Chapter 95:

“He himself was the one who opposed it the most.”

“Yes.”

“But at the meeting, he was the one most earnestly appealing for an investigation at the ducal level.”

The image of him insisting that his brother's kidnapping might not be a simple crime was vivid in my mind.

But to hear that he was the one who most actively opposed it was strange.

“At the time, I thought his pride was hurt or that the First Duke had placated him by saying the Three Blades alone were enough, but looking back now, it was strange.”

“Was the relationship between the Third Duke and Brauder a bad one?”

“Not at all. On the contrary, for a ducal family, they were quite harmonious. It was my sister's pride, too.”

Giuseppe gave a bitter smile.

Come to think of it, this was his family problem as well.

“Is your sister doing alright?”

“I've only heard that she's taken to her bed with illness. A Duke cannot rashly meet with another Duke, so I haven't been able to see her myself.”

“Was there such a restriction?”

“It's closer to being careful on our own.”

It must mean that neutrality has its own hardships.

A nephew who actively cooperates with the First Duke would be a very awkward existence from a political standpoint.

“Was there anything else strange? Even minor things are fine.”

“I was busy with the Imperial Troupe's affairs after that, so I couldn't investigate in detail, but there were a few pieces of information that came my way.”

“If it's information that came to the Sixth Duke, would it be from the social circles?”

“That's most likely.”

Giuseppe approached a neatly organized bookshelf and pulled out a file.

Holding a single sheet from the file, Giuseppe paused for a moment.

“Considering you came all the way to a troupe you have no interest in, you must not have come for a trivial matter like Brauder's kidnapping.”

“That is correct.”

I had no intention of hiding it from the start, so I admitted it.

Even if I didn't know Brauder's whereabouts, my answer would not have changed.

“Who did Timmy meet? That's what you want to know. If you promise me one thing, I will hand over the information.”

“Do you believe that I will keep my promise?”

A hollow laugh escaped me without me realizing it.

Whether reading it in the novel or feeling it firsthand here, almost no one believed that Valheit would keep a promise.

I could have just readily agreed, but it was such a strange thing that I had to ask back.

It was better to be suspected from the start than to be suspected even after making a promise.

“Of course. Because the old snake never breaks a promise.”

“That seems very different from the reputation I know of myself.”

“…He just keeps the promise in the Count's own way. My condition is simple and clear. Please protect my nephews so that they do not die.”

“Are you saying it's fine as long as they don't die?”

I asked back with a smirk.

If he made such a request knowing that Valheit twists promises, wouldn't it mean he expected this much?

“Of course, it would be best if their limbs and minds are intact. If that's difficult, my request is that you at least save their lives.”

“May I ask for the reason.”

“It's because I'm worried about the shock my sister will receive when her sons die. The second reason is for my political standing as the Sixth Duke.”

Does being the Third Duke's uncle have some meaning in its own right?

I understood the reason, but it was a very awkward condition to accept.

Since I have Brauder, it's not difficult to keep him alive until the matter is over, but Timershi was a bit different.

Depending on whom he joined hands with and how deeply he was involved, Timershi's life would also hang in the balance.

If he was involved so deeply that it was undeniable….

“Aren't you curious about who Timmy met through the Assembly of Well-being.”

Giuseppe tapped the document as if to say it was written here.

It must mean he had already guessed to some extent why I had come.

Comparing the time that would be wasted if I refused and the benefit of receiving the information now, the answer came quickly.

“I will promise the utmost protection.”

“We will agree on that much.”

With a satisfied smile, Giuseppe handed me the document.

A table filled with dense text came into view.

“This is a table summarizing the information on the events and banquets Timmy participated in. If you look at the recent few months, you'll see that the number of times he met directly or indirectly with Assembly of Well-being members has increased tremendously.”

“He met them mostly in the areas around the Imperial Capital.”

“No matter how secret the meeting, they can't hold it around the Imperial Capital without me knowing.”

I thought he was just a celebrity in the social scene, but it seems he plants informants in banquet halls and meeting places, or even runs them himself.

“In particular, there were a few times Timmy attended a meeting while hiding his status as a Duke. That will be the information the Count is looking for.”

In the table, marked with a red line, was a detailed list of those who attended the secret meeting.

Third Duke Timershi Stetten, Assembly of Well-being Chairman Paulo Skovye, Assembly of Well-being Secretary….

At the end of the long list, a name that was suspicious to anyone was written.

‘Guests from Leitche.’

“What is this?”

“I also demanded confirmation from my informant several times, but there were no results. They said that besides the fact that they were from Leitche and moved very secretly, they wouldn't tell me anything.”

“Is that allowed?”

“It happens from time to time in secret meetings, but usually, their identity is revealed if you tail them. It's rare for them to cover their tracks this thoroughly.”

People from Leitche moving secretly.

The Ravens came to mind first.

Though I wasn't sure if they had a reason to meet Timershi in secret.

“Thank you for the information.”

“I hope you will keep your promise. Ah, by the way, do you plan to come to the premiere in two days?”

I briefly considered how to refuse the suggestion from Giuseppe, who had returned to being a gentle, art-loving old man.

Not missing the opening, Giuseppe threw out some tempting bait.

“My nephew is scheduled to come as well.”

…At this point, it's only polite to be hooked.

“I will look forward to the performance, Lord Giuseppe.”

***

“I do not know.”

Regina said flatly.

Even before I had finished asking if the Ravens had met with the Third Duke.

“What is it that you don't know?”

“You seem to have forgotten, but I only manage the parts related to the Eight Council. As a rule, I do not know about any other Raven activities.”

She was chilly, but it was good news that at least Regina wasn't involved.

It meant I didn't have to throw away the relationship I had painstakingly built.

“Does the fact that it's a rule mean that reality is different?”

“I'll leave that to your imagination, Count.”

Even in a cooperative relationship, the Ravens were strictly under the Grand Duchy of Leitche.

There was no way she would share everything.

If she was going to be like that, I had my own countermeasures.

“I heard Benjamin's condition has improved a bit recently.”

“…That's good.”

“We'll have to wait and see if it continues to go well, won't we.”

It was a bit cheap, but as the one holding the hostage, there was no reason for me to take a low posture.

Her expression barely changed, but inside, she must have been weighing her options furiously.

Thump-

The door opened with a flourish, and Til walked in, scratching her disheveled hair.

Surprised by the unexpected guest, Regina's eyes went round.

“I've cleared out all the gnats buzzing around.”

“It took longer than I thought.”

“Even if they're gnats, they're still Ravens.”

It seemed my request for Til to clear out any surveillance that might be attached to Regina had hit the mark.

“I didn't expect you to be this considerate.”

“Isn't it the host's role to create an environment where the guest can speak comfortably.”

“Did you really chase them all away?”

“Every last one I could see.”

“Then it should be fine.”

After receiving confirmation from Til, Regina let out a deep sigh.

Seeing her expression soften considerably, it seemed she had been conscious of the surveillance after all.

“The surveillance isn't severe, but it's still very awkward when my father's Ravens are attached.”

“Did you do something to arouse suspicion?”

“Officially, I was told I handled the work in the North well, but with my brother's incident, he seems to be a little wary.”

“What a shady bastard.”

Til, who sat slanted next to me, showed an annoyed reaction.

Unlike me, who knew from the novel that the two had a bad relationship, it must have been quite a strange sight for Regina.

“Did you have a bad experience with my father?”

“Is there anyone who has a good relationship with that guy?”

I heard they clashed severely a few times even when the Commander was around, so there was no way she'd have good feelings.

Seeing Til's expression, Regina readily nodded.

“I suppose that's true. He's more skilled at making enemies than friends.”

It seems he's not very popular with his own children either.

“So, what is it that you're so curious about that you'd even mobilize Ms. Til?”

“I've found evidence that the Ravens recently met secretly with the Third Duke, Timershi Stetten. Do you know anything or have any suspicions?”

“Are you planning to interfere in the Empire's central politics again? If so, I'll have to choose my side carefully.”

Regina, pleased with her own words, took out a notebook and pencil from her pocket.

“The Ravens are an intelligence organization, but some parts operate with a slightly different purpose. Just as the Liaison Department, which I belong to, is aimed at maintaining communication networks with the Eight Council and other organizations.”

“And one of them met with Timmy, is that it?”

“To put it simply, yes. However, I don't know why they met. I really don't.”

Emphasizing several times that she didn't know, Regina began to draw shapes in her notebook.

“It's an organization composed of the most secretive agents who report directly to my father. It's so secretive it doesn't even have a clear name.”

“What are these overlapping circles you've drawn?”

“Even for such an organization, it's impossible not to interact with other Ravens at all. They have to go through the upper command where orders are delivered, and through me, who manages the communication network.”

To summarize the explanation she drew out in her notebook, it meant that by using the flaws in the two organizations connected to the secret organization, one could roughly sketch out its outline.

“Through a few security holes, I can tell that the secret organization contacted the Third Duke and then made a few requests to theAssembly of Well-being. I couldn't confirm the contents, but I was able to track the Assembly of Well-being movements after that.”

“Was there a reason to track them?”

“It's easier later on if I know what my father is up to. Anyway, the place where the goods purchased by the Assembly of Well-being were headed was ....”

Regina wrote 'Ruhindorf' in her notebook.

“Here. It's a small town in the territory ruled by the Third Duke.”

At the word Ruhindorf, Til's head whipped around to look at me.

Ruhindorf was also the next destination for the People's Medical Center that Til had found out about with Rapel.

“With this, I think it's certain. They plan to create a second Kranacht.”

“Kranacht… isn't that the place where the plague broke out before?”

“It was known as a plague, but in reality, it was an experiment related to a curse.”

At the word curse, Regina, who had briefly frowned, stood up as if she remembered something.

“What is it?”

“Curse… there must be a connecting point. I'll look through the records and contact you again later.”

Watching Regina leave with a stiff expression, Til tilted her head.

“What's with her?”

“…Watch over Ms. Regina for the time being.”

“You mean to spy on her?”

“No, I mean to protect her.”

I hope it was just a groundless fear.

After a brief moment of worry, my gaze returned to the paper with 'Ruhindorf' written on it.

Just then, a status window notification rang.

What's this?

I haven't done anything right now.

My mind filled with question marks at the contents of the scroll that appeared without fail.

Turning Point

You have uncovered a crucial fact about Valheit's death!

Reward: 3 Skill Points acquired, 10 freely usable Relationship Chart points.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.