Chapter 98

The lords who’d been growling just moments ago now looked at Nerys in disbelief.

One loud-voiced lord, as if on cue with Nerys’s thoughts, shouted without hesitation.

“The Lord of Fecernon said it himself! All the food, the charcoal, the lumber you promised—none of it arrived!”

“To whom? To you?”

“…What?”

Thrown off by her unexpected question, he answered with a dumbfounded voice.

Nerys spoke calmly. Unlike her opponent’s shouting, she sounded as if she were simply conversing, yet her voice carried to every corner of the room, as if whispering directly in everyone’s ear.

Her thoroughly trained voice and unwavering composure radiated absolute confidence.

“The Lord of Fecernon told you this directly?”

“Are you splitting hairs?”

“No, I’m pointing out that you ignored procedure. Where was it bought, how much, when was it due to arrive, what did Fecernon say? All of that was discussed only in my office, so why does everyone here know about it before I’ve even made an announcement?”

Well… wasn’t it obvious? Gathering information is how you survive in this world.

Technically, no one else should have known anything about this before Nerys made it public. But was it really possible for them not to know?

The crowd, assuming Nerys was just making excuses now that things were turning against her, looked annoyed. But seeing that, Nerys’s voice turned icy.

“Even though I never introduced my distant relatives, you’ve had no problem dropping the Elandria name. I suppose it’s always been like this—unable to trust official announcements, always sniffing around and getting information through private channels. You’ve done it so long, you don’t even realize how odd it is to call an emergency meeting and summon the person in charge before any official statement.”

She was right.

Maindulante was, in every sense, an old land, and the pride of its ancient houses was second to none in the Bistor Empire.

The retainers who had long served the ducal house—‘elders,’ as they called themselves—regarded themselves as kings in all but name, especially after the previous duke’s death.

With so many proud people competing, intrigue had become second nature, and being slow to get information could be fatal. The most cunning tried to manipulate or even kill their young lord.

But now all those elders were gone.

The subordinates the duke had kept from the past now maintained order. What they enforced was pure meritocracy, but to the old lords, it looked just like the backstabbing they’d always practiced.

Schemes. Corruption. Secret dealings. Wasn’t that a kind of skill, too?

The lords saw no fault in themselves, so they exchanged uneasy glances.

That icy voice sharpened further, like a blade.

“In a society without rules, you can’t help it—you have to look after yourself. But now that His Grace is in power, don’t waste your time on that anymore. If you need to know something, you’ll be told promptly. If everyone acts on their own, ignoring official statements, false information will run rampant.”

Most rumors spread by word of mouth end up being lies. People will believe almost anything said by someone they think has always given them good information.

Several people’s faces
Several faces turned red and pale at once as they realized it was a magic orb for communication. When Nerys tapped it with a bit of mana, a lively voice flowed out.

<White Swan Castle! Is this White Swan Castle?>

“Yes, it is,” Nerys answered calmly and with dignity. The voice from the orb brimmed with excitement.

<That’s Advisor Nerys, isn’t it! We’ve just finished distributing the flour porridge and are about to get back to work!>

“Everything is going well, I see.”

<Thanks to the support from the center! There were signs of a cholera outbreak, but you sent us everything we needed, so the outlook is good.>

The voice coming from the orb was passionate and cheerful. Nearby, you could hear people calling, “My lord! My lord!” with several voices mingled.

Hilbrin muttered in a groan, “Lord of Fecernon…”

Either the report about the missing goods had been a lie, or they’d been found. It had to be one or the other.

No one dared suggest the voice itself was fake; it was easy to check where a magic orb was connected.

Besides, Hilbrin, who was friends with the Lord of Fecernon, recognized the voice, so the truth was clear.

After exchanging a few words with the Lord of Fecernon, Nerys ended the call. Then she surveyed the room.

Soon, she spoke the words that signaled everyone’s dismissal.

“You’re all busy, so go on, except for the few I’ll call now.”

Those who guessed they’d be called turned pale. They were the ones who’d tried to steal the relief supplies.

Worse, thinking they’d succeeded, they’d even spread news of the missing goods.

It wasn’t even luxury items, but emergency supplies to save people’s lives. Nerys had no intention of letting them off.

From the start, the coachmen she’d hired were from the Moriér Merchant Group, making it inevitable that the plan to steal the supplies would fail.

Even the two administrators working in her office hadn’t known she’d deliberately pretended to be fooled, then secretly delivered the goods to the Lord of Fecernon once the rumor had spread enough.

‘It was all a trap from the beginning.’

Taking on such a big task, and provoking the lords—she’d planned it all.

Karl gave a wry smile, and Hughin frowned in displeasure.

After calling out the names of several people involved in the matter, Nerys added those two at the end.

“…Karl Sidney as well. Hughin, come to my office later. For now, you may go.”

❖ ❖ ❖

“How did you know?”

Alone with Nerys and Dora in the office, Hughin asked with an air of curiosity.

From the very beginning, he’d picked more than one fight with Nerys. That’s why Dora, who already didn’t think well of him, was surprised that it was the sociable Karl who ended up imprisoned and Hughin who remained.

Even that tone, with not a hint of respect for a superior. But Nerys answered lightly.

“You kept letting me know, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean I let you know?”

“You brought me everything I needed to know, summarized the main points about Fecernon, pointed out whenever I was about to overstep my authority… You always seemed openly dissatisfied, so people just thought you didn’t like me. If you hadn’t, everyone would have realized you were actually helping me. Be careful.”

To interpret all those constant provocations that way? Dora still didn’t seem convinced, but the sour expression finally vanished from Hughin’s face.

He removed his glasses. Then, rubbing his right temple, he peeled away the skin covering his entire face.

It was a bewildering sight. Beneath the skin appeared a much younger, sharper-looking man—a face much too young for the lower administrator Hughin.

Nerys might have been startled if she hadn’t witnessed similar methods used by covert agents before.

The young-faced man smirked crookedly.

Even Hughin’s previous tense expression had seemed natural, but it was clear that this new, sly, and relaxed look suited him far more.

He pulled a monocle from his pocket and put it on, then gave an exaggerated bow.

“It’s been a while. I knew you were sharp, but I didn’t expect you to keep your composure even after seeing the dirty tricks used by those lurking in the deepest shadows.”

“It really has been a while.”

That voice and face—Nerys recognized him at once… He looked exactly the same now, but with a different hair color and a lazy, dopey expression back then.

Dora looked at Nerys curiously. Nerys simply lifted the corners of her mouth.

“I didn’t know His Grace was even managing the dorm I stayed in. Talfrin, how long were you there?”

He was the dorm supervisor where Nerys had lived for years.

He’d seemed so ordinary, just someone she saw every day. That letter she’d found in her room must have been his doing. Back then, he’d spoken with a much more sluggish, empty-headed tone.

She’d never once suspected anything. Not even the night Cledwyn was gravely injured, and the dorm supervisor’s office had been empty.

Come to think of it, the dorm supervisor changed in the year Cledwyn graduated.

“Ah, I didn’t go undercover at the dorm because of you, Advisor, so don’t worry. It was just a good spot for picking up news on campus, and you could leave the post whenever without anyone asking questions. There used to be a few more like me scattered around Carten. But, how did you know my name? I used a different one back then.”

Talfrin, eyes shrewd and just a bit cunning, scrutinized Nerys closely. She shrugged lightly.

“I spoke with His Grace in the library once, didn’t I? I heard your name then. That’s your real name, right?”

“Close enough. Your memory is impressive.”

Nerys remembered how, lost in memories, Cledwyn had called Talfrin’s name that day.

Talfrin sounded impressed, but even now, without his disguise, he showed not a shred of fondness for Nerys. Only after a moment did his eyes glimmer with curiosity as he tilted his head.

“It’s true I helped you, but I didn’t think I made it obvious. I’ve done this sort of thing several times, and no one’s ever picked up on my intentions before. Everyone thinks they solved the problem on their own, thanks to some tip from that young, arrogant Hughin. Give me a hint—how can I avoid getting caught next time?”

“It really wasn’t your fault. Your acting was perfect.”

Nerys raised her chin and finished gently.

“I just never thought your master would actually leave the castle empty, knowing I was coming.”