The Marquis’ Eldest Son’s Lascivious Story

With the main dish of the day now finished, the real chatting session began. The conversation continues with rambling topics, such as Dezaule's experiences as a slave, the future prospects of the construction company, and the current situation surrounding the Quordenze family.

[We were just talking about infiltrating Nambonan to investigate the relationship between the Empire and Quordenze. I think the situation has changed a lot no w that Spierzeig has been brought low, but how is the Imperial Capital these days?]

Milord and Doran looked at each other at the question.

[On the surface, it's the same Imperial Capital you know.]

[Movement around the Emperor is still slow. The west and south are the most noisy.]

Dezaule expected that much.

When Dezaule was a Council member in Nambonan, he had been active in the Imperial Capital in order to manipulate the Quordenze. At that time, he realized how slow the current Emperor, the Third Emperor Ferolt, was.

[The only big event that has happened recently is the decision to revive the Managris family. I can't read his intentions for why he made that decision at this ti me, but...]

Dezaule nodded at the suspicious tone of Milord's voice.

[I heard about that when I stopped by Nambonan City. It's certainly puzzling. The Imperial family must have suffered considerable damage from the disaster of Yersinia. Although the three Emperors and their sons miraculously escaped death, the remaining Highlords should be very valuable. Despite that, I don't under stand the significance of sending collateral relatives out to revive that family. I guess the nobles' thoughts are often incomprehensible to us commoners.]

[I've been looking around for movements, but I haven't been able to grasp anything. ...But, I can make one guess from that. The decision seemed to be made b y Emperor Ferolt himself.]

If the Imperial nobility were acting with some kind of political intention, it would not be difficult to sense something, even if other people couldn't get confirmati on. The more people who act, the more information will spill out to the surrounding area. And it would be easy for Milord to pick it up.

Paradoxically, the current situation where almost no information has come out suggests that there are very few people involved in this incident. Milord believe d that because the decision was made only by the Emperor himself and those closest to him, no information has been released about the circumstances, purp ose, or intentions behind the restoration of the Managris family.

[That's a bit surprising. The Third Emperor has never acted on his own initiative until now. Is the defeat of the Spierzeig family affecting him...?]

Because Dezaule was a slave until recently, he was unable to grasp the inner workings of the Empire at a deeper level. This fact could be seen from the variou s speculations he spoke of.

If he was to lead a construction company in Nambonan City, it was essential to obtain information about the Empire. Milord predicted that he would be despera te to get any behind-the-scenes information that would not be made public. He concluded that he should do him a favour here.

[I'll let you know. There may be some changes happening around Emperor Ferolt. Doran, tell him the story.]

[Very well then. ...This happened last year, but a merchant named Gijotto came from Jizafolk City as a customer. He came to our company.]

Dezaule stopped his hand as he reached for the plate of snacks.

[Gijotto? ...That's strange. I thought his main job was arranging mercenaries.]

There are two main ways to hire mercenaries. One is to sell yourself directly, and the other is through an introduction from a merchant who has connections to a noble or knight family.

Gijotto was a merchant who did the latter. He would sometimes travel to the Zinkaen Empire and the Levios Kingdom to recruit mercenaries, but he was mainly active in the Free Cities in the south of the continent.

[Oh, you know about him already?]

[Yeah. I was a former regular customer to him.]

When Dezaule was a merchant, he had many enemies, so he employed several Lord-class mercenaries to protect him. Also, in order to efficiently discipline re bellious miners during mine development, he needed the clear power of a Lord-class.

Due to this background, he has connections with many mercenary brokers. Gijotto was one of them.

[That's why I can't make heads nor tails of it. I don't think his line of business intersects with your company.]

The main product of the Gundran Company, where Doran is the head, is beautiful female slaves for the wealthy people. It was strange that a merchant who br okers mercenaries would visit.

[No, the matter itself is simple. I bought an elven girl last year. Gijotto heard rumors about it somewhere and came to Abraul City.]

The girls were Eve and Raeve.

However, Doran did not go into detail about this. Since the matter was about the sexuality of the eldest son of the Quordenze family, he decided that it would b e wise to not reveal anything unnecessarily. If he said something inappropriate, he could be dealt with by Milord.

[Gijotto wants to get his hands on elves? What is... ]

[Oh? You don't know either. Elves are a race that can use magic. They are rare, and I've only seen so many on one hand. There's no distinction between mast er and servant like us, and all of them can use magic. Their greatest feature is that they have more powerful magic power than most Lord-class, although the y're no match for Highlords. Gijotto's explanation at the time was that he was thinking of selling them as stronger soldiers than the Lord-class mercenaries, an d he asked to buy the elves for a high price.]

Dezaule only half-listened to Doran's supplementary explanation. He had heard basic information about the elves before.

[...He's a very enthusiastic businessman.]

[Alas, at that point, I'd already sold the elf girls. He left a message saying that he'd like to be contacted if I ever had the chance to buy another one.]

There were no contradictions in Gijotto's story, and nothing particularly suspicious, so Doran didn't pay it much attention at this point. He had made a note in t he company's business journal that if he found any surviving elves that Wilk wouldn't buy, he would resell them to Gijotto for a high price.

Then time passed, and we moved on to this year.

[Since then, I've been gathering information to buy the next elves. Ah, this is because I made a lot of money from the last transaction. I wasn't thinking of acce pting Gijotto's request.]

The profits that Eve and Raeve brought to the Gundran Company were enormous. It was only natural to aim for a third elf and rack up another profit, so Doran was working on it energetically.

The employees of the Gundran Company went to the Royal Capital of Levios to talk to their fellow traders and to question each and every slave trader who ha d bought elves from the Royal army. However, since slave traders from all over the continent gathered in the Royal Capital, tracking their whereabouts was a d ifficult task.

Doran would sometimes go to various places himself, but finally, around spring this year, he succeeded in tracking them down.

[...So, when I finally found out where they were, they had already been sold.]

[From the way you're talking, I imagine it was Gijotto who bought them?]

Doran nodded, regretting that he had barely made it in time. But, he didn't give up. If the "goods" were beautiful women like Eve or Raeve, he thought he could give Gijotto a large sum of money and have him resell them.

The shop of the slave trader who bought the elves was located within the royal noble territory, so he decided to visit them in person to negotiate.

However, Doran spread his arms.

[The only elf there was an old man with a magic malfunction. I regret going there to check.]

[Once an elf is infected, does their magic power not recover until they die?]

[No, it seems that they are no different from the nobles in that respect. It will return to normal in time.]

[In that case, as long as they are mentally unaffected, there is room for them to be used as mercenaries.]

There would be no use forthem at the Gundran Company, Dezaule added in a low voice.

[That's right. But, their mentality was also an issue. I talked to the slave trader who had them in stock, and he said that he bought them because they were a no velty, but they were difficult to deal with and no matter how much they disciplined them, they were rebellious and there was nothing they could do.]

Elves have stronger magical powers than Lords, and you never know when they might show their fangs, so they are extremely dangerous. There is no way the y can be recruited as mercenaries. But if they are sealed with magic, their magic powers will go to waste and there will be no point in sending them to the battl efield.

At this point, a question mark popped into Doran's mind: Was Gijotto really buying elves to use as mercenaries?

[Doran is right, it's a puzzling story. I can't see any point in buying them as mercenaries. The slave trader who got them must have had too much to handle.]

Dezaule, who is not a slave trader, immediately understood that they were a hopeless loser.

[Well, thanks to that, Gijotto was able to buy them at a low price.]

A Lord-class slave can be easily restrained with a single chain, but it's not so easy with elves. The moment the magic is released, it's all over, so a magic seal i s essential to manage them.

However, magic seals are a magical technique that cannot be performed by Serfs, so the cooperation of a noble is essential at the very least. And of course th e cooperation of a Lord-class helper is not free.

In short, the management costs of elf slaves are ridiculously high. If there is no prospect of selling them, they are nothing more than a huge loss.

[...But, it didn't end there. Mercenaries and slaves are treated completely differently.]

Gijotto trades his vassal mercenaries as his products, but it's not a hierarchical relationship, rather a contractual relationship between equal business partners. Profit and loss is the first priority, and it's not a relationship that can be harbored with emotional murderous intent. If anything, the Lord-class mercenary is in a stronger position.

On the other hand, the elven slave he bought simply harbors hatred. If the magic seal is released, a vicious attack magic will be unleashed in the next moment, and Gijotto will surely be reduced to ashes. It was only natural that he would be worried about how to handle the elf.

[So, I proposed to transport him through my company.]

Of course, it wasn't just out of kindness, it was a business transaction. Doran wanted to recoup some of the expenses that he had incurred during the investig ation so far.

Gundran Trading Company had a track record of transporting Eve and Raeve from their import destination to Abraul City without any trouble, and from there to Newnelly City and Nambonan City. They had some know-how when it came to handling elven slaves.

Gijotto also seemed to think it was a godsend, and immediately agreed, and the transfer contract was smoothly concluded, Doran explained.

[I thought he was going to take them to a noble family in the south that needed military forces... Where do you think they were going to be transported to?]

[The Imperial Capital?]

Surprised, Doran was urged to continue.

[Yes, it was the Imperial Capital as you said. It seems Gijotto had already discussed it beforehand, and a place for the transfer was immediately arranged...]

The designated location was a deserted area on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

There was a limit to the number of people who could be involved in the transfer from Gundran Trading Company, and Gijotto himself had strictly warned them that it was a top-secret transaction. Doran was present as the head of the company, but he was anxious about what would come out.

[The representative of the buyer was an Elf.]

The undertakers appeared in a group of about ten people, and Doran testified that the leader of the group was an Elf.

[Oh]

, Dezaule said. It was more of an understanding than a shock.

[Anyway, the handover itself was completed quickly and without incident.]

None of the undertakers gave their names, and after confirming the identity of the elderly Elf slaves, they quickly collected them. Then, just before leaving, the representative of the Elf approached Doran.

[I'm satisfied with the work of the Gundran Company. Don't speak of anything you see or hear here. If the opportunity arises, I'll be requesting your service ag ain...]

, he said while handing over a bag full of Imperial silver coins.

It was too much for a reward or hush money, and it was clear that it was some kind of reservation fee for the next transport. In the first place, the transportatio n fee itself had already been received from Gijotto.

A normal person might have found it suspicious and hesitated to accept it, but Doran accepted it immediately. He knew that in a situation like that, it would be more dangerous not to accept it.

[I forbid my subordinates to tell anyone about it. Outside of my company, the only ones who know about this are you and Milord.]

[Let's be very careful.]

Dezaule first looked at Milord, then at Doran, and swore to keep the secret. He could have easily dismissed the promise with Doran, who was merely a commo ner, but with Milord involved, it took on a completely different weight.

The meaning of his gesture that he would never reveal the secret was clearly conveyed to both of them.

[I thought about staying in the Imperial Capital and finding out who that suspicious group was, but... I decided not to.]

[That was the right decision. If they were members of the Imperial family, you would have been eliminated without a doubt.]

It seemed like the conversation would continue, but Dezaule decided to share the information he knew.

He took out an Imperial silver coin from his wallet and turned the back side to Doran. It bore the profile of Emperor Ferolt.

[...since you take that out, I suppose you know something?]

[This was from before the Yersinia calamity, about three or four years prior. Gijotto told me he'd made a big deal in the Imperial Capital. That's when he heard about the elves.]

Dezaule put the goblet of wine down on the table to concentrate on the conversation.

[Do you guys know anything about the Shafos Mercenary Group?]

Doran shook his head at the question, and Milord remained silent with his hand on his chin. He had heard of it, but didn't know the details. Taking that as a cu e, Dezaule continued talking.

[They're a mercenary group that is unknown in the Empire or the Kingdom, but is well-known among some in the South. They're said to be reliable in combat, but they're especially good at gathering and analyzing information... In other words, they specialize as spies. It might be more accurate to call them an intellige nee group rather than a mercenary group. I heard that their leader, a man named Shafos, is a very intelligent person.]

[So, the Shafos Mercenary Group entered the Imperial Capital... no, the Imperial Family through the intermediation of Gijotto?]

Dezaule paused for a moment before continuing.

[Please note that this is merely my speculation, but I think they were not employed by the Imperial Knights, but directly by Emperor Ferolt.]

Although he called it a speculation, Doran understood that Dezaule must have had some basis for judgment. His tone was almost an assertion. Milord also put his goblet down on the desk and looked at Dezaule.

[...You said you heard about the Elves earlier.]

[I'm about to get there. I haven't met this Shafos in person, but I heard from Gijotto that he is an Elven man. I haven't heard anything about his appearance, so I don't know if he is the same slave-taker that Doran encountered in the Imperial City...]

Then, Dezaule spread one hand wide, placed his thumb on his right temple and his middle finger on his left temple, and moved it around as if squeezing memo ries out of his brain.

[I believe he was a man in his 40s.]

[Sorry to remind you, but the leader I met in the Imperial City was wearing a mask so we couldn't see his face.]

[...a mask?]

[Yeah. However, even if you've somehow met them in person, you can't just take their appearance at face value. They're a race who lives alongside the spirits after all.]

That is the name for the elves written in the Pure Scripture, the holy book of the High Order of Zeth. Doran, who often imports slaves from the south, had some knowledge of the Zeth religion.

[The scriptures say they are people with strong magic powers and the good fortune of longevity... or something like that. I thought they were just like a fairy ta Ie, but it seems the description written by the founding father Zeth was true.]

Doran said that some of the Lord-class employees of the Gundran Company felt the magical powers of Eve and Raeve and were excited, saying,

[Wow! Elves really exist!]

[If you say that, does that mean the legend of their long lifespan is also true?]

[I don't know how much of it is true, but according to the report of my subordinate who investigated the Royal Capital, it seems that we have been able to conf irm it to some extent. The oldest of the elven girls I procured was said to be 185 years old. She looked like she was in her mid-20s, but...]

In addition, Raeve was taken in by Wilk under the falsehood of being 18 years old and unmarried.

This is a bit of an exaggeration, but in order to be an unmarried girl, she couldn't be 185 years old, let alone in her mid-20s. Even in the Eruo continent, especia lly in remote rural areas, the age of marriage is low, and it is not uncommon for women to give birth in their early teens. It would be unnatural for a woman in h er mid-twenties to be unmarried.

[To think that she's 185 years old. I guess she was born in the early days of the era of turmoil.]

[That may be true, but she never talked about it.]

When Doran took Raeve in, she was mentally quite unstable. When he told her to recount her life story, she would inevitably talk about memories of her happy past. Then she would inevitably compare it to the present, the depths of misery, and her mental balance would be thrown off.

Considering that he would need to hand her over to Wilk at an early stage, Doran couldn't bring himself to repeatedly press the trauma switch.

[She was born and raised in the Land of Mist anyway... I don't think I'd be able to hear any interesting old stories.]

The Land of Mist is what most Eruo continent people imagine: a savage land covered in impure soil. Doran himself hadn't expected to hear anything useful fro m someone who lived in such a remote, small village far from civilization.

He was a slave trader, not a historian or folklorist. His first priority was to sell the goods he bought and make money, and as for Eve and Raeve, as long as the y looked good, there was no problem.

[If that leader you met in the Imperial City is Shafos, he's got to be incredibly old.]

[If a 185 year old looks like they are in their mid twenties... then if we double that, he'd be 370 years old.]

From their point of view, that age is a long time ago. The Galiana family, the Quordenze family, and the Spierzeig family didn't even exist yet. The three tried to talk about the social situation 370 years ago, but no one could open their mouths.

They were the type of people who just lived their lives to the fullest, and unlike Wilk, they didn't have a love for history. Even Milord was biased towards knowl edge of the post-war period that led to information about the current nobles. Maybe it's inevitable that none of them can imagine it at all.

[Going back to the topic at hand, there's a rumor I've been hearing since last year...]

Milord, thinking that the conversation isn't progressing on the historical front, forcefully corrected the course.

[There's a strange aide who has recently started serving beside Emperor Ferolt. He never appears in public, so little is known about his true identity.]

If Dezaule hadn't interjected, Doran's story would have led to this, Milord said. In the Empire, there is a possibility that movements will come not only from the I mperial nobility but also from within the Imperial family, so it would be better to keep a close eye on them.

[However, after hearing what you just said, I thought of one thing. If this person named Shafos is highly valued by Emperor Ferolt, the rumors of him being the strange aide make sense. ...Dezaule, there must have been one thing that you wondered about when you heard Doran's story.]

[I'm full of questions, but is Milord talking about the mask? The representative that Doran met must have been wearing a mask to hide his true identity. If so, he must have hidden other physical characteristics that would identify him as an elf with a cloak or something. I don't understand how Doran was able to determi ne that he was an elf despite that.]

In fact, the man who appeared in front of Doran was wearing a long poncho-like outfit with a hood, and it was not even clear what gender he was at first glanc e.

[This is just a matter of feeling, but magic has quality. The differences between Lord and Highlord are not just the quantity of magic, but also slightly different i n quality... I think. I don't really understand the difference, but it seems that the magic of the elves is also different in quality from that of regular Lord-class.]

The Lord-class employees of the Gundran Company were mobilized to transport the elf slaves. A single Lord-class cannot be in charge of the transfer site alo ne, so several people are allowed to wait. In other words, they were blessed with the opportunity to sense the magic of the elves up close.

As a result, when the representative who appeared at the transfer site approached, they noticed,

[Ah, this magic seems to belong to that of an elf.]

. It would be more accurate to say that Doran's subordinates noticed it, rather than that Doran himself noticed it.

[...I see. Elves are rare. Even among the nobles of the Empire, most have never felt their magic. If there were nobles or knights who happened to witness Empe ror Ferolt and Shafos' secret meeting, it would not be surprising if they felt something was off.]

Someone with strangely strong magic for an aide, someone with a strange quality of magic different from his other aides. They thought that it was not strange that such a vague impression would eventually be expressed as a "strange aide".

[However, the Imperial family has enough civil servants and spies. An outside mercenary group... According to Dezaule, it seems to be an intelligence group, b ut is there any reason for the Emperor to go out of his way to invite such a group?]

Doran questioned Milord, who suggested that Emperor Ferolt may value the Shafoss mercenary group.

[Maybe he simply wanted subordinates who were not under the control of other families? It seems that such people had existed before, but perhaps he neede d more people and sought them from outside.]

It was Dezaule who answered that question.

The Zinkaen Empire can be said to be a new organization that began with Emperor Zinkaen. The knights under his command were also a collection of people who gathered during the founding of the country, and were not completely dyed in the colors of the Imperial family. Each knight family has a slightly different color, such as being closer to the Quordenze, the Western or Southern nobility of the Empire, or the Northern nobility.

He said that it is quite possible that Emperor Ferolt wanted a monochromatic knight family or group that pledged their loyalty only to the Imperial family or the Emperor himself.

[It makes sense up to a certain point, but it's not so good after that. The representative said that there would be another one. There must be some reason for g athering the elves.]

[You're right.]

Dezaule did not cling to his own prediction. To begin with, there was little information to make a judgment from, and he didn't think he would be able to arrive at the correct answer.

[...As I said before, it seems to me that Emperor Ferolt himself is trying to make some kind of move. Be very careful. I believe that representative is acting on th at intention.]

After saying that, Milord went silent and sulky.

The first thing that came to Milord's mind was purification magic.

The fact that the Quordenze family had suddenly begun to approach slave traders recently and were trying to buy the "elves who had become slaves in the Gr eat Northern Expedition", and the fact that a purified road had appeared in the Arknoa Contaminated Area during Operation Snake's Jaw, made him think that t here was a high possibility that the tribe Eve and Raeve came from had mastered purification magic.

However, that speculation came to a halt. According to Dezaule's words, Emperor Ferolt had taken action even before the disaster of Yersinia, such as bringin g in the Shafos Mercenary Corps. At that point, Operation Snake's Jaw, let alone the Great Northern Expedition, had not even begun. It is unclear how he foun d out about the existence of purification magic.

It is also puzzling that he has Shafos as his aide and is keeping his search activities strictly secret. Even if he found out about the existence of purification mag ic somehow, there is not much point in hiding the fact that he is searching for it. Purification magic is nothing more than a fairy tale-like legend after all.

Even if it is discovered, he will only end up being called an idiot who believes in mere fairytale. It is not a good move for the Emperor, but rather than devoting a large amount of resources to concealing it, it would be much more efficient to openly announce, "I can't tell you why, but I am looking for elves", and put a b ounty on their heads.

And above all, Milord considers that the reason why Emperor Ferolt wants purification magic is still an unsolved mystery.

The current Imperial noble territories are stable, except for the eastern part, which was devastated by the invasion of the Quordenze family. There are quite a f ew lands contaminated with corrupted land, but there is enough time to wait for them to be purified over time. The situation is not dire enough that such purific ation magic is necessary.

Even if Emperor Ferolt were to learn purification magic, Milord predicted that its influence would be limited. It would not give him any decisive advantage, eithe r politically or practically.

The three of them then spent some time discussing, or rather speculating about, the situation around Ferolt, but in the end they did not come up with any cone rete guesses.

[...But, I don't understand. What is the Third Emperor planning to do now? He hasn't done anything up until now.]

Perhaps because of his past inability to move against Quordenze, Dezaule's view of Emperor Ferolt was harsh. Milord couldn't help but smile wryly.

[Some people may see him as an unreliable person. When you were a Council member in Nambonan City, you saw him as a weak-kneed Emperor who could d o nothing for fear of a political crisis, right?]

Doran responded to his defensive tone.

[Now that I think of it, you've always had a high opinion of the current Emperor.]

[It's true that he has to worry about the division of the Empire and that he's afraid of General Galfis, one of the founding patriots. But, the Emperor isn't as stupi d as people say.]

When he was young, Milord had the chance to have a conversation with Emperor Ferolt in person. This is completely unknown to the public, but Doran and De zaule knew the story. They heard it from Milord himself in the past.

[But Milord, that was when you were young. Time can easily change a person's heart.]

[That may be true, but it's not always the case. If hearts were that fickle, I would never have thought of lending my engineering soldiers to another territory. Yo u would have also lost your life in the hands of the Quordenze army.]

Having been thoroughly refuted, Dezaule clapped his hands lightly in surrender.

[He was a man of patience, compassion, and a straightforward disposition... was he?]

That was Milord's former assessment of the Emperor Ferolt.

Even hearing it from someone else, it still seemed correct to Milord. Emperor Ferolt is the current Emperor of the Zinkaen Empire, and he never misses out on gathering information. From the various pieces of information gathered by Milord, he couldn't help but feel that nothing had changed at his core. It wasn't base d on any concrete evidence, it was just his hunch.

[That's right. He's not the kind of person who would easily be persuaded by those around him. If it weren't for the feud and conflict between Quordenze and S pierzeig, he would have contributed greatly to the stability and prosperity of the Empire. ...No, the Empire itself made a huge mistake when it came to the succ ession.]

[That story again?]

That complaint had become a regular thing when Doran and Milord chatted.

[The first and second sons were fools, one after the other. Following this precedence, no one would expect much from the third son. The future of the Empire might have been brighter if they had died in the Yersinia calamity.]

Milord spoke like he was joking, but Doran knew that he was serious about it.

[Emperor Zinkaen is from the Managris family, but he did not receive any support from them when the Imperial family was founded. In fact, it can be said that a new family was established. Like the Adellahan family, the new noble families are far behind in terms of educating their children. There is an overwhelming la ck of wisdom and experience at the family level.]

When Emperor Zinkaen and Emperor Arginis were alive, Cassia Quordenze was the main supporter of their children's education. However, the situation chang ed dramatically after the death of Gardacle Quordenze, and the relationship was eventually severed.

Many Imperial nobles tried to take the place of the Quordenze family, but they all kept each other in check, and no one was able to take the position. As a resul t, the Imperial family had to quickly build their own child-rearing system.

[Hmph. What are you talking about? Isn't the eldest son, His Highness the next Emperor, a wonderful person?]

It was Dezaule who spoke in a mocking tone. Milord responded with a dismissive attitude.

[Hmm, it's true that one of the wealthiest families on the continent and a big spender is a great customer. If I were a merchant, I would go to the Imperial Capit al every day to sell luxury goods.

The sound of crunching nuts echoed in the room. Milord continued, mocking the words he had just said.

[Hmph, all that's on that eldest son's mind is to become the next Emperor, and to act high and mighty with Imperial wealth. Deep down, he must be happy that his father, Emperor Ferolt, is not taking any action against Quordenze. He should be happiest now, playing around without fighting unnecessary wars. He's so carefree.]

Milord asserts that all he's thinking about is being pampered by the Imperial nobles as the next Emperor, showing off his lavish lifestyle and feeling superior, a nd maintaining those convenient days.

However, he was well-received by merchants because he hated war and bought expensive goods. This was one of the reasons why gorgeous mansions were popular in the Empire.

Thanks to this, Milord heard an awful lot of information about the reputation, or rather about how useless the eldest son of the Imperial family was, from the m erchant network every day. He thought that he wouldn't be punished if he let out a few complaints during the occasional chat.

[And what about the second son? He seems to have a brave spirit that respects the first Emperor... hehehe.]

[Stop it, stop it, that one is even worse. There's nothing we can do about some brat who talks nonsense about being as successful as Emperor Zinkaen if he g oes to the battlefield. Recently, idiot after idiot has been instigating him to the point that it's become a faction. Emperor Ferolt must be racking his brains every day. If the second son becomes Emperor, the Empire will collapse sooner or later.]

The second son's position is weak because the eldest son has already been appointed as the next head of the family. Perhaps due to his pent-up resentment, the second son seemed to crave war. He repeatedly insisted to his father, Emperor Ferolt, and to everyone inside and outside the country that "now is the time to lead the Imperial army and fight against the Quordenze family. We must demonstrate the strength of the Zinkaen Empire to the entire continent!".

However, this was merely a pretense. His plan was to lead the Imperial soldiers to battle, and with his achievements he would oust the eldest son and be name d the next Emperor... Milord spat out that the second son was obsessed with this.

However, there were some among the Imperial nobility who adored the second son. These were young nobles who had grown up listening to heroic tales of th e First Emperor.

To them, who longed for the era of war that had been romanticized over the course of time, the second son's argument seemed appealing. It foreshadowed th e return of the powerful Zinkaen Empire, and riding on it would allow them to dream of new things.

[...Compared to those brothers, the Levios family is solid. Prince Dunkel may have different political views, but he is working hard to represent King Levios. He is doing a more than adequate job as the next head of a noble family.]

[The Prince seems to have a good reputation among the people of the Royal Capital.]

Doran found a good opportunity to change the topic and immediately jumped on the bandwagon. He knew better than anyone that if they continued talking ab out the Imperial brothers, it would just turn into a bad-mouthing contest.

Realizing Doran's intentions, Dezaule spoke up as well.

[The rumors from the Royal Capital have reached Nambonan City to some extent. Apparently he frequently appears in the castle town with the current Holy M aiden, but this is likely to reassure the citizens. The Prince seems to be someone who can see his surroundings well.]

[Indeed. Since the priest of the Holy City attacked, many people are concerned about an emotional war of retaliation. By showing friendship with the Holy Mai den, they can dispel those fears.]

Even among the commoners, the image of the Levios family as people who will absolutely kill the church members is ingrained in them. If King Levios or Dunk el, enraged by the recent attack, were to go into hysterics and rush into war without thinking, saying things like [I'll kill the priest! I'll absolutely kill him! I'll kill hi m no matter what! I'll kill him without thinking about the consequences! I'll gather all my strength and kill him!], it would be unbearable for the commoners.

In the midst of such vague anxiety, it is significant that they have publicly demonstrated their stance of not eliminating the Holy Maiden, who is also a symbol o f the Zeth religion. This was because it was an action to demonstrate to both inside and outside the house that the Levios family was not in anger, but had retai ned their senses.

Dezaule and Doran highly praised Dunkel's inspection of the castle town, as it was an act that took into consideration the anxieties felt by the commoners.

[....Rona-dono, huh?]

[You met the current Holy maiden in the Royal Capital, didn't you? What was she like?]

All of us would like to hear your assessment of Rona's character, just as you did of Emperor Ferolt. Milord pondered for a while at Dezaule's simple question.

[Did you even get a chance to talk to her? I heard that the May social gathering was quickly dissolved due to the priest's attack.]

[I had a chance to talk to her directly. It was only for a short time, but...]

[In that case, I don't mind if it's just a first impression.]

It seemed that Milord found it more difficult to express, as he groaned, making a deep bass sound reverberate in the room. Dezaule and Doran thought his gro aning sounded like a giant frog croaking, which gave them a rather rude impression.

[...It was like a fog.]

[Fog?]

[I thought there was a substance there, but when I reached out my hand, there was nothing there. It was the same when I reached out my hand thinking it was this way again, it wasn't, only an emptiness. She was an elusive girl, so much so that I thought her shadow was floating in the fog. If I went along blindly, trying to figure out her state of mind, I might be enveloped in a thick fog and lose my way... I felt an eeriness that I can't put into words.]

It was as if Milord was musing to himself, leaving the two unable to reply properly.

Then, Milord took a deep breath, as if to conclude that this was the end of his character evaluation.

[Thus, I decided that I shouldn't get too involved at this stage. I might be swayed by her illogical actions.]

[Is the current Holy Maiden really that much of a threat...]

Surprisingly, it was Milord himself who showed an unexpected expression in response to Dezaule's comment.

[It's not exactly a threat... It's not that difficult. If we just keep a certain distance and maintain a superficial relationship, it won't be difficult to deal with her.]

He said he would observe from a distance until he could get a good idea of what she was like. Seeing this attitude, a question came to Dezaule's mind.

[Does she have a bad reputation among the Royal nobility?]

[Not at all. It seemed that almost none of the nobles other than me were wary of Rona-dono. Some harbored ill feelings, but that was due to their aversion to th e priesthood itself. Most people seemed to have the impression that she was an innocent girl. It's strange, but I don't think that's completely wrong.]

And that impression matched the rumors the people of the Royal Capital were spreading.

If the majority of people are saying something completely different from Milord's opinion, normally you would think that it was correct. But even so, Dezaule an d Doran took Milord's assessment of Rona seriously. That's because they trusted the insight and intuition of a man who rose from a commoner to a noble.

[...It seems the Holy Maiden and the Prince are getting closer.]

[Prince Dunkel is still young in many ways. It's interesting to see how that will play out. Well, he's surrounded by excellent knights and officials from Levios. Th ere shouldn't be any problems in the short term. If King Levios's guardianship is perfect, there's no need to worry in the long term either...]

If there is any cause for concern, it's King Levios, who has yet to make a public appearance. Dezaule and Doran looked at Milord for the latest information, but he quickly shook his head.

[The poison is still eating away at his body. I haven't heard anything about it getting worse, but I haven't heard anything about it getting better either.]

The Levios family strictly controls information, so even Milord can't get any information. All he could get was a little extra information on the rumors circulating in the Royal Capital.

[Even so, despite the head of the family being attacked, they were unable to kill the attackers? This is a big blunder for the Levios family.]

Unlike Milord, who was actually at the scene of the crime, and Doran, who was visiting the Royal Capital by taking advantage of the Galiana family's travels, D ezaule was enjoying his life as a slave on the front lines of the Voistra Plains at the time of the incident. Perhaps because of this, he has little awareness of the attack itself.

[It is certainly a huge blunder.]

He was not mocking the Levios family, nor did he feel any regret. What Milord was saying was that he could not accept it.

[The Levios family made careful preparations to hold their biggest social gathering ever. No other family could have such a strict security system. There was n ot a single gap around the Royal Capital.]

Milord had visited the Royal Capital many times in the past, but he said that the level of security at the May social gathering was unprecedented.

[In the end, it seems the attacker managed to escape.]

[That's why it's so puzzling. I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Any of the nobles at the scene would have thought the same thing. That attacker, that Hi ghlord-class priest called Ephial, should've been found and killed already if she stays within the Levios territory.]

Milord insisted that there was no way she could have escaped if one used common sense. In fact, according to his research, the nobles of the Kingdom were more confused than disappointed when they failed to apprehend Ephial.

Seeing Milord in silence with his hand on his chin, Doran decided to tell them the rumor he had heard in the Royal Capital.

[If that's the case, then maybe she's still in Levios territory?]

[It would be much more difficult to find her hiding somewhere within the territory.]

No, no, Doran shook his head.

[That's not what I meant. I'm saying that the attacker has already been captured by the Levios army, and they may be torturing her night after night in a secret dungeon.]

The expression "secret dungeon" seemed amusing to Milord, who burst out laughing.

[If they really have her in custody already, they'll stop the torture immediately, execute her, or burn her to death. Prince Dunkel will no doubt give orders to do so. It would be far more meaningful to set an example for the nobles of the Kingdom. It would make a good spectacle.]

Even if they do torture her, Milord said, it would not be in a secret dungeon, but would it be carried out as a performance on the main street of the Royal Capita

[The nobles may think that's the natural thing to do, but wouldn't that worsen relations with the Holy City?]

[Yes. The voices of the hardliners who are willing to use force will gain momentum all at once. But, it's just a matter of whether it's sooner or later.]

He continued, pouring himself a drink.

[I don't know how far they intend to go, but if they do nothing, the face of the Levios family will be lost. Will they end it with a certain degree of success, or will they reduce the entire Holy City of Maguaose to ashes... Either way, war is inevitable. The reason they are not moving publicly right now is because King Levio s is bedridden, and there is also the remaining issue of dealing with Ephial...]

The image of Wilk comes to mind.

[After all, the main reason is Operation Snake's Jaw. They can't make any major diplomatic moves until they have determined this.]

Although King Levios' health and the capture of Ephial are serious issues, from the perspective of the Levios family, they can also be considered internal issue s. On the other hand, the series of events, including Operation Snake's Jaw, are external issues.

Considering the impact of the defeat of the Great Noble family Spierzeig and the possibility that the Zinkaen Empire may take action, there were some areas w here they had no choice but to move cautiously. If they were to simply assume that an invasion of the Holy City was a given and act in the field of aristocratic diplomacy, they would run the risk of not being able to respond instantly to changes in the situation.

[However, considering the intelligence capabilities of the Levios family, they should have gathered a certain amount of information by now. They should make a move soon.]

It has been about a month since the Nambonan Peace Treaty was signed. Milord predicted that intelligence activities would have progressed to the point wher e some kind of action would be possible. While it may not be a full on action, there will be something for sure.

Doran agreed with that prediction.

[The Levios family will be well aware that there is an uneasy atmosphere in the south.]

The poor harvest caused by bad weather has put the Free Cities on edge. Many merchants predict that this will not be just sporadic fighting between indepen dent noble families, but will develop into a major war involving the entire region.

[If the Levios family raises a Royal Army, the great conflict in the south will be a golden opportunity. If we attack them when they are exhausted, we can easily secure victory. We should start preparing now so that we don't panic when the time comes. They will try to make contact with the Quordenze family, especiall y Wilk-dono, even if it is a bit forceful.]

[That is also the effect of Operation Snake's Jaw. The instability in the south is due to the poor harvest, but the closing of the food storehouse by the Quorden ze and Spierzeig families was the final blow.]

Nambonan City is a place where a mountain of information on logistics is gathered, so Dezaule was able to predict the intensification of the fighting in the Free Cities after only a few days of staying there. He agreed with Milord's words and continued to speak of the information he knew.

[...This impact is probably greater than we thought. Things are starting to get fishy in Rickaga too.]

This was the first time that Doran and Milord had heard anything like that. The two of them stared at Dezaule, waiting for his next words.

[Apparently, they sent someone from Nambonan to the Rickaga region around June of this year. The pretense was to get Kurgise to repay the money he had I ent them, but in reality, the purpose was to obtain information about the area.]

Kurgise was a big merchant who was once based in Nambonan and served as a Nambonan City Council member.

He has passed away. Decapitated on the spot after talking back at the peace conference to surrender to the Quordenze family.

Dezaule explained that he had asked Ramon to tell him about a merchant named Kurgise, and that's how he was able to obtain information about the matter.

[Kurgise was quite devoted to Rickaga...or rather, to the Orville family.]

The Rickaga Alliance is a country led by the Orville family, and was formed after a great war that broke out about 10 years ago that engulfed the entire Rickaga region. Kurgise had been making large investments in the Orville family even before the Rickaga Unification War, supporting their rapid growth.

And since he was invested in them, it was only natural that he would get involved. Kurgise had a monopoly on the Orville family's strong connections, not allo wing other merchants to get close. Nambonan City also had connections with the Rickaga Alliance, but this was through Kurgise.

[Yeah. Because of him, it was pretty hard to see into the Rickaga region,]

Milord said in disgust.

In the past, Milord had tried to use his protege merchants to investigate the Rickaga Alliance, but Kurgise was pulling the strings so that he was unable to get a ny useful information. He tried different methods several times, but he was unable to break down Kurgise's stronghold, which was firmly tied to the core of the Orville family.

It was partly because he couldn't spend that much time and manpower on a new nation in the southernmost part of the continent, but in the end, Milord had no choice but to admit defeat and withdraw.

[So the money he lent, that debt, has become the property of Nambonan City. Well, if the demand for repayment of a debt can be used as a reason to visit Ric kaga.]

[Hahaha, if you don't be careful about your attitude when demanding repayment, you could lose not only your money but your life too.]

Neither Milord nor Doran thought that the money they lent would be returned. Dezaule grinned and asked Doran.

[Do you think they'll default?]

[Well, of course he will. The amount that Kurgise lent them must be considerable. Even if he unified the Rickaga region, there's no way they can pay it back th at easily. It would be quicker to burn the debt document with magic along with the lender. It would be a different story if the target was a powerful local merch ant, but killing one or two people from the faraway Nambonan City wouldn't have a big impact.]

No matter how much the commoner debt collector yells, if push comes to shove, the nobles can just say, [Shut up and die!]. Nobles get angry when they are a sked to pay back the money they lent.

[...Hey, did they pay it back?]

[No way. But, they said they wanted to continue their relationship with Nambonan as before. Apparently the messenger we sent was treated well. They didn't r eturn the money, but instead they were given a lot of local specialties.]

[Hey, perhaps the Orville family believes they can still get more money from Nambonan?]

It's a very convenient story, but the Orville family knows the economic power of Nambonan through Kurgise. Doran thought it was only natural that they would want to suck more money if they could.

[I don't know. The Orville family said they would like to greet the Quordenze family, who annexed Nambonan. They asked if we could mediate between them.]

It was Milord who responded immediately.

[That sounds suspicious.]

[Right?]

Contacting the Quordenze family via Nambonan City is not a good idea. Especially if they plan to continue borrowing money from the big merchant in Nambon an City and eventually default on it. If they're not careful, the Quordenze family might say something like, [Our people are in trouble. Hey, why don't you just pay back the money you borrowed?] .

The Quordenze territory and the Rickaga region are far apart in the first place. Unless there was a very good reason, they wouldn't have thought of having a re lationship.

[Although the Rickaga Alliance has declared its founding, its power as a territory is far less than that of the Quordenze family. It would give them an opportunit y to take advantage of this...]

There must be some purpose behind this, Milord thought, sorting out the information in his head.

[...If there's one thing I can think of at this point, it's to move north.]

[I think so too. I think they're planning to take advantage of the chaos and attack the north.]

The three felt that it was entirely possible that they would launch an invasion war to take advantage of the conflict between the independent noble families of t he Free Cities. After all, the Orville family rose to power through their war skills and have an impressive track record of unifying the Rickaga region.

[Are they anticipating a conflict with the Zeldomitra family and thinking of building a friendship with the Quordenze family now?]

If the Orville family, or rather the Rickaga Alliance, attacks the Free Cities and continues to move north, they will eventually clash with the Zeldomitra family so mewhere. The Levios family and the Quordenze family are considered as possible ways to check this. Milord said that it would be safer to build a relationship now rather than suddenly approach them when that time comes.

[By showing weakness, they can make us think they're an easy target. Making it so that there's no point in rejecting them or being wary of them.]

[Maybe they're planning on getting food when they successfully take over the southern part of the Free Cities.]

When Doran said that, Milord laughed out loud.

[Hahaha, the Head of the Orville family seems very confident. There are many obstacles that must be overcome before they can reach a point where they nee d a relationship with the Quordenze family. They won't be able to move forward unless they keep winning. Well, let's see how they do.]

As he said this, Milord decided to focus on gathering information about the Rick Aaga region. He enjoys and likes the idea of new forces shaking up the old on es and causing chaos as a kind of entertainment.

[By the way, Dezaule. Was it Wilk's idea that the Nambonan officials contacted the Rickaga Alliance?]

[Well, I don't know. I'm not a Nambonan city employee, so I didn't hear how the order was given. However, since my son was in charge of it, I think that's highl y likely.]

[Then, it must be true. Wilk is the only one in the upper echelons of the Quordenze family who would even think of getting information about the Rickaga Allian ce. He seems to have a habit of looking at things from the perspective of the continent as a whole. Ordinary nobles aren't interested in remote areas further so uth than the Free Cities.]

It may have been because Wilk has memories of his past life, living on a globalized earth where many countries are intertwined. He couldn't just dismiss it as s omething completely unrelated just because it was far away.

[...When a sword is swung, it pierces the earth. The sword called Emperor Zinkaen grew up witnessing the era of turmoil in the western continent, and cut thro ugh them to establish an Empire...]

Milord said this quietly and took a gulp of the sake from his goblet in one gulp.

[The war between the Spierzeig and Quordenze families was the largest war on the continent in terms of scale in recent years. Even though it has finally ende d, the seeds of conflict continue to sprout from the continent. In fact, it feels like the situation is heading towards the next level of chaos due to Operation Sna ke's Jaw.]

Then he pointed his right hand, which was in a fist, at Dezaule and Doran.

[Emperor Ferolt, who had been passive in the Empire, is making a move, and the Kingdom of Levios is strengthening its hostile stance towards the priests.]

Milord's index finger and middle finger rose in turn.

[Without a Holy Maiden, the Holy City is in the midst of chaos, and conflicts among the Free Cities are intensifying due to food shortages. The Rickaga Alliance sees this as an opportunity and aims to advance north.]

His right hand finally formed a peace sign.

[The person at the center of this chaos is Wilk Quordenze. His eyes are looking down on the continent itself.]

Highlords don't get drunk. However, Milord's way of speaking was as good-humoured as if he were drunk. He held his outstretched right hand high.

[Now, what will this new sword that has been unleashed once again open up...?]

Perhaps the times of chaos, the continent, or even the era itself.

Milord laughed loudly.