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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 99: I Still Don’t Fully Know the Depth of the Man Named Verdzig.
“B-Butler. This telescope is just….”
“Shut up.”
Gemini, who was kneeling and trying to make excuses, was silenced.
Olivier, with an ice-cold face, manipulated the telescope and then injected mana into it.
“……It’s for seeing through things.”
Olivier, having confirmed the gold coins inside the vault and the empty wooden box where the Mask of Aminicrus had been kept through the telescope, turned to Gemini.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know what you were trying to confirm?”
“…….”
“Even if it wasn’t ‘that,’ the very act of bringing in such a thing and trying to scheme is a serious crime.”
“Butler. It’s not that.”
“If you’re going to make excuses, keep only one thing in mind.”
As Olivier revealed his aura, an oppressive energy that even the captain of the Roya; Guards couldn’t handle pressed down on Gemini’s heart.
“Huu….”
“If you try to deceive Young Master Allenvert, the Fourth Young Master of the great Grunewald, no matter who your backer is, they won’t be able to handle it easily.”
Those words were a strong implication that Olivier already knew her backer.
“And ‘that person’ will not try to make sacrifices for the likes of you. So please act wisely.”
Gemini, unable to refute those words, lowered her head.
“Take her away.”
As Gemini was dragged away by the guards, her heart fell into the abyss of despair.
***
In my dream, I felt an excruciating pain as if someone was piercing my blood vessels one by one with needles, and I gritted my teeth.
‘Ah, damn it.’
The impurities that had been quiet for a while, the debris that had been blocking the circulation of mana, flowed through my blood like sharply broken pieces of stone.
‘It hurts like hell. Damn it.’
Amidst the pain that tore through my blood vessels, I thought.
‘Why are these bastards suddenly acting up again?’
I couldn’t understand. Sometimes they seemed like beings with a will, and other times they felt like natural phenomena, like waves crashing and dark clouds gathering.
Either way, when it became like this, I had no choice but to wash it away with a surging tide of mana.
I recited the incantations of the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique and unfolded the map of the human body in my mind.
‘Get lost, you damn bastards.’
I imagined the five viscera as islands, with hundreds and thousands of small waterways connecting them.
Reefs, giant octopus monsters, and pirates blocked each waterway, but I smashed them all and swept away the debris. Each time, excruciating pain came.
‘It hurts terribly. Damn it.’
But it was alright. I was a man who had become accustomed to the pain of knife wounds.
The real problem was elsewhere. As if I had taken a hallucinogen, unwanted visions began to appear in the darkness.
“Oh dear, what a mess.”
It was all sorts of things.
Black figures holding spears, swords, axes, and clubs surrounded me. Were those the enemies I had killed, or the enemies who had killed me?
‘I can’t tell.’
The wriggling shadows clumped together and transformed into the shape of a large giant.
“What is that? Ugh, how grotesque.”
The giant’s face changed every moment, as if it wore a thousand masks.
“Karzan. I’ll kill you.”
The me in my mind was Karzan in his prime. The sword of the sword demon who had defeated countless renowned warriors cut through the ruthless void.
Whoosh!
The moment the swords met, I severed the wrist and cut the throat with lightning speed, then spat.
“Get lost. Did you think you could beat me even after appearing in my dream?”
This is my territory, you bastards.
“Kieeeeeeee-!”
The black giant’s form scattered, transforming into dozens, hundreds of spirits, screaming mournfully.
“Resentful, resentful.”
“You took everything from me.”
“Karzan, you will come here someday too.”
“Allenvert? You’re living someone else’s life that you don’t even deserve.”
As the spirits uttered nonsense while ascending to the afterlife, I picked at my ears and retorted.
“If you guys are dead, then get lost, don’t cause a scene.”
Whoosh!
A great gust of wind arose and swept away the spirits like sand.
“Brother!”
And I opened my eyes.
“……Uh-huh.”
“Brother, are you alright?”
When I opened my eyes, the whole world had already regained its light. I asked, looking at Peter’s two younger siblings who were looking at me with worry.
“The sun has already risen. Did I sleep a lot?”
“Not much.”
As if last night’s plotting had been a dream, Bridget was completely treating me as Peter.
“Brother, you were sweating a lot. Are you alright?”
I stroked Colin’s head.
“I just had a bad dream. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Okay.”
I felt my back becoming damp and rose from my seat.
“……It’s too late. I should go back now.”
“Peter! Are you going back already?”
I approached Peter’s mother and took her thin hand.
“I’ll come back often, so don’t worry.”
Because—
From now on, there would be many times when Peter, in my stead, would carry out the role of contact through Bridget.
***
Returning to the castle, feeling the gaze of the watcher who seemed to have slept soundly in the early morning, I met Peter in the bedroom.
“Wearing this mask all day consumes quite a bit of mana.”
Finally returning to Allenvert’s appearance, I swept back the hair that was stuck to my forehead.
“You’ve worked hard, Young Master.”
“It’s alright. I just went to sleep.”
“Yes?”
“More than that, Peter.”
I cut to the chase and said to Peter.
“Bridget has decided to take on the role of contact from now on.”
At those words, Peter’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.
“Whaat?!”
“I’ll explain in detail later. There won’t be anything dangerous.”
“Uh, no, why Bridget all of a sudden….”
“Seeing her this time, she’s quite sharp.”
Peter, who had been dazed, had a proud look in his eyes at those words.
“Y-Yes, that’s true. If my clan hadn’t fallen, she would have become an excellent official or scholar.”
“From what I see, she seems to be full of qualities suitable for an official or a merchant.”
“Yes.”
“So I think I will unavoidably have to borrow that child’s hand.”
I explained carefully, knowing the natural anxiety Peter would feel as family.
Peter, having heard about the process of persuading Bridget, her thoughts, and the specific methods, nodded.
“……So that’s what happened.”
“Don’t worry. I will definitely protect you and your family. If either side becomes dangerous, I plan to stop immediately.”
If the compensation for that was only a few gold coins, which were no different from small change, it would be a shameful thing.
Therefore.
“Bridget will be brought into the castle in the future and provided with opportunities for education.”
“Young Master!”
Peter, with a face that didn’t know what to do between worry, gratitude, and awe, said to me.
“You’re giving me too great an opportunity.”
“I told you. Instead of relying on the loyalty you’ve shown me, I’ll return a suitable reward.”
“Since the Young Master cares this much about this Peter, I don’t know what to say.”
I am a man who doesn’t feel any regret about sharing the fruits we obtained together.
Ultimately, I intended to make the cooperation with me a salvation for Peter and his family as well.
“Let’s stop with this cheesy atmosphere. Did the work I ordered go well?”
“Ah, yes!”
Peter’s eyes sparkled like a child who wanted to boast right away.
“It was perfectly successful.”
“Excellent.”
“The Butler will tell you the details.”
***
“……Thus, Gemini is currently detained.”
I nodded after receiving Olivier’s report.
“Julia, Olivier, Jeffrey. Everyone resolved the matter flawlessly.”
I was satisfied.
Just as Zizek had done, these three people had also excellently met my expectations.
“Although Peter only slept.”
“…….”
Peter, who had been guarding the bedroom in my stead, scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“It’s alright, your role will be needed next time.”
“Yes!”
Olivier presented the telescope and glass bottle confiscated from Gemini.
“This is a telescope with the ability to see through things.”
“Goodness. I’m seeing all sorts of precious things.”
Did my brother have an exclusive contract with some magic workshop? Strange things kept popping out from somewhere.
“We conducted separate interrogations with Gemini, but she absolutely doesn’t reveal anything about the person behind her. She’s prepared to die here.”
“She probably thinks it’s better for her to die alone.”
A man like Verdzig wouldn’t hesitate to threaten her family as hostages.
Of course, it was only a baseless guess, but I considered this to be a quite credible thought. Have I only been in this business for a day or two?
“Young Master. I will ensure that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
Olivier, being as serious as usual, said, so I shrugged and replied.
“Why are you bringing up something that’s already over?”
“But, Young Master.”
“Either way, if they’re determined to plant a spy, it’s not easy to perfectly distinguish them. The important thing is not to obsess over perfect defense, but to lay down double or triple countermeasures, like spreading misinformation or setting traps to catch those who have already infiltrated.”
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
I nodded. Olivier was an intelligent and capable man, so he more than understood what I meant.
“By the way, what is this glass bottle? Were they trying to poison someone?”
“We don’t know. There was nothing like poison inside the bottle.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Neither Olivier nor Jeffrey seemed to have any idea.
“……Suspicious.”
But not to me.
Based on Karzan’s experience, in such cases, there are mainly two things the opponent wants.
‘Finding internal items. And monitoring what happens internally.’
If they possessed that telescope with the ability to see through things for the former, then there must have been something in the glass bottle as well.
“Perhaps there was a familiar in the form of an ant or a spider inside that.”
If so, continuing the conversation without getting rid of it would be no different from telling Verdzig the entire operation plan.
“Are you saying there might have been a familiar in the glass bottle?”
“Yes. It probably had a magical spell on it that transmitted its vision somewhere.”
Olivier was shocked but soon narrowed his brow as if he understood.
“Indeed, such methods are sometimes used in power struggles between nobles.”
“If that’s the case, it’s troublesome. Even if my father came, it would be difficult to easily exterminate such a small insect.”
Jeffrey expressed his difficulty.
“Should I rather go and fetch the herbs with components to exterminate insects from my father? Or if I burn the herbs with insecticidal properties….”
“There’s no need to go that far.”
“Yes?”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
I closed my eyes and spread my senses. With skill that had become much more proficient through several actual battles and practice, I stretched out strands of mana.
The mana, which looked like strands of pasta or threads pulled out from torn clothes, felt the air’s vibrations and the shapes of objects like tentacles.
‘As expected, the activation speed is much faster.’
It was incomparably faster than when I found the spider that dared to build its nest in my room without permission a few days ago. With this level, it would be much more useful in actual combat.
‘Found it.’
I captured the presence of a spider that was hiding between the wall and ceiling of the bedroom, with how easy it was almost feeling unreal.
‘It’s not the one I spared back then.’
That one was still living well, making a hammock in the corner of Peter’s room.
‘It holds far denser mana than that.’
If something naturally possessed that much mana, it would have to be called a spiritual being with an inner core.
Unfortunately, that was just a magical construct modeled after the shape of a spider.
“Haha.”
Considering that even Olivier and Jeffrey, who had a higher tier than me now, couldn’t perceive it—
I could once again feel how fraudulent this technique, which I had received from Ulbhild, was.
Flick!
As soon as I transformed the bracelet into a sword, I sent a controlled strike into the corner between the wall and ceiling.
Thud!
Then, a grotesque spider with many legs was split in half and fell down.
“Ugh, how disgusting.”
But there was no need to bother cleaning up the corpse. Without spilling its innards or spraying bodily fluids, it evaporated like smoke.
“Uh? Th-That, could it be?”
Peter asked in shock.
“It seems Brother Verdzig has plotted a double scheme.”
He’ll probably be quite annoyed this time. The contingency plan he had prepared for the worst-case scenario had been exposed so futilely.
“……He’s a truly thorough person.”
Peter muttered as if he were fed up.
“If His Grace the Duke finds out about today’s events, will he be angry? To be so persistently focused on his own brother….”
“Even if he is angry, it won’t be for the reason you think.”
For brothers to attach people to monitor each other?
From the Duke’s perspective, the head of the Clan observing the competition for the succession, that is not a crime.
‘But if he’s caught engaging in reckless schemes, then that is indeed a crime.’
Therefore, I was curious.
Could the proud, aloof, and cruel Verdzig willingly accept a failing grade?
‘Pride, practicality, or a third answer?’
I still don’t fully know the depth of the man named Verdzig.
So, from now on, I intend to find out.
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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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