214 — Oblivion (8)

“What’s going on?”

Count Lutyian was furious.

“You couldn’t bring her back?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Baron Gerin answered with a furrowed brow.

“Why wouldn’t they release her? What’s to be gained?”

“I don’t know. I can’t understand it.”

“Come to think of it, you’ve been asking about this for a while, haven’t you?”

“Yes. It’s ridiculous to interfere in someone else’s household, and he was told she had died…”

“Is that bastard crazy? How dare he deceive the Empire’s laws and act however he wants? Does he think he can do whatever he pleases just because of the concert?”

“Y-yeah, that’s right.”

Baron Gerin continued shaking his head, looking confused.

“This won’t end here. I’ll make them pay for it, along with Dink. How dare they do something like that and run away!”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Yeah, exactly? Aren’t you the one who failed to track that down and let it slip away? Huh? Huh? This mouth of yours?”

“W-well…”

Count Lutyian grabbed Baron Gerin’s lips. Though it was painful, Gerin couldn’t move the hand away.

“Ha, but fortunately, it seems she’s lost her memory. So, she probably won’t speak recklessly. Even if she does, no one will believe her, and there’s no evidence.”

“Hmph, I don’t care about that. The people are praising me for it. It’s a completely useless matter, but how dare they interfere with my business. How dare they! How dare they! How dare they! I’ll make them pay! If they can’t bring her, then they’ll have to pay for it in another way, do you understand?”

“Yes! My Lord! I will act immediately.”

“Make sure it’s dealt with. And that Greek bastard can’t be left alone either. How dare he ignore my request? I’ll wait and see how he tries to excuse himself after breaking the Empire’s laws. I’ll make sure to see his face in the Emperor’s court!”

The Count, filled with anger, kicked the desk violently, then thought of something and shouted.

“If that’s the case, we need to prepare properly. Get ready! We’re going to meet the duke!”

Count Lutyian’s destination was Duke Illen’s residence.

Leaving Lutyian City and the manor under the steward’s care, Count Lutyian was part of Duke Illen’s faction in the Capital, so naturally, he headed toward the Duke’s house.

“Your Highness, I have something to report about Greek.”

Count Lutyian arrived at Duke Illen’s mansion and got straight to the point.

Duke Illen frowned as he listened to Count Lutyian.

“Are you talking about Count Greek?”

“Yes. That’s right!”

Count Lutyian rambled about his plan. The essence of it was a request to ask the Emperor for punishment.

“Your Highness, this is clearly kidnapping and illegal detention. We can definitely win this case.”

“Hmmm, that’s…”

However, Duke Illen was not at all inclined to agree.

He had heard from the Emperor the reason why it was dangerous to provoke Greek City at the concert. He had no desire to step into a potential firestorm, so he hesitated while stroking his beard.

“Your Highness! This has nothing to do with the concert. It’s just a matter between families. And the one who broke the law is clearly Greek, isn’t it? All you need to do is inform His Majesty!”

“Hmmm.”

Duke Illen exhaled again, still hesitating to answer.

---

“What’s with these guys? Why are they all so thin? It’s disgusting.”

“It’s a famine.”

“Famine?”

“It means a lack of food. It’s probably because of the drought.”

Rurin pressed both her hands against her cheeks and cried out.

“A world with no food is hell! Just hearing that makes me hungry.”

She then pulled out some jerky from her pocket and started sucking on it.

“Well, seeing you eat something, it looks like there’s some form of rationing going on.”

“Huh?”

“Look over there, they’re sharing even the small amount of porridge. Normally, people would fight over it.”

Rurin watched the scene, then pulled the jerky from her mouth and offered it to me.

“You.”

“Huh?”

“Here!”

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“I can share anything with you. So stop staring!”

“What’s that? You want me to just look at you?”

I was confused at first, but when I asked,

Rurin nodded as I took the jerky.

“I’d like that. Hehe.”

“If you only look at me, how are you going to walk?”

“Like this!”

At that point, Rurin suddenly grabbed my hand tightly and started running.

“Hey! Stop!”

As soon as I spoke, she stopped dead in her tracks. Thanks to inertia, I ended up falling into her arms.

“Oh, extra income too! Hehehe.”

“You idiot, then you won’t be able to see me.”

“Huh? I don’t think that’s okay…”

Rurin laughed happily but suddenly found herself in a dilemma. Her face was blank, completely caught off guard. I poked her cheek, and it puffed up.

When I poked it again, the air rushed out, and it deflated.

It seemed like a big dilemma. She looked like she was stuck in the “which came first, the chicken or the egg” dilemma.

“This is so hard!”

And then, she erupted like a volcano.

She started rubbing her head wildly, turning her hair into a complete mess.

“By the way, the Captain of the Guard should be showing up soon.”

The place I was visiting with Rurin was Lutyian City.

However, unlike before, I had no intention of stepping forward this time.

I had already intervened enough to set up a situation where Greek could handle things on his own, so now I was honestly just interested in seeing his skills.

In fact, I had doubts about whether the Captain of the Guard could uncover all the information Greek wanted to know.

So, I planned to step in and ensure that Greek received the perfect information.

As the saying goes, “Speak of the devil,” I spotted someone running toward us from the manor.

“Hey!”

When I called out loudly, the person recognized me and quickly changed direction to run toward me.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

The surprised Captain of the Guard dismounted and kneeled before me. He still treated me as he did when I was in charge of the manor.

“Stand up. Time is precious, so tell me what you found in your investigation.”

“Well, to summarize, there’s a rumor going around that a baron and a maid from the manor were in a relationship and tried to run away, but were caught. It seems the maid is the one who ran away, and….”

“Because they were in a relationship?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“Hmmm. Who did you hear that from?”

“I bribed other maids and servants who work at the manor, and they all said the same thing, so I believe it’s true.”

“You.”

“Yes!”

“If you’re going to assist Greek, that’s not enough.”

“Wh-what?”

“That’s just scratching the surface. You need to investigate someone who knows the inside story. Whether you catch the higher-ups or go to jail to hear the person’s side, follow me.”

I expected it, but it was exactly as I thought.

They ran away because they were in a relationship.

That’s information the servants or maids would know, which makes it too convenient. To get real information, we need to hear from the baron who got caught.

“The baron is in jail?”

“Yes. I heard he was punished for trying to seduce the count’s maid.”

“That’s interesting. Let’s go to jail then.”

“Wh-what?”

“I’ll do both!”

And then, finally, as if deciding on the dilemma, Rurin shouted loudly.

Thud thud thud.

Soon, the sound of footsteps followed from behind.

“Come with me! You!”

---

“Did you find out?”

“Yes! My Lord!”

The Captain of the Guard kneeled before Greek. He had just returned after rushing to Lutyian City to gather information, following the orders of Greek and El.

“Good, good, well done! I’ll reward you adequately for your efforts. Now, please tell me what you found! Have you found any clues about her?”

“Yes! Of course. As you instructed, I bribed them generously, and it was easier to find out. I asked several people and heard the same story from all of them, so I believe it to be true!”

“So that means…”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

“Then tell me quickly. Quickly!”

Greek, with a desperate look on his face, hastily raised the Captain of the Guard and seated him forcefully in a chair, his feet tapping impatiently.

---

Lutyian City, located in the southern part of the Empire.

The drought that had been ongoing for several years intensified this year, and the accumulated damage ultimately led to a major famine.

When agriculture, the backbone of the economy, is paralyzed, naturally, the market dies, and when the market dies, commerce dies as well.

In such a situation, the Central Government sent relief supplies, but for Count Lutyian, it was another opportunity.

Count Lutyian had been living in the capital while assisting Duke Illen, but due to the relief supplies, he urgently returned to his territory, where the manor was engaged in heated debates over how to handle the aid.

The subject of the debate was how to use the relief supplies most efficiently.

The problem, if there was one, was that the efficiency was far from the original intent of the relief supplies.

“My Lord, does this mean you intend to support Prince Delian moving forward?”

“That’s right. The Crown Prince has too little power. In the current situation, Duke Delian is the closest to the throne.”

“That’s definitely true…”

Baron Gerin nodded, and the two other barons, his subordinates, also nodded in agreement.

“Of course, this must be kept a secret from Duke Illen. This is an insurance policy for when Duke Delian ascends to the throne.”

“Indeed, My Lord. There’s no need to hold on to both sides of the rope, right?”

As all the barons nodded in agreement, Count Lutyian smiled contentedly and stroked his chin.

“With the money we’ve accumulated, if we divert some of this relief supply, we’ll have enough political funds to support Delian. With that, he’ll accept us.”

“Of course. We’ll prepare it accordingly.”

“Right. However, the relief supplies have just arrived, so we need to let it sit for a while. First, take a small amount, tell them it’s part of the Central relief supplies, and distribute it. Afterward, wash the rest and deliver it to the Prince. We need to make sure the paperwork is perfect.”

“Of course, My Lord.”

“Ultimately, this is the way for Lutyian to develop, under the protection of the next emperor!”

“Right, exactly.”

The Count and the barons looked at each other and began to laugh.

If they had managed the accumulated funds earlier, Lutyian House could have avoided being swept into such a severe famine.

Count Lutyian valued his connections more than the starving people. So, for him, the famine was rather a welcome guest as it brought money from the Capital.

“This is why droughts are actually enjoyable. It brings in backdoor money. Backdoor money. Hehehe.”

While the Count and the barons were plotting, there was a maid eavesdropping outside the office.

It was none other than Siena.