I paused in thought for a moment.
“First, they must have verified the strange rumor that I can’t use magic and have become a clear-blooded knight. And they would have learned that Ribelia has become the new heir and is solidifying her position.”
“Yes. I’m curious what they might have thought upon learning those facts.”
Each one was a complex and sharp question that could yield many answers.
“It would differ depending on the perspective and the issue. It could affect countless areas.”
“What about from the broad framework of the conflict between Intezeruto and the imperial family? That’s been going on for a hundred years. The conflict over Serenus Marsh all stems from that as well.”
That narrowed it down considerably.
“The heir?”
“Pardon?”
“The most important thing back then was stripping our lord of his right to be a candidate. It cut away one of the elector’s most vital rights—the right to vote and the right to be elected.”
It was an incident that wouldn’t have been strange to spark a great war.
It was a matter of gains and losses, but also of noble pride.
However, the lord had hidden his burning rage and unquenchable ambition’s fangs for a full hundred years.
He endured that outrage, garnered sympathy votes from the other great houses, and passed his unfulfilled dreams to his children.
“That’s why he said he would make me emperor.”
The expression he wore when it was revealed I couldn’t use magic was still vivid in my mind.
“Now, he’s trying to make Ribelia empress.”
“Then, in this generation of Intezeruto, the only blue blood who can challenge for the throne is Lady Ribelia?”
Sirina pinpointed the key point.
It was an impressively sound judgment for someone who had only served at my side until now.
“Yes. Because of the great purge our lord carried out right after his ascension, all the pureblood direct lines were wiped out. There’s no way a knight could become emperor no matter what happens, so Ribelia is the only one who can be a candidate for the throne.”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“It’s irreverent even to speak of it, but…”
“Go ahead and say it.”
“Then, what would happen if Lady Ribelia were to disappear? For example… like me.”
It was an unimaginable horror.
I furrowed my brow and opened my mouth.
“…Assassination, you mean.”
“Internally, the house would be in turmoil. With the heir changing twice in less than ten years, voices doubting the lord’s ability would arise. But externally, it would be even more chaotic. There would be no blue blood left with the right to aim for the throne.”
Intezeruto would completely withdraw from the next throne争夺 war.
“Would it stabilize only when a new child is born?”
“Yes. The lord would remarry, or perhaps pair me with a pureblood lady and use me as a stud. Either way, who knows when a child would be born.”
The lord had obtained me after 150 years.
That was quite late even by pureblood standards.
“That child would need at least twenty years to grow and act as a proper noble. Until then, we’d have to sit and watch the imperial family prosper, sucking our thumbs.”
Having said that much, I picked up the belt with the sword sheath and rose from my seat.
“Do you know how many in the imperial delegation came? Where are they all staying?”
“The attendants and knights are at an inn outside the castle, and the administrators and blue bloods have been given an empty mansion inside the castle.”
“Ribelia is handling the reception?”
“Nominally, yes. The actual work is being handled by Lord Destior, the sea-colored officer-mage.”
“Where is she now?”
***
Lord Destior was an impressive officer-mage in many ways.
A captivating woman with glossy red straight hair neatly tied down, blinking her clear red eyes.
The two beauty marks below her eyes matched well with her plain dress without lace.
Her face appeared to be in her thirties, but she was actually a mage who had lived over ten times that many years.
“Oh my. Isn’t that Young Master Anplus?”
She was also a grateful person who had consistently called me young master even after my fall.
“Lady Destior. I have something to tell you.”
The imperial family is trying to assassinate Ribelia.
It was still in the realm of conjecture without a shred of evidence, but it was worth verifying.
“I never expected the young master to come looking for me. Yes, please go ahead.”
I calmly chose my words.
As she listened to the series of deductions, Destior’s face gradually contorted.
“It’s certainly possible, as the young master says. Those petty fools are fully capable of using dirty tricks. They did something similar a hundred years ago.”
“You believe me?”
“We’re not on such faithful terms with those imperial bastards. Part of it is believing the young master’s words, but part is not trusting those imperial scum.”
If it’s them, they’re more than capable of assassination and other filthy tactics.
What do we have to lose by not trusting them?
That’s what Destior said.
She lightly furrowed her brow and continued.
“The blue bloods and administrators from the imperial family are all staying inside the castle now. However, they are barred from approaching the inner castle mansion where the young master and young lady reside.”
“Have you accurately accounted for their numbers and blood colors?”
“They all completed blood color verification and remained inside the castle. Those with relatively deep blood like Kirie are under knight surveillance whenever they’re outside their rooms.”
I continued carefully.
I had to avoid seeming to doubt her authority or handling.
“Are you doing the same for the attendants and imperial knights lodged outside the castle?”
“Why would we monitor red-blooded trash?”
Destior said it as if it were the most natural thing.
I felt my throat tighten.
What could red bloods possibly do?
It was one of the foundational thoughts held by blue bloods.
Seeing my expression, she added an explanation.
“The imperial knights are blocked from entering the castle, and the red-blooded attendants come and go to deliver forgotten items for the delegation’s blue bloods.”
“Did they undergo blood color verification?”
“How could we make red bloods do blood color verification?”
Her expression suggested it was a strange question.
And it was indeed a strange question.
If a red blood underwent blood color verification, it would take at least three weeks to recover.
They might even die from excessive blood loss if cut just a bit too deep.
“How do you know they’re red-blooded without blood color verification?”
“!”
So, upon hearing my question, a spasm crossed Destior’s face.
In this era, it’s taken for granted that blue-blooded nobles wear uniforms or formal attire when going out, wear signet rings, and grow their hair long.
The very idea of a blue blood disguising as a red blood to attempt assassination was beyond common sense.
Like a knight stabbed in an unexpected spot, Destior stammered.
“W-well…”
“Could you please check their roster immediately?”
“Yes, young master. I’ll check.”
With a still confused expression, Destior called for the attendant mages, knights, and soldiers.
I grabbed a startled servant and sent him to the knights’ training ground.
“Go find Sir Liam and Sir Dande, and tell them to come to my room.”
An assassin mage wouldn’t be that strong.
At best, attendant level.
Those two should be able to subdue them even if encountered midway.
“I’ll return to my room and patrol the corridors. Once you’ve checked the roster, inform me immediately.”
“Wait a moment. The entry ledger will be organized shortly.”
“Already?”
“I wouldn’t let just anyone into the castle. Especially not those imperial bastards. Stay by my side. If what you say is true, the young master would be the second priority target for assassination.”
It took me a beat to understand her words.
They might come out to render me useless even as breeding stock.
Two attendants flipped through documents rapidly at my side.
“No. No. That can’t be.”
“What do you mean, no!”
They let out groans.
“Lady Destior. Three are missing. There are entry records, but no exit records.”
“When?”
“The first day. When the entire delegation entered the castle to greet the lord, three people are short on the exit count.”
“Why wasn’t this reported!”
“It doesn’t specify who didn’t leave. With the multiple long meetings that day, it seems they thought some administrators couldn’t leave.”
The gate guard trembled.
“It’s my successor’s doing. I bear responsibility too. Please, spare my family at least.”
Destior slapped the guard’s cheek.
“If you don’t want to make orphans of your children, stop the nonsense and go seal the outer castle gates quickly!”
It meant she would spare him.
The guard rushed out in a panic.
“Three?”
“Yes, three.”
Destior surveyed the castle interior.
“Just three in this vast place.”
***
The Intezeruto family’s main castle was built on a mountain in the center of Intezeron.
They had flattened the mountainside, used the soil to build the outer walls and ramparts, and erected the inner castle atop the ramparts.
The outer castle contained various facilities including knight training, guest mansions for outsiders, audience halls, and offices, but the inner castle was solely the residence area for the Intezeruto family.
To enter, assassins would have to scale the inner walls over ten meters high.
“Hurry! They might have already climbed the walls.”
“Search every nook and cranny! If you don’t find them, it’s your heads!”
“Seal the inner castle side doors used by the servants too. No one leaves.”
“Detain the imperial delegation first. Don’t let them go anywhere!”
Soldiers, knights, and attendants bustled about the castle.
“Have you arrived?”
“How could I rest easy knowing there might be intruders?”
The sky-colored officer-mages living in the first street mansions gathered upon hearing the news.
Cutting through that bustling atmosphere, Destior and I headed to the outer castle mansion where the imperial delegation was staying.
Though its scale was modest since it was in the outer castle, it had a compact feel that made it unobjectionable for hosting guests.
That mansion had long been surrounded by attendants, knights, and soldiers.
With the voluntarily gathered sky-colored officer-mages added, the atmosphere was menacing.
Heavy crossbows capable of piercing breastplates gleamed with loaded bolts, and knights rushing from the training ground bared their dark sword blades.
“Lady Destior. What is the meaning of this sudden action?”
Kirie faced that murderous gaze head-on and reacted normally in surprise.
His green eyes trembled in confusion, but he lowered his voice, trying to feign composure.
It was the model reaction of someone who had finished meetings, was awaiting a response, and suddenly found themselves surrounded by an army.
It didn’t seem like acting.
“Lord Kirie. Circumstances suggest that imperial attendants intend to cause deep confusion in Intezeruto. Please do not leave the mansion until the situation is resolved.”
“Do you have evidence? From where I stand, this looks like nothing but Intezeruto detaining or threatening the imperial delegation.”
It was a valid point.
The entry ledger was something Intezeruto could manipulate at will.
However, the seasoned noblewoman Destior replied in a calm tone.
“If it turns out to be a misunderstanding later, ample compensation and apologies will follow.”
Valid points didn’t work in front of skilled crossbowmen, knights, and the one-person armies that were sky-colored officer-mages.
Their relationship couldn’t get any worse anyway.
“I hope it will be sufficient.”
Even the formidable Kirie had no choice but to close his mouth in front of that.
Then, a soldier came running from the inner castle side.
Upon hearing his report, Destior furrowed her brow.
“We can’t deploy troops into the inner castle? The lord forbade it?”
“The chief knight of the guard raised an objection. In a situation where we don’t know what magic those three use, the act of opening the doors itself could invite greater danger.”
They could be hiding with invisibility magic and rush in the moment the doors open.
“Then?”
“Sending in a small number of knights, or escorting Lady Ribelia out until the incident is over were considered.”
“No. She could be sniped with a crossbow. Better to send in a small number of knights as per the first plan.”
At those words, several gazes turned toward me and then away.
As I started to move, Destior grabbed my wrist.
“Young master.”
“Let go, Destior.”
“You are also a direct pureblood.”
I nodded.
“I have to prove that.”
“But!”
“Please.”
Her hand slowly released.
Leaving the soldiers behind, I headed to the inner castle doors with the knights and attendants assigned to the entry team.
The gazes of the soldiers and sky-colored officer-mages poured down.
“Young Master Anplus.”
“You’re not even twenty yet, but already so mature.”
It was a bit heavier and less flashy than the gazes I received in the Hall of Glory, but utterly without pretense.
We entered the inner castle.
The doors I passed through daily and the garden I saw every day felt strangely unfamiliar.
“Conduct searches in pairs. If there’s anything suspicious at all, blow the whistle. Even if a comrade disappears, don’t peek around—blow the whistle. I’ll stay with Lady Ribelia.”
I moved into the mansion.
The maids, servants, cooks, and other staff were all gathered in the hall.
Leaving them behind, I crossed the same corridor I had walked this afternoon.
This time, at the last fork, I turned right.
The two knights and six crossbow-armed soldiers guarding the only passage recognized me and saluted by placing hands on their chests.
I returned the salute and stood before Ribelia’s door.
“May I come in?”
“Brother?”
The door opened, and the girl with gray eyes smiled with boundless joy.
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