Chapter 29
When in the Dread Queen’s Domain, Follow the Laws of the Dread Queen’s Domain
That day, from the highest point in the castle, Ferda spotted a group racing toward the Dread Queen’s Domain of Valdrova.
There were roughly twenty of them, all mounted on horseback.
Unless a horse had been raised in the Far East, it would naturally recoil from the presence of a dragon.
Yet although these horses had been raised in the central region, they showed no instinctive aversion whatsoever.
They had been trained to charge into the jaws of death until their final breath, even if their lives were forfeit or their legs were severed.
Only the empire’s finest troops could ride horses like those.
Ferda knew who they were.
“The Purge Corps.”
Luri, who stood beside him, responded.
“The Purge Corps is the imperial organization that monitors territorial lords, correct?”
“Yes. It was originally called the Imperial Inspection Corps, but they changed the name among themselves.”
It had originally been established to monitor and restrain corruption among provincial lords.
The Emperor had created it to win the hearts of the people.
“They never showed themselves before, but now that you have arrived, Lord Ferda, they have begun sniffing around the Far East.”
Luri spoke as though Ferda were the source of all evil.
She was not entirely wrong.
“Do you know why they never came before? There was nothing here to eat.”
“Nothing to eat?”
“They call themselves the Purge Corps, but in reality, they are nothing more than a group that extorts money from lords.”
The Emperor had ambitiously established the organization to gain the people’s support, but within a few months, it had lost its original purpose and become corrupt.
In the end, under the pretext of supervision and eradicating corruption, they transformed into state-sanctioned thugs who traveled around threatening lords and squeezing money out of them.
What kind of place had the Dread Queen’s Domain of Valdrova been before Ferda arrived?
The castle itself had been abandoned, while the local lords were merely the first line of defense, leaving everything to Valdrova.
The Purge Corps had ignored the region because visiting would have been dangerous and unlikely to yield enough money even to cover their travel expenses.
“They are no different from wandering knights.”
“The only difference is whether they prey on lords or commoners.”
“If they intend to extort money under the pretext of an inspection… they will likely question you about Thessalos Wolcher. Will that be all right?”
The murder of a noble was a serious crime.
The provincial lords who had witnessed it must already have reported the matter to the empire.
“They will probably bring up the charge of murdering a noble, but they will treat it as only one item on the list.”
“Have you committed some other crime?”
“No, but they will say I have.”
Ferda came from a knightly family.
Therefore, he knew exactly which term the Purge Corps would use first.
It was a phrase capable of making any lord’s heart race.
“They will pressure me with accusations of plotting and inciting rebellion.”
Plotting and inciting rebellion.
Was there any phrase more capable of making one’s heart pound?
It was a charge so vague that it could be twisted to fit anyone, yet it could easily cost a person their head.
They would undoubtedly force their way in by fabricating crimes that had never existed.
“Then perhaps it would be better not to speak with them at all. Shall I drive them away?”
Ferda shook his head at Luri’s question.
“No. They are guests who have come all this way. Shouldn’t we lure them in properly?”
“Lure them in?”
“They are people connected to the heart of the Arken Empire. Imagine how convenient it would be if we brought them over to our side in advance.”
“Hmm…”
Their minds contained nothing but blind greed.
Their only source of confidence was the insignia pinned to their chests.
From birth, men like them were riddled with weaknesses.
“To think that things lower than garbage are about to enter our castle…”
Luri muttered under her breath.
She made no attempt to hide her hatred of knights.
Her disgust had reached an unprecedented peak.
It was only natural.
Until recently, she had suffered from Ferda’s stench, only to hear that even Valdrova herself now smelled.
“Lord Ferda.”
“What is it?”
“If those uncivilized idiots wish to enter this castle, should they not scrub themselves thoroughly first?”
They absolutely should.
Her expression suggested that she might start a rebellion herself if they refused.
“Do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
The moment she received permission, Luri hurried away to prepare bathwater.
Karl Harvest.
The eldest son of the knightly Harvest family, he served as the leader of a field inspection squad within the Purge Corps.
The title of squad leader did not sound particularly impressive, but Karl had no complaints.
It was one of the few positions that allowed a mere knight to trample provincial lords underfoot and act like a king.
Recently, new prey had appeared before them.
Ferda Valdrova.
A man who had supposedly been expelled from the Rosnova family and then eagerly accepted an engagement to the Dread Queen.
At first, everyone had mocked him.
They called him a fool who had chosen to be torn apart by the Dread Queen rather than give up his status as a noble.
But he had not been torn apart.
On the contrary, he was thriving.
Ever since he entered the Dread Queen’s Domain, the eastern region, which had remained stagnant for years, had begun to show signs of growth.
For now, it was merely the Pascal Trading Company establishing a branch there, but soon the traffic of merchant groups would steadily increase.
That meant large sums of money would begin flowing through the East.
The Dread Queen’s Domain of Valdrova, which they had once dismissed as worthless chaff, could not help but look like delicious prey.
The first to catch its scent was the Purge Corps, an organization directly under the imperial household.
It was already a foregone conclusion that development would accelerate and continue on an upward trajectory.
However, they greatly underestimated Ferda’s role in creating those achievements.
‘It must mean that Valdrova has accumulated that much treasure.’
Karl never imagined that it had been possible because Ferda was competent.
After all, he was merely a brat who had been driven out of the Rosnova family.
‘The current regent was once a knight, so he should understand how we operate.’
As someone from a knightly family, Ferda would undoubtedly know about the Purge Corps.
Karl therefore believed he would be easier to negotiate with than other lords.
Ferda should understand that the Purge Corps would not harass him beyond a certain point so long as he handed over an appropriate amount of money.
‘We have to squeeze as much out of them as possible while they still have plenty of money.’
The Dread Queen’s Domain was dangerous, and Valdrova’s wealth and treasures could not be limitless.
‘Still, I mustn’t take this too lightly.’
Karl was no fool who believed everything would proceed exactly according to plan.
People inevitably changed when intoxicated by power beyond their station.
If Ferda became arrogant after rising to the position of regent, Karl needed to be capable of crushing him.
Naturally, Karl had already made preparations for that possibility as well.
“Has the reply to the letter we sent arrived?”
As a final precaution, Karl had sent a letter to Count Consilus.
His adjutant, who had checked the response, answered.
“Yes. He says he is currently on his way to Valdrova Castle. We can begin the discussion before he arrives.”
“Excellent.”
Karl grinned.
Count Consilus was the informant who had provided him with information about Ferda Valdrova, as well as an ally and witness who would reinforce the Purge Corps’ position.
Now Karl even held a card capable of forcing Ferda Valdrova into submission.
No matter how the man reacted, he would be unable to escape the Purge Corps’ pressure.
At last, they reached the entrance to the inner castle.
As befitted a castle without servants, the surroundings were desolate.
Ordinary lords employed and displayed large numbers of servants, if only to preserve their dignity and prestige.
Yet even after entering the inner castle, all they saw was a gray-haired man dressed in formal attire and a girl wearing a maid uniform.
The man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing down at them as though he had been waiting.
“Is that him?”
The third son who had been expelled from the Rosnova family.
As Karl had heard, the man was tall, but his body was slender.
He looked so frail that no one would ever imagine he came from a knightly family.
‘Perhaps because he is the regent, his gaze is no ordinary one.’
There was depth in Ferda’s eyes, and even at a glance, his expression suggested that he would not be an easy opponent.
Most people would have grown nervous, but Karl had encountered situations like this countless times.
Men who possessed no real substance yet tried to appear impressive through their expressions alone.
Karl had also watched those men crumble.
‘In the end, he is nothing more than Valdrova’s kept man.’
To Karl, Ferda merely looked like an immature brat putting on airs.
Concealing his sneer beneath his helmet, Karl dismounted and removed it.
As expected of the eldest son of a knightly family, his face was sharp and well-defined.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Ferda Rosnova! I am Karl, eldest son of the Harvest family, dispatched by order of the Purge Corps, a unit directly under the imperial household, to conduct an investigation!”
Karl placed a hand over his heart and bowed with impeccable courtesy.
Ferda politely returned the greeting.
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Karl Harvest. However, I abandoned the Rosnova name long ago, so I would prefer that you call me Ferda Valdrova.”
“My apologies.”
It had not been a mistake.
Karl had merely intended to remind Ferda that he was the third son of the Rosnova family.
His words strongly implied, ‘We both come from knightly families, so you understand what I mean, don’t you?’
Of course, such a petty trick had no effect whatsoever on Ferda.
“What business brings the Purge Corps, protectors of the empire’s subjects, all the way here? There are not even any subjects in Valdrova Castle who require protection yet.”
“This does not seem like a matter we should discuss while standing outside. Why don’t we go inside and speak?”
“Inside, you say…”
Ferda had greeted them in front of the inner castle’s gates.
He glanced behind himself.
After meeting the eyes of the young maid, he nodded.
“That is possible, but you will have to follow the rules of our castle. Will that be acceptable?”
“What rules?”
“A new rule was recently established in our castle. Every knight must complete a thorough cleansing before entering.”
Karl frowned.
It sounded like a blatant insult accusing them of smelling foul.
“Who established such a ridiculous rule?”
Luri Silverwand, attendant to the Red Dragon Valdrova.
“I did.”
Ferda, however, claimed responsibility himself.
He merely wanted to avoid an unnecessary exchange.
Ferda gestured toward their silver plate armor with his chin.
“Wearing so many things that trap sweat makes one especially prone to illness. Ominous energies lurk throughout the Far East in particular. Maintaining cleanliness must come first. That is why I decreed that everyone must wash regularly.”
“Hmm…”
Karl disliked the very idea of bathing the moment he entered someone else’s territory, but when one entered another’s land, following its rules came first.
Besides, he had continuously sensed the East’s unclean atmosphere throughout the journey.
“Understood. Since we have come to the Dread Queen’s Domain, we should follow the customs of the Dread Queen’s Domain.”
“My thanks.”
Ferda turned slightly toward Luri, who had been waiting nearby.
As though she had been eagerly anticipating this moment, she stepped forward and greeted the inspectors.
“Welcome to Valdrova Castle. My name is Luri, and I will be assisting with your baths. Please follow me.”
Karl failed to conceal the disappointment in his eyes.
Luri was beautiful, with silver hair and silver eyes, but she had the undeveloped figure of a young girl without curves.
The thought that such an unimpressive girl would attend to his bath instantly extinguished all his anticipation.
‘I can just wash quickly and come back out.’
Of course, that was merely Karl’s assumption.
‘I won’t allow a single speck of grime to remain on them.’
Luri was more serious than ever.
A coarse scrubbing cloth was clutched in her hand.
The spirits she had summoned were also waiting in the bathhouse, each holding a scrubbing cloth just like hers.
Having resolved to scrape away every last layer of grime clinging stubbornly to their skin, she welcomed them inside.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
“Save me!”
“Gah! Aaaagh!”
That day, screams echoed repeatedly throughout Valdrova Castle.
After the bath, Ferda and Karl met in the reception room.
There, Ferda discovered one astonishing fact.
‘So his skin really was that pale.’
The difference was so extreme that it looked as though an entire layer of skin had been peeled away.
Having been scrubbed that thoroughly, Karl swallowed the curses rising within him.
“Thank you… for your hospitality.”
“Think nothing of it. Even I did not realize we were capable of offering such hospitality. Come, have some tea.”
Karl and Ferda each raised a teacup.
To begin the conversation smoothly, Ferda introduced the subject.
“So, what business has brought the Purge Corps here?”
“As I said, we have come to conduct an investigation. Are you aware of the charges against you, Regent?”
“I am not. That is why I am asking.”
“Understood.”
He is pretending not to know.
Karl recited the words he had prepared.
“Regent Ferda Valdrova, you are currently under investigation for plotting and inciting rebellion against the empire. Do you understand?”
The charge matched Ferda’s prediction perfectly.
It was absurd, but he decided to play along for the time being.
“I see. Have you come to award me a medal, then?”
“This is not the time to joke with an imperial chief inspector.”
“Was it a joke? When you accused me of plotting and inciting rebellion, I assumed that must be why you had come. The only crime I have committed is contributing to the development of this territory.”
“We are aware that you have devoted yourself to the empire’s development and peace. However, once an accusation has been filed, we have a duty to investigate.”
“Who filed it?”
“I cannot disclose that. It is classified information.”
Cannot disclose it, my ass.
He could not reveal the accuser because no such person existed.
“I heard that you recently signed an agreement with the Pascal Trading Company.”
“That is correct.”
“I also heard that Pascal is fully funding the road improvements and supplying all the materials this territory lacks.”
“Not all of it. I am paying a tiny amount myself.”
It was important to retain at least a nominal share in the project, so Valdrova Castle was covering approximately one percent of the expenses.
Stephan had been the one to suggest it.
“All of this may be investigated as evidence of plotting and inciting rebellion against the empire.”