I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

“This is the information I have found.”

“Hmm.”

Kaseph and I stood side by side in front of Caspiye Lake.

It had only been a day since we split up and agreed to meet again at the headquarters.

“So the Third Duke is behind it. What kind of person is he.”

“An idiot. A man who can't even tell his own shit from piss.”

“A rather explicit expression for a Count. But can such an idiot decide on something of this scale by himself?”

“There was probably someone else who instigated him. I have a rough idea of who it is, but I will refrain from speaking as I have no evidence.”

In my mind, I already considered Johann Geller the most likely suspect, but I didn't say it out loud.

Because it would be troublesome if Kaseph decided to go and ‘purify’ him.

“You said it was done to check the power of a large-scale curse. And the knights disguised as doctors were deployed to control information.”

“You’re the expert when it comes to curses. Why do you think they did this.”

“The content of the curse itself was absurdly simple, so it must have been an experiment on its range. Even for a small city, casting a curse on an entire district is no easy feat.”

My thoughts were the same.

This was nothing more and nothing less than a rehearsal for a bigger incident.

The residents of Kranacht were simply swept up and killed in that experiment.

Even I, who knew little about curses, could have predicted that much.

What I was curious about were the specific details.

“If I only say that much, the title of expert that the Count gave me would be a waste. I think they were testing a curse through documents. To broaden the scope a bit, I should say a curse utilizing bureaucrats.”

In the case of Kranacht, they received consent forms under the pretext of cooperation for drainage construction and a festival to be held next month.

Most of the western residential area residents were said to have signed without much suspicion, or unable to withstand the threats.

The Third Duke responded to that trust by killing half of the residents of the residential area.

“As the curse was purified, the plague in Kranacht must have become very conspicuous. Since the people who were said to be sick all woke up at the same day and time. They will be quiet for a while.”

“That may be so. But I believe this topic should be discussed at the Eight Council meeting.”

The Eight Council meeting.

Come to think of it, there are only a few days left.

As someone who had even run a fan wiki, it was a little embarrassing that I had no idea how the Eight Council meetings were conducted.

It's not my fault. The author never described it once.

Therefore, my answer was set.

“Do as you please.”

“…Right.”

Kaseph, with a look in his eyes that said he wanted to say something, answered shortly.

I was nervous that he might ask about something I didn't know, but that didn't happen.

“I plan to look around the area until the Eight Council meeting. If the Third Duke and the ones behind him are preparing for the next step, there will surely be traces left behind.”

“That’s welcome news. I thought I was stuck going back to the headquarters with you.”

Kaseph didn't really react to my sneer.

Instead, he answered more seriously.

“My suspicions towards you have not completely disappeared, Count. However, it has reached a level where I can watch you over time.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Yes, it is a compliment.”

Kaseph, who answered calmly, walked away in the opposite direction of the headquarters without a backward glance.

After Kaseph had definitely disappeared, I opened the status window.

[Relationships]

Kaseph of the Conflagration (-99 / Improving!)

(+) The Count has changed!

It would be nice if it were more specific, but if the evaluation improved just for the fact that I had really changed, then I had nothing to say.

‘So the skill is….’

Skill ‘Be Reduced to Ash’ acquired!

Once a week, you can turn something into ash!

Objects more than 1.5 times larger than your own body are impossible!

Anything else is possible!

The restriction is tighter than I thought.

Instead, as long as it doesn't get caught by the size restriction, anything is fine…

Can I turn people into ash too?

My eyes went to my death probability more than the skill.

Exactly 50%.

A happy occasion if there ever was one, but the timer also started moving towards chapter 150.

Well, I can think about it later.

The highest priority right now is the Eight Council meeting.

And an even higher priority is returning to the headquarters, collapsing, and sleeping.

***

The headquarters was bustling as usual.

No, should I say it was more bustling than usual.

I could feel that all departments were busy ahead of the Eight Council meeting.

I had also scheduled a meeting with the Head of Strategy to prepare in earnest.

I was planning to say that I had forgotten because it had been so long since I last participated and asked various things.

Of course, getting a long sleep came first.

Valheit's body wasn't tired, but mentally, I was completely drained.

“You've arrived, Your Excellency.”

“Elusive as always, Ron.”

“You praise me too much.”

Ron, who bowed politely, held out a letter.

I took the letter with a reluctant expression.

“It came via raven.”

“The sender?”

“Miss Regina.”

The name Regina was certainly written on the letter.

I don't know who that is.

“She added a note asking for a reply as soon as possible.”

“Hmm.”

Normally, I would have opened it carefully with a paper knife, but I didn't have the energy for that.

As I roughly tore the soft envelope, an overly decorated letter paper came out.

I skipped the self-introduction and formal greetings at the beginning.

I have heard the news that Your Excellency will be attending this Eight Council meeting after a long time.

If possible, I would like to meet you personally before the Eight Council meeting.

The Grand Duchy of Leitche is fully open to cooperation with Count Valheit.

If you give me the opportunity, I would like to meet you in the Imperial Capital and discuss the current issues as the Duke's representative.

After reading that far, I passed the letter to Ron.

Ron, who took the letter, looked at me with a loyal face as if asking for instructions.

‘Who does she think she is, telling me to come and go.’

If she were an Eight Council member, it would be a different story, but I didn't like a representative whose name I didn't even know telling me to come to the Imperial Capital.

No, normally, I might have been interested.

But right now, I just want to minimize my movements for two days.

“Tell her to come to the headquarters herself if she has something to say. And not to just send a raven.”

“As you command, Your Excellency.”

After Ron disappeared in an instant as always, I headed to the bedroom.

Vowing to wash up and not move a single step for half a day.

***

Looking at the vibrant morning of the Imperial Capital, Regina let out a deep sigh.

The Eight Council meeting came around every time, but her heart was heavy every time she attended.

Moreover, this meeting was distinctly different from the vague Eight Council meetings of the past.

Because the one and only Count Valheit had expressed his intention to attend.

“An inscrutable monster, that's what Father said.”

Her father, who was often misunderstood as being frivolous for a Duke, never spoke empty words.

Her father, who usually had no interest in the Eight Council, showed interest at the news that Valheit was participating.

Her father's interest soon came to Regina as pressure.

She, who had been pushed to the furthest corner among her siblings, was suddenly entrusted with the important affairs of the Grand Duchy of Leitche.

“When I was first assigned to the Eight Council mission, I never thought a day like this would come.”

The department collaborating with the Eight Council is classified as the most unimportant post in the Raven, the intelligence organization that the Grand Duchy of Leitche prides itself on.

After the man called the Commander disappeared, her father's interest in the Eight Council rapidly cooled, and Regina, who had been pushed out of the succession battle, was put in charge.

And now, she had suddenly received her father's expectations.

“I have to do it right.”

A raven lightly landed next to Regina, who was repeating the words to herself.

Regina, who naturally took the letter from the raven's leg and read it, her complexion darkened.

Count Valheit's intention was firm.

‘If you have something to say, come yourself.’

It wasn't even a letter written by Valheit, but a letter written by a servant instead.

No matter how unimportant the post, a liaison officer of the Raven was not a low position.

Moreover, Regina was, no matter what anyone said, the Duke's daughter.

If it had been any of her other siblings, they would have flared up immediately, but Regina was somewhat used to this kind of treatment.

“I thought suggesting we meet in the Imperial Capital would give the impression that I was making a sufficient concession, but I guess that wasn't the case.”

This was Valheit, the man who had even replaced the Emperor.

Considering his title as advisor to the Imperial family, the Imperial Capital was Valheit's core base.

When she suggested they meet in the Imperial Capital, far from the Grand Duchy of Leitche, there were two main effects she had thought of.

She could see how the Imperial Capital and the Imperial Palace reacted when Valheit visited, and she could take action as soon as the discussion was over.

Somehow, the Count had seen through it and firmly rejected her invitation.

The questionnaire she had prepared by staying up all night had become useless.

“Is he telling me to come to the headquarters myself because it's an Eight Council matter? Or has he figured out the Raven's purpose?”

She had not expected such a cold refusal.

Although she had never met Valheit while collaborating with the Eight Council, she knew well that he was a cunning politician.

Valheit had invited her to the headquarters, even giving up the help or authority of the Imperial Palace.

What was the reason?

Her mind was getting more and more complicated.

“It might be that he doesn't consider me an equal discussion partner.”

Although Regina was in charge of all matters related to the Eight Council in the Raven, she was strictly the Duke's representative.

Inviting Count Valheit, who officially belonged to the Eight Council and was, in fact, the second-in-command, might have been an overreach in itself.

Or perhaps he had seen through that Regina was the one in a hurry.

If he had read the subtle urgency in the letter, that is.

She had no intention of being dragged back into the succession battle she had already been pushed out of.

But she also had no intention of being thrown away as useless.

Regina needed a clear result from this Eight Council meeting.

Otherwise, her father would surely….

“Hassel.”

“Yes, Liaison Officer.”

“Prepare a carriage to Caspiye Lake.”

The presence that had been felt from outside the door faded away.

After confirming that her subordinate had definitely left, Regina stared intently to find the hidden meaning between the lines of the letter sent by Valheit's servant.

Believing that if it was Count Valheit, there must be a hidden meaning.

***

I sank deep into the armchair and turned the pages of the book.

It wasn't a text related to magic or politics, but just a third-rate novel.

Reading novels was one of my few hobbies in the real world, and that hadn't changed much after coming here.

No, rather, since there are no other amusements, I end up reading only books.

Should I try to pick up a hobby like hunting?

“You're living the good life, Your Excellency.”

“It's been a while, Til.”

I glanced at Til entering the reception room and gave a casual greeting.

She had sent word yesterday that she was coming, so it wasn't a surprising event.

“Are our Demon friends doing well in the Federation?”

“They were itching to go to the Dix Autonomous District. They took a ship and left.”

“Is that all?”

“If that ship hadn't set sail with a full load of Cesare's goods, then yes. Because Cesare can't stand it when someone touches his stuff.”

It seems that buying a cargo ship specifically made for smuggling worked out well.

They'll have a hard time until they get out of the northern seas.

“Did you hear from the other guys?”

“I'm sure they'll come on their own. Ah, come to think of it, someone wanted to talk in the Imperial Capital..”

“And?”

“It was a bother, so I told them to come themselves.”

I shrugged at Til, who was looking at me as if I were a bit pathetic.

The original Valheit was also a guy who never left the headquarters, so what.

The conversation was cut off by a fluttering sound.

A raven was diligently pecking at the window.

I got out of the armchair and casually opened the window.

Til skillfully took off the letter attached to the raven's leg.

“What is it this time?”

“What did you do to Regina?”

“Pardon?”

“She's apologizing for her rudeness and says she's coming to the headquarters immediately?”

No, seriously, who is she?