bad mood.

“Right,” I agreed, “I should start setting things up for an inspection of Lion Seaport.”

“I think you should find some other reason to go,” Alois warned, “My family is the type who will get rid of anything that gets in their way.”

“Do you have any suggestions?” I asked.

Alois smiled. “You just became the tenth princess, right? I think it makes sense for new royalty to visit the largest trading hub in the kingdom to get a few things. Most princes and princesses don’t like the style of their predecessors or they just want to search for something new. Whatever it is, it can be found at Lion Seaport.”

“You know, your goals might be different but I can see the cunning merchant in you right now,” I told Alois.

He shrugged. “Sometimes it takes fire to fight fire. I don’t think I can go with you but keep in touch just in case.”

I frowned. “That’s right, I still need to figure out who I am bringing with me. Autumn, would you-?”

“Sorry, but no,” Autumn shot down, “I can’t get into any more ‘main character’ situations right not.”

I looked at Keane questioningly.

“He talked to Mickey earlier to ask why she made him the heroine when he was obviously a boy. I don’t know what she said but he has been in a bad mood ever since,” Keane explained helpfully.

Alois leaned over to Autumn. “Come on, it can’t be that bad. I am sure if I was made into a heroine I would be a gorgeous woman.”

“But I am not gorgeous,” Autumn growled, “I am cute. And the Heroine looks too much like me! What if we meet someone else who knows the game Mickey made and mistakes me for her?”

“We will deal with that when the time comes,” I promised, “and I am sure that once everything is explained properly it won’t be a problem. Are you sure you won’t come with me?”

“I have to work with Keane,” Autumn reminded, “I am his magic, so without me, he can’t do much.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Keane broke in, “I intend to go as well. I want to know what other medical information was kept from us, and I want to have a nice long conversation with the idiot that thought this was a good idea.”

There was a terrifying light in Keane’s eyes that sent a shiver down my spine.

“I will look over who else I should invite,” I told them, and quickly left to prepare.