Chapter 97:

Screams and shouts.

A muffled mumbling sound that was hard to make out dug into my ears.

No, it wasn't the outside that was mumbling.

It seemed my ears were the ones that had gone bust.

Aside from my clothes being torn unbecomingly and my skin being slightly scraped, I was fine.

I had never been more grateful for Valheit's sturdy body.

‘The problem isn’t me.’

As I dusted off all sorts of debris and dust from my clothes and stood up, the tragic scene came into proper view.

The place where the protruding seats had been just moments ago was grotesquely destroyed, revealing its inner frame.

Other than that, the other areas seemed to be fine.

I hastily dug through the wreckage.

Please.

For god's sake, be alive.

The surrounding audience members, having grasped the situation, also joined in, so finding the duke buried under the debris wasn't difficult in itself.

The problem was his condition.

‘The visible shrapnel wounds and external injuries alone are substantial, but considering fractures or internal bleeding….’

First, I checked for consciousness.

He was unconscious, of course, but he was still breathing.

That was the extent of the medical judgment I, having lived an ordinary life, could make.

“Timmy! Is Timmy alright!”

Giuseppe, who had pushed through the crowd while gasping for breath, turned pale upon seeing his nephew’s condition.

“First, we need to call for medical staff. As quickly as possible.”

“Even the nearest hospital is quite a distance away. What should we do….”

I wanted to tell the trembling-handed Giuseppe to calm down, but my own head wasn't working properly either.

It was too far to the hospital from here.

Besides, the state of the hospital I had visited when Werner was admitted was terrible.

We would be lucky if they didn't make the illness worse.

Just then, something flashed through my mind.

This theater was not that far from the commercial district where the people of Vestol gathered.

“The People’s Medical Center, let’s take him to the People’s Medical Center. Is there a stretcher?”

“That place is crawling with those Vestol doctor bastards! What if they harm the Duke….”

A man who looked like a noble who had come down from upstairs shouted.

A man is about to die, and that’s the problem?

As I frowned, the noble flinched and backed away.

“We’re going to the People’s Medical Center. There should be a stretcher reserved for the theater troupe. Bring them to transport the other injured people as well.”

As Giuseppe, who had regained some composure, directed the troupe members, the situation slowly began to stabilize.

Except for Timershi’s condition.

As I followed the stretcher-borne Timershi, my mind grew increasingly complex.

‘Who was it? Did they try to blow up two dukes? Or were they only targeting one?’

Right now, no plausible answer came to mind.

Whoever did it, and for whatever purpose, one thing was certain.

This was not an issue that would be brushed over lightly like Brauder’s kidnapping.

***

The people at the People's Medical Center were flustered by the sudden rush of patients, but they soon began to receive them like true doctors.

Among them was Rapel.

As soon as I confirmed his face, I brazenly dragged him over to Timershi.

“You have to save him. In the worst-case scenario, you must at least keep him breathing.”

To my incoherent request, Rapel answered without a hint of hesitation.

“I will do my best.”

A few hours later, the lightly injured left to be investigated by the police, and only the seriously injured remained at the People's Medical Center.

I, who had taken the full brunt of the explosion, was classified as seriously injured regardless of the extent of my wounds, and sat blankly, occupying a bed.

Could there be a madman who would commit a terrorist act against a duke in the heart of the Empire?

Besides, why now of all times?

Did they control the explosion while watching the situation, or did they set something like a timer?

Did they use magic?

If so, they would have been discovered immediately.

One question led to another.

My head ached more than my slightly scraped wounds.

Bang!

The hospital room door was nearly torn off its hinges with a loud noise.

The patients who could lift their heads stared at the door with terrified faces.

This time, it wasn't a bomb.

No, I'd rather it had been a bomb.

A bomb seemed safer than Til, who was so angry that a vein was visible on her forehead.

Til, who was looking around the room, stormed over as soon as she saw me.

If such a person had approached me in the real world, my legs would have probably given out.

“I’m fine….”

“Hey, you bastard.”

No, still, I’m a patient, grabbing me by the collar is a bit much.

“Let’s talk after you let go of this.”

“You think this is funny?”

No, what am I supposed to do if I have a naturally smiling face?

The character was designed this way from the start, it was unfair.

Til, after taking a few breaths to compose herself, let go of my collar.

“Where are Ede and the others?”

“I figured I didn’t need cumbersome escorts just to see a play.”

“I told you I had a bad feeling. Then you should at least pretend to listen….”

Til lowered her voice, perhaps sensing all eyes in the room were on us.

That was a relief, as my ears were still ringing a little.

“Listen carefully. You’re not just some old snake of the Empire right now. You’re also the Acting Commander. Things are already precarious as it is, and if you fall, that’s the end of the Eight Council. Got it?”

“I appreciate the concern, but couldn't you be a little more gentle next time?”

“You should be thinking about there not being a next time.”

Wait a minute.

If Til is here, does that mean Regina is left alone?

With a bomb attack against a duke having just occurred, something might happen to Regina too.

“Regina is waiting demurely downstairs, so don’t you worry.”

“Yes? Why did she come here.”

“Because if an accident happens while she’s left alone, the problem doubles, so I dragged her here by force.”

It was a wise decision, if one could call it that.

Instead, I'd have to assume that quietly guarding her was now out of the question.

“That aside, your body is ridiculously sturdy. I heard you were directly hit by the explosion.”

“I have my own countermeasures.”

I gripped and shook the staff that had narrowly saved Timershi’s life.

Til looked at me as if I were slightly pathetic, but her anger seemed to have subsided.

“Since the doctors have tied me down here, I have a favor to ask.”

“You want me to investigate the theater, right?”

“In addition, tell Ede to assemble the entire count shadow corps.”

“Got it. And….”

Til added in a whisper.

“When we catch the culprit, I’ll deal with them my way.”

“Go easy on them.”

“Attacking you is the same as attacking the Commander, so I can’t go easy.”

Oh.

Am I being acknowledged, in a way?

As a grin started to leak out, Til stood up as if she couldn't bear the sight.

“Take care of yourself.”

“Will do.”

Not long after Til left, another familiar face peeked in.

It was Rapel.

“I think Til-ssi was just here, did you know each other?”

“Yes. We’ve known each other for a while.”

“Then why did you pretend not to know her back then?”

“Because there was no need to acknowledge it. Anyway, that was quite a ruckus you made.”

As I laughed lightly and pointed at the dangling door, Rapel scratched his head in embarrassment.

“It’s a borrowed building, so I have to fix it later….”

“Send the bill to Til. She has plenty of money.”

“Do mercenaries earn that much?”

When I gave a smile that was neither an affirmation nor a denial, Rapel nodded his head as if he had come to his own conclusion.

“That’s not what I came here to talk about. The patient you entrusted to me, we’ve finished all the necessary treatments for now.”

“What is his condition?”

I asked the question, but I could guess just by looking at his face.

It was definitely not the face of someone bearing good news.

“We’ve finished all the most basic treatments. Applying splints to the fractures, removing shrapnel, and stopping the bleeding. However….”

“What are his chances of survival?”

I braced myself and asked.

Not only had I failed to get the information, but the idea of breaking my promise to Giuseppe after only a few days also bothered me.

“He probably won’t die. However, he took a blow to the head when he fell, so we don’t know how much he will recover. There’s also no guarantee that his other bodily functions will return for certain.”

The fact that he's alive is good news, but if his head was injured, it would be difficult to expect a full recovery.

The height he fell from was by no means low.

In that case, it means I have to find another source of information….

“For now, I’ll continue to monitor his progress.”

“I’ll be counting on you. Oh, right, when can I be discharged?”

“You don’t seem to have any major issues, but since you were close to the bomb, there’s a high possibility of aftereffects. You should rest for at least a day, no matter what. That’s a doctor’s recommendation, so don’t even think about ignoring it.”

He’s surprisingly sharp in areas like this.

I’ll just think of it as resting for a day.

The moment I relaxed my mind and was about to lie down, someone else entered the room.

“Ede.”

“I’m sorry, Count. I should have been there as your escort….”

Ede stuck close to my side, apologizing so much that it made me feel awkward.

I put on the most benevolent expression I could.

“You know that well. Are you prepared to work to make up for your mistake?”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

Ede nodded his head vigorously.

Just because I wasn't moving didn't mean I intended to do nothing.

On the contrary, I had to move more nimbly so as not to fall behind.

For it was certain that a Dukes’ Council with a completely different atmosphere from the last one would be held.

***

“This is unacceptable. We must mobilize all investigative powers to find the culprit!”

“We must persuade His Majesty the Emperor to take an active role in this matter. This is tantamount to an attack on the Empire.”

“We need to take preemptive measures against potential suspects. We must not give them time to escape!”

The meeting grew increasingly noisy as each of the dukes added a word.

Only Johann Geller calmly watched the commotion.

“May I say a word.”

When Johann opened his mouth, the dukes who had been raising their voices fell silent in an instant.

Only after confirming that everyone was focused did Johann speak.

“An attack on a Duke is certainly an attack on the Empire. His Majesty will absolutely not stand by idly. However, this is merely a very obvious measure.”

Johann spoke clearly, looking at each of the dukes' faces one by one.

When his gaze reached Giuseppe, he gave a small bow to express his condolences.

“You must keep in mind that we decide the future of the Empire. We dukes need to look further ahead and act first.”

“May I ask what plan you have in mind.”

Giuseppe asked, his voice tinged with gloom.

He did not demand revenge, nor did he mention the Emperor.

Even amidst personal tragedy, the Sixth Duke’s spirit of neutrality was sharp.

His last question was also a subtle expression that he would reject the proposal if it was too radical.

“There is no need to worry, Sixth Duke. I will never do anything to upset the balance between the dukes. What I want to propose is that we must prevent such incidents from happening.”

The quick-witted dukes had already guessed what the First Duke was about to bring up.

The time was ripe for Johann Geller to bring out the agenda he had been pushing bit by bit throughout his life.

“The military alone should not be the one to fight the Empire’s enemies. The military has a particularly hard time dealing with internal enemies. The dukes must join forces to create an organization that can block such unfortunate incidents in advance.”

The dukes exchanged uneasy glances.

The reason Johann Geller's proposal had not passed until now was because it was obvious that the most organized and powerful Three Blades would play the leading role.

But now that a blade had been pointed at a duke, it was difficult to keep making excuses.

Above all, hadn't the most staunch opponent, Chartra, been absent this time as well?

“We will vote by a show of hands. Those who agree with the First Duke’s proposal, please raise your hand.”

Victor, who had been in the shadows, stepped forward and spoke solemnly.

Of the 5 dukes present, excluding the absent Chartra and Stetten, 4 raised their hands.

The only person who did not raise his hand until the very end was Giuseppe.

“In accordance with long-standing tradition, having received the consent of 4 of the 7 members, the Dukes’ Council will officially proceed with the said agenda.”

Even while Victor was concluding, Giuseppe did not move a muscle.

Some admired his neutrality, while others cursed him as a cold-blooded man who didn’t bat an eye when his family was hurt.

In any case, the agenda was passed.

Once again, a political upheaval was approaching the Empire.

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