13 (47)

After throwing away the old shirt and protective gear that had let him disguise himself under several identities, Louis entered the warm water. The two female attendants were wearing only a single thin cloth, thin enough for their white skin and curves to show plainly, and they picked up the clothes and protective gear Louis had thrown away one by one before stepping aside.

They were female slaves who had survived after the female slaves he had received as gifts not long ago had been massacred by the beautiful southern assassin. There was luck involved, and one of them had survived that chaos, so for Louis, she was a female slave he had become somewhat attached to.

Bloodstains and other dust brought in from outside were washed away by the water. If this was luxury, then it was luxury, because a small amount of divine power had been mixed into this hot spring water. Merely staying quietly inside it was enough for simple wounds to heal quickly.

Louis leisurely closed his eyes. His body was not one that particularly felt fatigue, but this moderate temperature always brought him pleasure. There is something behind him, huh. Barbus Kenneth had said so. Would that fellow truly be on my side? Several questions circled in the air, but Louis felt that he probably would be.

Unexpectedly, he was a very timid fellow, and Louis had pressured him sufficiently. He thought he had made him realize the difference between rumor and reality well enough. If so, the chance that he…. Barbus Kenneth would scamper straight to Vesk was fairly low.

Of course, he could not overlook not only Fred Vesk, but also the alliance with Phillipeu James, who believed in cooperative competition, but since their alliance was bound together by profit, it seemed likely it would collapse in an instant.

As he had done so far, he could consider a method of suddenly bringing those two down. However, it was still better to make a clear pretext. The more one hid something, the more traces were left. If he could publicly execute the two who had sucked blood all this time, he thought he could remove the restrictions hanging over the capital in one stroke.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

A woman’s pleasant voice. The sound of rippling water twice. Warmth pushing inward. Louis slowly opened the eyes he had closed. He saw the naked body of a woman caught in a hazy silhouette. Her body, from which water droplets were falling, was soaking wet, and her breasts were moderately parted.

A balanced body continued from her prominent pelvis, and red hair flowed long below her waist. Two seductive, cat-like eyes that seemed to have been drawn with a brush. Beneath them stood a straight nose. It was Batenberg Linsia. She adorably pursed her lips and continued speaking.

“Do you know how long I waited?”

When Louis smiled faintly, her face flushed lightly. She brushed her hair aside and drifted over beside Louis. A soft sensation filled his arm as she pushed herself inside and embraced him.

“The affairs of state are busy, Linsia.”

“Do you not want to see me?”

“From time to time.”

“What are you so busy with? I roughly heard the story. You have made up your mind to bring down Marquis Fred Vesk and Marquis Phillipeu James. If I tell you what I know…….”

Louis blocked her lips with one finger. She tried to say something, but stopped as Louis wanted. “I don’t particularly want to put you in danger. I already have the answer to this to some extent.”

Her lips moved slightly. Louis said, “Kiss me.” She slowly approached and came right before Louis’s nose. Soon, her red lips softly entwined with Louis. He thought it was like drinking sweet wine. There was a good fragrance, and there was no need to think about the next moment.

After the bath ended, Louis changed into neat clothes. There were no jewels on the high-quality fabric. He did not particularly like flashy things. Even so, the middle-aged attendant who must have spent all day preparing these clothes let out a brief exclamation. There was no minister, but the female attendants were busily moving around the area. Beside him, Linsia was chattering. Amid that, the one who cautiously approached was a trained warrior.

The one who came wearing a dark red cloak lightly embroidered on both broad shoulders was Mark Jay. A large, elastic bow was slung behind his back. Perhaps because he had not brought a quiver, only the bow was hanging there, and fitting for an archer, he wore a feathered hat.

As soon as he entered, he took off his hat, placed it on his chest, and knelt on one knee. Before Louis could even signal with his eyes, Linsia took several attendants and left. The attendants left one after another, and only Louis and Mark Jay remained in the vast space.

“There is something you must do.”

“Please give the order, Your Majesty.”

“It seems Fred Vesk is colluding with some external figure. I heard you were once a ranger.”

“That is correct. No enemy has ever escaped my tracking.”

“Good. The sooner, the better. Bring me some information.”

“Is it only Marquis Fred Vesk?”

“No, Phillipeu James also falls under that category. But can you do it? I was thinking of assigning Phillipeu James to someone else.”

“I will try both. Please trust me.”

“Good. If you accomplish it, I will reward you.”

“It is already an honor that you have given me a mission.”

He cautiously rose, much like when he had entered, and slowly stepped backward as he left. He was someone who possessed an incredible agility value. Louis had personally confirmed many warriors with his own eyes, but this was the first time he had seen someone with such a high agility value.

That was why he had spared someone he should have killed. He had been a little greedy. Among the warriors Louis currently had who possessed enough stealth to be given a similar mission, Mihoff was at least one of them. However, even she would likely not be able to do better than Mark Jay. In any case, a rough picture was being drawn.

Even if it had not been Louis himself, Orpendius had had a high chance of losing his life while trying to rise again. In a situation where the two powerful ministers controlled the capital and the country had been torn apart by the Seven Great Houses and lost control, if external intervention also came in, it would be split into pieces in an instant.

Rather, thanks to Louis having chosen the timing well, far from splitting apart, the great houses had been firmly hardened, and the country was no different from having received artificial respiration before being torn apart. Moreover, Louis had the means to make this country even more solid.

Around the time the sun had set five more times and darkness had fallen, Mark Jay came to see Louis. It was a short time if one considered it short, and a long time if one considered it long. He was wearing the same outfit as when Louis had given the order, but what was different from then was that his body was full of dust.

“Were there results?”

“I report. While tracking all suspicious individuals, I killed two, captured three, and lost one.”

“So?”

“Your prediction was correct. It seems they are connected to the Kingdom of Ruderwin.”

“They requested salvation.”

“Yes.”

The Kingdom of Ruderwin was a country directly beside the Duchy of Eron and had long been its neighboring country. Even if they aimed for the Duchy of Eron, it was not particularly strange. What Louis was curious about, however, was…….

“The Empire?”

“As far as I investigated, the Empire does not seem to be involved. It is not certain.”

“That is fine for now. It seems the two colluded and intended to receive troops from Ruderwin to attack me.”

Louis had dispersed the troops in the capital again to various places, including House Pontina. The capital was not empty, but it was unavoidable that it would take time for soldiers to gather again.

If, in this situation, they received military support from Ruderwin, quickly surrounded the capital, opened the castle gate, and attacked Louis, he could be caught helplessly.

“The evidence.”

“This is it.”

Mark Jay handed Louis a letter stained with blood. Louis received the letter and skimmed it. Vesk was aiming for Louis. They wanted to become the king, or something that followed from it.

If they lacked justification, there would have been no better time than now for them to become kings. They would subdue the usurper and restore royal authority again. In exchange, a considerable portion of the country would be absorbed into Ruderwin, but such things did not seem important to them.

Whether they rose themselves, or whether they regained authority from Ruderwin and rose as central nobles stronger than now around the land they received, it was not such a bad choice for their own houses. The Duchy of Eron and the other houses would fall, but their descendants would remain as people of great merit to Ruderwin for generations and prosper for a long time.

‘Then that means… Marquis Vesk, who was trying to look good to me, was actually planning to smile while stabbing a knife into my stomach.’

Louis burst into a small laugh. Of course. Considering what he had done until now, Louis had thought it strange that he was excessively frightened, but it had been calculated acting.

“Interesting.”

“……Pardon?”

“No. Excellent work, Mark Jay.”

“Not at all. I am only sorry that I lost one.”

“The direction that person moved?”

“Ruderwin.”

“Either Ruderwin will move, or a ducal house of Ruderwin intends to attack me….”

The cup he was holding burst at the same time. The glass fell to the floor with a crash. A few pieces seemed as if they might lodge in Louis’s palm, but the mana blooming from his body did not permit even the slightest wound.

“Gather the troops. Tonight, we strike them.”

The old minister beside him spoke to Louis worriedly.

“There are not many troops that can be secretly gathered right now. On the other hand, Marquis Vesk and James have hired private soldiers and mercenaries for a long time. We are lacking in numbers.”

“Are you saying they did not support House Boarne with those private soldiers?”

“Yes. The king requested it, but they gave all sorts of reasons and did not listen. After seeing that, Marquis Boarne Gregory instead thought receiving those private soldiers would wound his pride, so he told the king it was fine and confidently went to war.”

When Louis smiled faintly and said, “He died to me,” the people around him were startled and looked at Louis. Among them was Barbus Kenneth. With his curved mustache, his eyes were trembling badly.

Louis briefly looked him over. As expected, he is shaking. Louis did not fully believe Barbus Kenneth’s words that he would be absolutely loyal, nor did he believe everything he had told him. A man with a three-inch tongue always had half the truth hidden away.

The reason he had always kept him by his side was to prevent him from fleeing somewhere or hiding in a corner when the situation shook. That judgment was accurate, and Barbus Kenneth was flustered, unable to do this or that.

“So, Barbus Kenneth. What is your opinion?”

When Louis asked that, two or three ministers, including the royal guard, and Mark Jay looked at him. His face became even more troubled. As he anxiously scratched his chin several times, Louis spoke to him.

“Make your choice quickly. I knew you were mixing lies into what you said. If you spit out the truth even now, I will show mercy considering your position. Let me tell you one thing: I do not know what you think of me, but in war, I have never lost to anyone. Even if it was on a small scale.”

A tremendous energy flowed out from Louis. Only then did Barbus Kenneth, who had made his decision, tremble and speak.

“I apologize. Your Majesty. From now on, I will sincerely follow Your Majesty. If you promise to forgive me and show mercy to my life, my house, and my children, I will do everything in my power with information and everything I can do.”

“Do you swear to Mars? If you speak falsehoods to him, then one day, he will tear your limbs apart, pull out your soul, and throw it into hell.”

“Ah…. I swear to Mars that I will speak the truth sincerely to the agent and messenger of Mars, the glorious usurper.”

“Good.”

“The falsehood I spoke was that I did not know exactly who Marquis Fred Vesk and Marquis Phillipeu James were colluding with.”

“Who is it?”

“It is Duke Rose Christopher.”

From both sides, words burst out at the same time: “Good heavens, Duke Christopher?” and “This is truly dangerous.” Duke Christopher of House Rose was the only duke in the Kingdom of Ruderwin with such tremendous power that even the king could not do as he pleased.

In other words, the fact that Marquis Vesk and James had colluded with him meant that Duke Christopher might be thinking of establishing his own country. Moreover, the rumors about Duke Christopher were quite sinister. It was not only a matter of simple military forces; it was also a place the Holy Knight Order was watching. Probably, in this situation, the only one who was confident was Louis.

“So?”

“Moreover, the scale of their forces is more hidden than that. Marquis Vesk has more private soldiers than what is publicly known. Among them are….”

“……..”

“There are also several black mages.”

The old minister instinctively raised his voice. “Black mages!!! The capital of the Duchy of Eron has never once been contaminated by black magic!!! What kind of stain on history is this!” he shouted, and those around him agreed.

Bud Norman, who had been standing quietly, knelt before Louis and said,

“It is true that there have been many disappearance cases recently. Because public order has become such a mess and food has grown scarce…. They were being passed over like that. Come to think of it, the influx of slaves has also increased.”