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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 130: The Undelivered Letter, The Unopened Letter
“Young Master!”
When I saw Peter’s bright face as he returned under the escort of Jeffrey’s men, I almost smacked the back of his head.
“You’re laughing now, huh?”
“Hehe, I’m just happy to be alive and see you again, Young Master.”
“Good for you, huh.”
I ended up lightly smacking Peter’s head.
“Don’t do that again.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
I sighed as I looked at the letter Peter proudly pulled from his chest.
“Was it worth risking your life for this?”
“Yes.”
Seeing his face begging for praise, I snorted.
“You think I’ll praise you so you’ll do the same thing next time? Not a chance.”
“You’re so mean.”
“Whatever’s written in that letter, you could’ve just gone to Zizek and heard it directly. There was no need for you to push yourself like this.”
“But if it fell into the enemy’s hands…”
“The damage would’ve been huge.”
I shrugged.
“Still, that’s better than you dying, right? Even if the letter had been taken, it would’ve been my fault for not anticipating the enemy’s schemes, not yours.”
“Ah…”
Peter’s eyes reddened, as if he hadn’t expected that answer.
“Crying again? You hadn’t been crying much lately.”
“Waaaaah! Young Master!”
He was bawling now, huh.
“Well, I do appreciate your dedication.”
I thought of the subordinates from my past life who had sacrificed their lives to save Karzan.
“But if you’re going to risk your life, do it for your family or a greater cause. Don’t throw it away for some scrap of paper.”
I didn’t want them to die for me. But I couldn’t deny that I felt a little happy knowing someone would go that far for me.
‘Even so.’
There’s no need to throw your life away so easily for others. Just because Peter is my servant doesn’t mean his life is disposable. I had no intention of treating him as a tool.
“Waaaaah.”
Seeing that Peter’s tears weren’t stopping, I sighed and took the letter.
“Anyway, well done. You’ve done a great service.”
Whatever was written in it, it was true that nothing good would’ve come from it falling into Verdzig’s hands.
‘If things had gone wrong, Zizek’s existence could’ve been exposed, and the roots I’d planted would’ve been uprooted.’
Verdzig’s move was sharp and deadly.
‘But he failed.’
In other words—
I won again.
‘I didn’t do much, but still.’
I looked at Peter, who was still sobbing.
“You’re getting a bonus today.”
“Waaaaah!”
“Speak properly, speak properly.”
Olivier handed Peter a handkerchief and said, “At any rate, it’s a relief that Peter is safe.”
“Yeah, he hit a blind spot I hadn’t anticipated.”
“Indeed. I didn’t expect him to make such a sharp and bold move after being quiet for so long.”
I nodded in agreement.
“I don’t know if it’s a change in mindset, tactics, or if he’s been waiting for this moment all along.”
This was a blatant and vicious tactic, a strong warning. I hadn’t expected him to go as far as murder, so it left me quite shaken.
It was also a declaration that he wouldn’t hold back from now on.
“The culprit is most likely Verdzig, right?”
“…It’s most plausible.”
Even Olivier agreed.
‘Verdzig. You really are cut from the same cloth as the Dark King.’
Conspiracy, schemes, blood, and deceit. A serpent of the apocalypse that grows by trampling and ruining others…
That was Verdzig Grunewald.
“This means the connection through Peter and Bridget is now compromised.”
“Yes.”
Peter, who had been listening to our conversation, looked sullen.
“I barely helped at all, and now it’s over so quickly.”
“No need to be discouraged. In this line of work, even one successful use is a win.”
In the realm of espionage, it’s crucial to have multiple contacts. If one or two are cut off, you can immediately open another path. You never know when or how a variable might arise, causing an agent to die or disappear.
“And next time, if there’s something to relay, it’s better to use verbal messages instead of letters.”
“Understood.”
“Anyway, you should go rest. You must be mentally exhausted.”
“We’ll take our leave now.”
Olivier stepped aside with Peter, likely to give me space to comfortably read Zizek’s letter.
“…….”
I stared at the letter Peter had risked his life to deliver.
‘Finally.’
I could now learn where and how the survivors of Eisenach were living.
‘Why is it so thick?’
The envelope was quite bulky. Did Zizek really have that much to say?
‘That idiot assassin.’
I chuckled at the thought of Verdzig’s assassin, who had stolen the wafer instead of the letter. What would he even report? “I accidentally stole a snack instead of the letter”?
Verdzig’s reaction would be quite something to see. It’s a shame I couldn’t witness it myself.
‘Alright, then.’
I began to slowly read through the densely packed, uneven handwriting.
-Your Highness, I write to you with overwhelming emotions. Following your orders, I made contact with Eisenach and heard many secrets from them. I have detailed everything I learned here.
……The contents of the letter were enough to shock even me.
* * *
The first half of the letter detailed how Zizek had gone to the northern district, only to be captured and interrogated before finally being accepted as a guest.
‘Wow, Zizek almost died there.’
If he hadn’t mentioned my name, he might have been killed and dumped somewhere. The thought of nearly losing both Zizek and Peter at the same time sent a chill down my spine.
‘……By the way.’
The survivors of Eisenach seemed to have a far more organized structure than I had imagined.
‘While casually wandering around like a harmless old man, they had secretly surrounded Zizek.’
If the security at the entrance was that tight, the northern district they controlled must have been a perfect fortress within the city. A citadel, so to speak.
‘That old man must be quite the master.’
Balthazar Eisenach.
Even from the brief conversations in the letter, it was clear that the man, who was roughly my maternal grandfather, was a rare sage.
‘And the white skin was a side effect?’
It seemed my skin tone wasn’t inherited from my mother but from my father. If so, my mother might have had a healthier, tanned complexion like Rudgarda.
“…….”
I continued reading the letter.
‘Even the blood and violence of the underworld were just a part of their daily lives.’
They were warriors born and raised in harsh environments. It was a fate where everyone had to become a warrior.
‘Among them, the Eisenach clan was the wisest and most open-minded, which is why they foresaw the future and chose a marriage alliance with Grunewald.’
A wise decision.
I could understand their fear and longing for the prosperity of the city. Their deep knowledge of herbal medicine was also impressive.
‘That must have helped them gather the funds needed to survive in this underworld.’
There was much more information in the letter.
‘The usurper’s name is Grimnar Angantyr.’
I now knew the name of the enemy.
‘The deadly poison of the Nocturban, the bird that drinks poison.’
I also memorized the name of the extreme poison that had killed my grandfather.
And most importantly—
‘Everyone died in a sudden and fierce ambush, and only a handful managed to escape with their lives.’
I learned about what happened on the night of betrayal.
‘……But the rescue they had hoped for from Grunewald never came.’
Instead, my father, whom they had trusted, approved the usurper and received vast wealth and hostages in return.
‘That was nothing short of betrayal.’
A betrayal so great it left my mother and me incapacitated.
While everyone felt intense hatred and anger, I couldn’t help but admire Balthazar for understanding the Duke’s intentions and guiding the clan.
‘If true, he is an incredibly wise man.’
According to Zizek, Balthazar had said this:
"There must have been circumstances unknown to outsiders. I, too, knew that the Duke had many enemies. Perhaps it was an unavoidable choice for him."
Despite being consumed by the destruction of his clan and the desire for revenge, he had reached the hidden truth on his own. Frankly, even I wouldn’t have been capable of such a thing.
‘He must have been in a position akin to an elder. It was his insight, cultivated alongside his brother while managing the clan with the eyes of a king, that made this possible.’
The eyes of a politician and those of an ordinary person were so different.
And one more thing.
‘Father knew about their hiding and allowed it?’
That speculation surprised me.
"Do you really think he was completely unaware of our presence hiding in the shadows of his own territory?"
A deeply meaningful question.
If so, just how meticulously was this man observing the city?
"The more I learn, the more I realize that there are unseen eyes and hands within Grunewald’s underworld."
Balthazar, my grandfather—what had led him to say such a thing? Were those unseen eyes my father’s?
‘If so.’
Father will soon learn that I’ve connected with them. The more I learn, the more I realize how vast a man Georg Grunewald truly is.
I still don’t fully understand the depths of that man.
‘But he, too, is human.’
No matter how perfect and powerful he may seem. Haven’t I already confirmed that?
……The contents of the letter eventually reached the conditions they had proposed as a sign of trust.
‘A cipher that only those who have inherited the clan’s lineage as herbalists can decipher.’
Since only my mother could read it, receiving a reply in her handwriting would be the most definitive proof of trust.
‘Reasonable.’
Balthazar was wary of whether the man named Karzan, who had sent Zizek, was truly Allenvert’s man or if there was a conspiracy involving other siblings or external forces behind him.
‘Well, that’s a fair point.’
I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
In that case, few could match my grandfather’s instincts and caution for survival. It’s no wonder he managed to save the clan through such hardships.
‘By the way.’
I couldn’t help but be amazed at the results Zizek had achieved, exceeding my expectations.
‘Was this guy always this capable?’
Even if luck played a part, it was Zizek’s achievement to have earned their trust enough to hear their hidden secrets.
However, the admiration Zizek expressed for Allenvert at the end of the letter left me stunned.
‘What kind of delusion is this guy under?’
You’ve already been smacked on the back of the head and cursed at by me, haven’t you?
Given how deeply infatuated he seemed, I couldn’t even guess how he’d react when he realized the two were the same person.
‘Won’t he bite his tongue out of embarrassment?’
* * *
Duke Georg’s gaze lingered on the report from Venion, particularly on the part describing the strange power Allenvert had displayed while hunting Nepherus.
‘Just as I suspected.’
For a long time, he had harbored the same suspicions as his son.
‘Only the Lusatia and Eisenach clans would know the secret of that terminal condition.’
However, when Allenvert was diagnosed, there was no one left to reveal that secret. The Eisenach clan had been wiped out, his wife had retreated into seclusion, feeling deeply betrayed by him, and he lacked the courage to seek her out again.
Especially since Lusatia had stubbornly declared she would rather die than meet him.
“…….”
Georg closed his eyes tightly. Even if he could go back to that day, he would have to make the same choice, but back then, he had been immature and thoughtless.
The repercussions of that mistake were returning in an unexpected form. Karma was indeed relentless.
“Head Butler.”
He called for Count Aiden in a low voice.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“I must meet with Allenvert soon.”
Ironically, he needed his son’s help to untangle this knot.
“……And deliver this to Lusatia’s head maid.”
The note the head maid left in front of Lusatia’s room each time. It was Georg himself who dictated its contents.
And one more thing.
‘……It’s better to stop this.’
Georg carefully folded the letter he had written word by word and placed it in a drawer. Inside, unopened letters were piled up like a mountain.
* * *
Lusatia Grunewald, the Duchess, quietly read the short note delivered by her head maid.
Though the sun was high outside, the room, with its thick curtains drawn, resembled a dark cave. Much like her heart.
“……Allen.”
Allenvert’s actions were nothing short of astonishing. They were so different from what she remembered, unfamiliar yet deeply moving.
‘How much have you suffered? How desperate have you been?’
She let out a faint sigh, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, and set the note down.
What occupied her thoughts at that moment was the strange power in Allenvert’s left arm, which had swallowed Nepherus’s breath.
“……Finally, that power has grown enough to protect him.”
Worry filled Lusatia’s brow.
After much deliberation, she opened a drawer. Inside were stacks of unopened letters, each bearing the Grunewald seal.
“…….”
Lusatia gritted her teeth. Flames of hatred flickered in her beautiful eyes.
Yet why she neither opened nor discarded those letters, leaving them untouched—
That was a secret known only to God and Lusatia herself.
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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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