Chapter 21

Dragon Slayer's Castle (3)

"Young Master, what kind of trouble did you cause this time?"

Just as expected, Arin asked me that while carrying a luggage bag stuffed full of snacks.

"I did cause some. Dunkel might faint if he hears about it."

I said that while patting Arin on the head as she munched on cookies.

"My brother committed a grave discourtesy. Please accept our apology."

After stopping the fight, Lady Laia bowed toward me with one hand over her chest.

"Thanks to you, the matter was resolved peacefully. My gratitude."

I answered with a polite smile, and Laia smiled back.

'Now look at that. She's not someone to underestimate.'

Watching her composed demeanor, worthy of being called the model of knightly virtue, I reached that conclusion.

Especially considering the timing of her intervention.

'She watched the situation unfold until I had Hector at swordpoint. With her level of influence, she could've stopped it much earlier.'

The fight between Hector and me had been an unexpected incident.
Most people would have either fled in panic or scrambled to understand the situation.

But Laia immediately grasped what was happening and intervened at the exact moment necessary to maximize her gain.

The instant I placed my blade against Hector's throat—

the perfect timing to crush the pride of Helian's faction head-on.

"Grr…!"

Judging by Hector's face, flushed crimson with rage, my assumption seemed correct.

"Young Master, this way…!"
"You've exhausted yourself too much."

The moment the fight ended, maids rushed in and surrounded Hector before escorting him toward his private chambers.

"Laia."

At the voice calling her name, Laia turned her head.

Helian was staring at her while suppressing her fury.

"My apologies, Duchess. The situation appeared too serious, so I intervened without intending to."

Her words and gestures were impeccably polite, but Helian clicked her tongue in irritation.

'She didn't use an honorific title.'

Up until now, all the imperial faction members had addressed Helian as Mama—
an exalted title used for royalty or those of comparable standing.

But Paul Wyvern loyalists like Gordon and Laia never used it.

'So they acknowledge her as an elder of the family, but not as its ruler.'

Politics was the art of hiding countless intentions even within a single title.

Even while participating in it myself, the whole thing gave me a headache.

"….. I'll leave the guests to you. I must go check on Hector."
"Understood."

Helian clicked her tongue again at Laia, who bowed respectfully toward her, then disappeared into her private chambers.

Once the imperial faction members were gone, I finally relaxed slightly and began thinking furiously.

'There's no telling how they'll respond. Cooperation? Expulsion? Either way, I need to draw their attention toward my side somehow…'

And then—

"Ahhh—! That crazy bitch, seriously!"

The instant familiar words came out in an utterly unfamiliar manner from a familiar voice, my thoughts stopped completely.

"No, seriously, what the hell?! First she stirs everything up insisting on holding a damn ball, and now she's the one who ruins it?! This is beyond ridiculous!"

"My Lady! My Lady!"

The surrounding knights hurriedly tried to stop Laia as she continued spewing curses and complaints.

"Why?! You people are the ones who told me to act like a princess whenever that bitch is around!"

Laia shouted wildly, causing the knights around her to cry out in despair.

"The guest hasn't left yet!"

Silence fell the moment she heard that.

Laia slowly turned her head toward me.

'Wow. Even a skeleton's skull would turn more naturally than that.'

I had no idea what expression I was making right now.
Though it was probably less awkward than hers.

Step. Step.

Laia slowly approached me.

"Haaah..."

Her face stiff, Lady Laia stopped before me, steadied her breathing, and then—

"It seems you may have witnessed an illusion due to the urgency of the situation. We would like to escort you to your lodgings first. Would that be acceptable?"

As though nothing had happened, she smiled at me with perfectly refined speech and gestures straight out of an etiquette manual.

Her voice, smooth as rolling jade beads, sounded utterly tragic.

"You know it's too late to act now, right?"

Unable to endure the bizarre transformation, I grimaced and answered honestly.

"…Tch. If you're not gonna fall for it, then at least don't tell anyone."

Pouting slightly, the daughter of House Paul Wyvern said that before leading me toward the guest quarters.

***

"You idiot—!"

Smack!

Inside Duchess Helian's study.

After slapping Hector across the face, Helian still seemed unable to calm her anger and continued screaming at him.

"What were you thinking drawing your sword in that situation?!"
"B-But that bastard insulted you, Mother—!"
"And that justifies making a scene in front of those conservative bastards watching us?!"

Smack—!

No matter how powerful a knight might be, there were fears ingrained since birth that they could never resist.

Putting her full strength into the second slap, Helian struck Hector hard enough to send him collapsing to the floor.

"That bitch… that bitch…!"

Panting heavily while cursing Laia, Helian opened one of the drawers in the study and pulled out a small medicine vial.

Crunch!

Inside the thin glass membrane was a crimson liquid.

Helian bit down on the vial whole and swallowed it.
Gradually, the trembling in her body subsided.

"Hoo…"

Though she was already nearing sixty, Helian's appearance remained close to that of a woman in her forties.

All because of this medicine gifted to her by the Empire.

"Right… calm down. There are more important matters to handle right now."

An imperial drug that cleared the mind and slowed aging.

A treasure more expensive than gold of the same weight.

As the medicine took effect and Helian regained her composure, she turned her gaze toward the shadows.

"Sanchez. Are you there?"

The moment she called his name, a massive figure emerged from the darkness.

"You called for me, Duchess Mama."

Hearing his low voice, Helian nodded as though reassured.

"Contact the Fallen Leaves."

The moment she said that, someone sharply inhaled.

It was Hector, pale with fear.

"What shall the orders be?"
"Kill them. Klein, and the maid who came with him as well. All of them."

The moment Helian gave the order, Hector spoke with a trembling voice.

"M-Mother! Don't do it! They're guests—!"
"I told you to call me Mama!"

Crash—!

The flower vase she hurled grazed past Hector before shattering violently against the wall.

"That bitch Laia, that worm Klein, and now even you refuse to acknowledge me?! Huh?!"

"U-Urgh…!"

In the dark corner of the study, Hector trembled in utter terror.

Then suddenly, Helian's eyes widened.
Lowering her body, she slowly approached him.

"Hector, my baby, my son?"

As though comforting a frightened child, Helian gently walked over and cupped both of his cheeks.

"This is all for your sake. Once you become the duke, everything will get better. So, hmm?"
"Y-Yeah…"

Just moments ago, his mother had been violently raging like a madwoman.

Now she was soothing him with a gentle voice.

Unable to comprehend the sudden shift in her behavior, Hector felt only fear and frantically nodded before throwing himself into her embrace.

"That's right, that's right. Mother's here. My son…"

"…Duchess Mama."

When Sanchez called out to her while watching the scene, Helian continued holding Hector as she spoke.

"That knight called Randel. Can you beat him?"

At the question, Sanchez nodded immediately.

"With that level of skill, I could handle around twenty of him at once."

His indifferent voice answered Helian.

Sanchez—
Helian's trusted subordinate and a knight commander-class warrior.

He was not the type to boast or exaggerate.

"Then what about Klein?"

Hearing that, Sanchez fell silent briefly before replying.

"I can kill him in a single strike."
"Good. Then you go as well."

After saying that, Helian rose from her seat.

Hector, still pale with fear, had already returned to his room.

"If the Fallen Leaves fail, kill them all yourself."

Receiving his master's order, Sanchez slowly nodded before disappearing back into the shadows.

"Just a little more…"

Now alone in the empty study, Helian twisted her lips as she looked at the red lines crawling along her arm.

"Just a little more, and I…!"

Her increasingly distorted laughter filled the dark study.

Below her, crimson liquid dripping from the shattered medicine vial stained the floor red.

***

"The previous duke's death… was suspicious?"

When I asked with a frown, Gordon, the head butler of House Paul Wyvern, nodded heavily.

"Young Master, what does suspicious mean?"
"It means they don't know why he died— …actually, never mind. Go over there and eat cookies."

Responding energetically, Arin stuffed her mouth full of cookies taken from my luggage bag.

"Um… that maid is…"
"She's always like that."

The maids looked bewildered at Arin's behavior, but once I brushed it off casually, they seemed unsure how to respond.

Meanwhile, Laia shrugged and spoke.

"Officially, they reported it as death by old age. But in reality, only that bitch Helian knows the truth."
"My Lady, your mouth!"
"Ah, she already found out anyway!"
"You should at least act ladylike in front of a gentleman!"
"What gentleman?! He looks like some pretty-boy gigolo!"

'A gigolo… what?'

While Laia endured the maids' scolding, Gordon continued the explanation.

Thanks to that, I completely missed the timing to object to the slander flowing so naturally toward me.

"Only the Duchess was present at His Grace's deathbed."
"Then the will…"
"The original is in Helian's possession. And the contents are exactly what her side claims."

Laia answered while rubbing her temples irritably.
The surrounding knights also looked furious.

"There are far too many suspicious points. But an imperial ducal succession…!"
"In the end, it requires the approval of the imperial family."

When I answered the knight's remark, Laia nodded.

This was the greatest shackle binding the Empire's dukes.

Despite possessing authority and power nearly equal to kings, imperial dukes could never escape serving the emperor.

'And also the biggest reason the Empire covets Leinrant.'

Berkel Leinrant—
the great hero who resolved the Archimond Incident.

Because of his achievements, House Leinrant became the only ducal house capable of appointing its own duke without imperial approval.

'Every nation on the continent recognizes Leinrant as the ruler of the North.'

All thanks to the Leinrant Declaration ratified after the continental war.

"So?"

Having learned something unexpected, I leaned back in my chair.

"What exactly is your intention in giving this information to an outsider like me?"

There was no way they would hand over information like this without purpose.

The moment I stripped away the pleasantries and went straight to the point, the noisy atmosphere in the room quieted.

"Help us."

After dismissing the maids who had been nagging her, Laia looked directly at me.

"As expected."

Letting out a low sigh, I asked again,

"It doesn't sound like you're asking me personally for help. Are you asking Leinrant to intervene in the Paul Wyvern succession dispute?"
"People who share a common enemy should cooperate. Isn't that right?"
"In other words, you want to oppose Helian together?"

Laia nodded.

"Hm…"

"We're not asking for anything unreasonable. Just an exchange of information and manpower."

As I listened to her, I fell into thought.

Or rather, pretended to.

Instead, I shifted my gaze elsewhere.

Swoosh—

A translucent female figure emerged through the window.

A Banshee—
a spirit that served as the eyes and ears of necromancers.

She approached me and whispered something into my ear.

Only after I nodded did she vanish like smoke.

'…I see. So that's how it is.'

After confirming the information the Banshee had brought me, I looked back at the people waiting for my answer.

"That won't work."

Silence fell briefly.

Then Laia exploded.

"What do you mean no?! You caused that entire disaster in the ballroom and now you're chickening out?! Huh?!"
"My Lady, your mouth—!"
"Ah, let go of me!"

Meanwhile, Gordon maintained his composure and asked calmly,

"May I ask the reason?"
"It's simple enough."

I smiled faintly at them.

"I'm about to be assassinated."