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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 96: The Queen Threw Herself as Bait
When did this guy receive teachings from Ulbhild?
As I widened my eyes in feigned surprise, Barclava nodded with an uncharacteristically serious face.
“But for now, I only intend to focus on honing my sword. I won’t concern myself with things I can’t do.”
This was a rather abrupt statement.
‘What’s he talking about? Is he going through puberty?’
He was at the age where that could happen.
I, in my adult-like manner, read the traces of his powerlessness and anguish hidden in Barclava’s words.
“Alright. Keep quietly building your skills. You’re still young, and you have many opportunities left.”
…And don’t be manipulated by your brother.
Swallowing those words, I lightly patted Barclava’s shoulder.
“Still, it was good to see you today. I’m going.”
I didn’t bother to look back. Either way, if the boy named Barclava harbored a desire to change because of me, that was a good thing.
Even if the results weren’t visible or immediate, it was fine. The important thing was the tenacity to move forward without losing direction.
“…Peter.”
Having moved far enough away from Barclava, I suddenly spoke in a passing tone.
“I’ll have to go out again today.”
“Neeh? Again?”
Peter whispered with a surprised face.
“Young Master. Even so, aren’t you going out too often?”
“That’s right.”
“Then at least rest for a day….”
“No.”
I cut off Peter’s words and smiled.
“There’s something I need to confirm.”
“Neh? What is it—”
I met Jeffrey’s eyes without a word.
“I’ll explain it later.”
***
It started with a single line Jeffrey cautiously whispered at lunch today.
“It seems Young Master Verdzig is suspecting Peter’s outings.”
It’s natural to be caught if you have a long tail, but this was a faster reaction than I had expected.
“My brother is quite something.”
I gave a sincere compliment to Verdzig’s quick wit.
This wasn’t sarcasm. That man’s skill and viciousness were the biggest mountain I had to overcome.
‘Seriously, I thought it was a perfect crime.’
I inwardly clicked my tongue. To think he would notice so quickly. He was indeed a snake-like man.
“Well. My brother can sufficiently suspect that I’m going out pretending to be Peter.”
Wasn’t he the one who gave me the Mask of Aminicrus?
‘Thanks to him, I solved the biggest problem.’
Of course, that was Verdzig’s trap.
I was also a clever man, like an octopus who only ate the bait on the hook and ran away.
“At this point, that’s the only way for you to leave the castle without being watched.”
Olivier said.
“However, it would be difficult to predict that your inherent talent, combined with Young Lady Ulbhild’s teachings, would allow you to break the tracking magic within the mask. Because of that, the surveillance has been lax until now.”
“Right. Those are things that require calling in professional technicians. He must have thought that tracking only that would be enough.”
It would be too harsh to call that Verdzig’s miscalculation. It’s simply that I was a crazy genius.
“Even so, to be this wary based on only the clue of Peter’s more frequent outings than usual, I don’t know whether to call him clever or just suspicious.”
It was probably both.
“Olivier. How will they try to confirm the facts on their end?”
“Now that the tracking magic is neutralized, they have no choice but to visually confirm the mask’s presence, however cumbersome that may be.”
“But the Mask of Aminicrus is hidden in the vault within the annex. ‘Officially,’ that is.”
“Yes.”
Olivier nodded and said.
“If it were me, I would first use my position as the 2nd battalion Commander of the Royal Guards to check Peter’s outings—”
“Yes.”
“On a day when Peter is absent, they will try to confirm whether the Mask of Aminicrus is in its place by any means.”
“I think the same.”
To do that, they would either have to infiltrate from the outside or use someone from the inside.
“With Jeffrey’s one squad guarding annex, a reckless infiltration is a difficult method to choose.”
“That’s right. And—”
Olivier lowered his voice at this point.
“According to Julia’s report, there’s a maid among the newly hired employees who seems suspicious.”
…The only conclusion that could be inferred from all these circumstances was one.
“If I leave today, Brother Verdzig’s spy will definitely move.”
I smiled.
“And if I know the timing and method of the enemy’s attack, it’s only right to set a trap and turn it against them.”
Olivier smiled faintly.
“That’s amazing, Young Master.”
“Take this opportunity to experience the true taste of intrigue, Olivier.”
“Understood.”
From this point on, I needed Jeffrey, Olivier, Peter, and one more helper.
“Then, Olivier.”
“Yes.”
“Call Julia.”
***
“Eeh? A suspicious maid?”
Julia, who had been quietly called, looked at me, Olivier, and Peter in turn, then mumbled with her lips pursed.
“There, there is one, but….”
Seeing Julia making a tearful face as if she had become a bad child telling tales, I chuckled. She was truly an innocent child.
“What is that person’s name?”
Olivier asked.
“It’s, it’s Gemini.”
“……Gemini. She was recently hired.”
Olivier murmured, looking through his notebook.
“She wasn’t originally in charge of this area, but due to someone getting injured for some reason, she recently started cleaning this floor?”
“That’s quite a coincidence.”
I interjected.
“Why was that employee injured?”
“I received a report that they sprained their ankle on the stairs.”
“I received a report that they sprained their ankle on the stairs.”
“Suspicious.”
I voiced the whisper of my keen intuition.
“It’s possible that something was applied to the floor beforehand to make it slippery.”
“We cannot rule out that possibility.”
Olivier frowned.
“Coincidentally, she has a history of recently transferring here from serving another Young Master. She has quite a few years of service and had a good reputation.”
Olivier seemed to feel that this situation was his responsibility.
“The interview results were also good. I also didn’t notice anything suspicious.”
But I thought differently.
“At that time, there were many people hired at once in a chaotic state, so the screening process might not have been thorough.”
“Young Master. I appreciate your words, but this is indeed my responsibility.”
“Well, let’s strive to do better in the future. First, let’s deal with this situation.”
“Understood.”
I didn’t intend to blame Olivier much. After all, if someone is determined to infiltrate a spy, even the most airtight security can easily be breached.
Why hide it? This Karzan was once the one who breached security and escorts. That’s why I understand the other side’s difficulties well.
“Where was she originally stationed?”
“She managed the residence under the Fifth Young Master, Barclava.”
“Barclava, huh.”
I thought about Barclava.
It was obvious, but I didn’t think he had orchestrated this whole plot. He lacked the talent for such a thing, and I thought so even more after seeing his earnest training today.
‘If that appearance was something he made up to deceive me? He’s even more remarkable. Then I’ll acknowledge him.’
There’s no need to beat around the bush. It’s right to see Verdzig as the one behind it.
“Could it be that our Brother Verdzig was even perfectly controlling the servants guarding his full-blooded younger brother’s residence?”
“……Yes. It seems that was practically the case.”
Olivier had a bitter expression.
But there was no way Verdzig’s information control would have been so lax that Olivier could find out. It was natural that he didn’t know.
“What a vicious man, our brother is.”
By the way, I saw Barclava in a new light.
‘He was bound much more strongly than I thought.’
If he realize that even the servants by his side were all pawns receiving his brother’s orders, I can hardly imagine the extent of the powerlessness and fear he would feel.
In a way, it might be somewhat similar to the despair that the past Allenvert must have felt.
‘This is a mess. Just look at the state of this family.’
After finishing my thoughts, I asked Julia, who had become frightened by the conversation.
“Have you perhaps cleaned this area together with this maid named Gemini?”
“Yes. For the past few days or so continuously….”
“Then we can assume she has finished grasping the internal structure.”
Nodding, I pointed at Julia.
“Excellent. You’ve done a good job.”
“W-what?”
“This is a good tattling, a benevolent betrayal, a white accusation.”
“I-Is that so?”
I’m a man who believes that physical rewards should be added to praise.
“In that sense, I’ll give you a bonus this month.”At that, Julia’s eyes widened.
“Th-Thank you very much!”
“Buy something tasty to eat. Don’t give it all to your parents.”
“Ah? Is that alright?”
Just look at this innocent little girl.
I grinned and looked at Jeffrey. Jeffrey had a similar expression.
“It’s customary to keep some pocket money for yourself when working in a place like this. Isn’t that so?”
“When I was young, I also followed my father and served various retainers, receiving tips.”
“Excellent. You probably bought a pocketknife and secretly bought some alcohol with the tips you collected back then.”
“It wasn’t to that extent.”
Jeffrey cleared his throat.
I looked back at Julia and said.
“Anyway, I think you should have some emergency funds to buy snacks without your parents knowing.”
“Yes, y-yes.”
Julia clenched her small hand with a determined face. It would probably just be enough to buy two snacks instead of one.
“Olivier. Peter and Julia’s salaries will be increased from this month.”
I raised the salaries of the two while I was at it.
“Ah, that matter has already been taken care of.”
“Add 30 percent to that.”
Olivier replied with a slightly surprised face.
“Hmm. Understood.”
“Y-Young Master? Why even for me…?”
Peter, who had been quietly watching, had a wide smile on his face after receiving unexpected benefits.
“There’s no need to be so happy. All of this doesn’t come for free.”
“P-Please give me any orders!”
Julia also clenched her fist tightly.
“Me too!”
“Good, your loyalty is commendable. Then, while we’re at it—”
I said, looking at Peter and Julia.
“Let’s do something together tonight.”
***
That night, Allenvert, disguised as Peter, once again left Grunewald Castle.
“Please be careful on your way at night, Peter.”
“You too, please hang in there a little more!”
…The guard stared blankly at Allenvert’s retreating figure as he smiled brightly and said goodbye. His departure today would be reported to Verdzig.
‘He’s going to report me.’ Allenvert chuckled.
…The queen on the chessboard threw herself as bait.
In order to catch a bigger fish.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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