There was a minor incident where I hurled a double insult at Marquess Jerni Houston.
Apparently, the Marquess hadn’t expected to be cursed out right to her face, and she stared at me with teary eyes, as if to provoke my guilt, but I ignored her—none of my business.
From what I know, that woman should be in her forties by now, so why is she acting cute in front of a teenager?
She must be thoroughly insane.
“That’s what happened, then.”
Anyway, thanks to my position in the Special Task Force, my companions and I were welcomed as guests in the Marquisate and gathered in a rather spacious guest room.
After explaining the situation to Theresa, I added a remark.
“Don’t grow up to be like your mother.”
“Huh?”
Theresa looked surprised at my abrupt words, but I quickly turned to Murfin.
“How’s Elena?”
Murfin, who’d found Elena locked up in the Houston Estate’s outer prison, clenched his teeth and answered.
“She’s still sleeping in the recovery room. Her wounds are all healed thanks to you, Captain, but she hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Currently, Elena had been stabbed with the Holy Sword once, and I’d healed her.
But maybe the surprise attack from the Demon Race hit her harder than expected, as she still hadn’t woken up.
“Still, it seems she put up quite a fight. Earlier, I noticed her Mana was nearly depleted.”
“……You can tell things like that, Captain?”
“It’s mostly intuition.”
Maybe I’ve seen the Great Sage run out of Mana too many times, so now I can sort of tell by the feel.
“But it’s not really good news. If she didn’t lose consciousness instantly, it means they deliberately made her resist. And they wounded her just short of killing her, so basically, they were toying with her. Judging by the circumstances, there were at least two members of the Demon Race, so Elena wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“…….”
Murfin ground his teeth quietly.
“I’ll return to Elena’s side for now.”
“Good. When she wakes up, tell her that after she’s fully recovered, we’ll start a much tougher training schedule, so she’ll never be taken by those bastards again.”
“……Understood.”
Murfin left the room.
A brief, quiet silence settled over us.
Theresa spoke softly.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Well, you did capture the Demon Race who infiltrated my family. No matter how things turned out, it’s only right for me to thank you.”
“…….”
It sounded as if she assumed her mother hadn’t given any thanks.
“Of course, I believe my mother expressed her gratitude as well.”
“…….”
Or maybe I’m just imagining things?
Whichever it was, it wasn’t worth dwelling on, so I let it go.
“What will you do now?”
At Beatrice’s question, I frowned slightly and replied.
“I plan to keep watch on one of Jerni Houston’s political enemies.”
“Political enemy? Wait, are you talking about the person behind the Chimera Research Building in the Houston Marquisate?”
“That’s right. The target is Count Georg. He’s a former Knight who fought on the Frontline against the Demon King’s Army, and now serves as a Noble responsible for tactical training in the rear. Of course, he still goes to the battlefield when needed.”
Beatrice sighed.
“And Count Georg is the one who set up the Chimera Research Building?”
“Exactly. Jerni Houston seems to think that Count Georg funded the Chimera Research Building. I hear they’ve clashed numerous times during various discussions in the Royal Family.”
“If she knows who he is, couldn’t she just deal with it herself? If she even knows his name, she must have a fair bit of evidence.”
It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered that.
But…
“She says there’s plenty of circumstantial evidence, but unfortunately, not enough physical proof.”
The funds supporting the construction of the Chimera Research Building were only vaguely connected to Count Georg; it wasn’t money directly traced back to his own operations.
“Count Georg’s ‘source of funds.’ In other words, it’s the mercenaries here.”
“Mercenaries… as the source of funds?”
“Right. The mercenaries we know, or Hired Swords, though sometimes called Fixers, but in this case ‘mercenaries’ is the more common term.”
“……I see. If the source is them, it would be easy to cut ties if needed.”
“Correct.”
That’s why Jerni Houston couldn’t touch him, even knowing all this.
“But for a group to be called a Count’s ‘source of funds,’ it must be something impressive, right? Not your average mercenaries?”
“True. They’re famous. You guys must have heard of them at least once.”
For a moment, I pictured in my mind the red-haired man I’d encountered just once in my previous life.
“A mercenary band known as the Wolfhound.”
“……Ah.”
“Huh.”
Beatrice and Theresa let out a groan and a sigh, as if instantly understanding.
Sral, who’d been quietly listening, asked again.
“They must be really famous?”
“Yeah. The leader of the mercenaries is no ordinary man.”
I nodded, recalling the fierce duel with the red-haired man, Ricky.
“Ricky of the Blood Claw. One of only three Sword Masters on the continent, and the youngest ever to reach that rank, in his mid-twenties.”
In other words, a genuine ‘genius.’
“Plus, the mercenary band itself is quite large. It’s made up of highly skilled individuals—five teams of six, thirty members in total. Each team has its own role and mission. The group’s so large that they often succeed at commissions from Nobles.”
Theresa’s expression shifted as if she realized something.
“Wait, you just said that mercenary band is Count Georg’s source of funds? That means….”
“Yes. The Wolfhound Mercenary Band is also Count Georg’s ‘Personal Troops.’ Unofficially, of course.”
“……!”
Beatrice asked with a strange look.
“How could a Sword Master serve under a Count?”
“Well, everyone has complicated circumstances. Still, if I had to explain… it’s probably because Count Georg is his benefactor.”
One thing I learned after fighting Ricky in my previous life and growing somewhat close to him was that Count Georg was his adoptive father.
He’d taken in Ricky, an orphan of war, taught him swordsmanship, and provided him with the support and strength to stand on his own.
Well, the last time we met, he really disliked bringing up that story, so I’d filed it away in the back of my mind.
At least, until I heard the full story from Jerni Houston.
“You know more than I expected. Are you two acquaintances or something?”
“No, I just happen to know about him. He doesn’t know about me.”
“Hm.”
Beatrice narrowed her eyes, then shrugged.
“Well, not my concern. So, Count Georg is the target this time. Are you going to raid him like before?”
I shook my head.
“This time, it’s tied to Elena’s situation, so I had to move quickly. But with Count Georg, that’s impossible. Outwardly, he’s a model Noble with nothing suspicious about him.”
If anything, he’s the same type as Jerni Houston.
The very fact that he’s her political enemy means they’re cut from the same cloth.
To stand on equal footing with a viper, you have to be of equal caliber.
“He’s a Knight, but also power-hungry, so he secured his political footing from the moment he became a Noble.”
Count Georg was originally of common birth.
He’s a peculiar man whose moderate ambition and the mindset of a Knight coexist, and that’s why he earned his title faster than anyone else in the Kingdom of Lumin.
What’s even more impressive is that he managed to do so while avoiding making any outside enemies.
“So, here’s the question. Why was he able to do that?”
Beatrice frowned and replied to my question.
“Don’t tell me it’s because of the Wolfhound Mercenary Band?”
“I can’t say it had no effect. It doesn’t make sense for a Count to clash directly with a Marquess, after all.”
Noble ranks exist for a reason.
Even if there are disagreements, the process of expressing them should happen on equal terms between Nobles.
“But, even if he’s a Sword Master, those guys are still mercenaries, right? No matter how strong, if they get involved politically, they won’t be safe, will they?”
“True.”
I smirked as I answered.
“That’s also part of the calculation.”
“So, there’s another Noble of equal rank to Marquess Jerni Houston behind him?”
“Well, I’ll have to check if that backer is also connected to the Demon Race.”
Issues involving the Demon Race are so sensitive that unless there’s definite evidence, it’s reckless to tie anyone else to them.
One slip of the tongue and you could start a witch hunt that dooms innocent people.
That’s why even Jerni Houston hadn’t mentioned anything about higher connections.
“So, when will the investigation start?”
“I’d like to say right away… but we’ll need at least a month.”
“A month? That’s a long wait.”
“Well, Count Georg and the entire mercenary band are away at the moment.”
According to Jerni Houston, they’ve set out to restore the Frontline that was pushed back by the Demon King’s Army.
In other words, for a proper investigation, I’d have to wait until they returned.
“Wouldn’t it actually be better for an inspector if the target was away?”
I shook my head at Theresa’s question.
“That’s only true for ‘ordinary investigations.’”
The Special Task Force’s investigation is all about finding links to the Demon Race.
It’s essentially rooting out spies.
Physical evidence is important, but it’s more effective to monitor the suspect directly and see if there’s any contact with the Demon Race.
“Besides, we already killed the Demon Race agent who served as their link, so for now, even if we investigate, there’s no one left to meet. There may be another, but if he hasn’t shown up since his comrade died, he’s probably run off, and will lay low for a while. If there’s another cause, a new one will just take their place.”
“Couldn’t they make contact on the battlefield?”
“Unlikely.”
I shook my head firmly.
“When they go out to the Demon Realm, they’re always accompanied by priests from the Holy Nation. Try to contact the Demon Race, and the Inquisitors from the Holy Nation will execute you on the spot. No one but a fool would take that risk.”
Whichever way it went, it would take time to gather meaningful results from the investigation.
“So for now, we’ll return to the Capital.”
For the moment, there’s nothing more we can do as the Special Task Force.
Nor is there any personal preparation I need to make.
So what should I do here?
The answer came quickly.
“And I need to push the Special Task Force’s combat ability to a higher level.”
Murfin, Beatrice, Elena, Sral—all of them needed serious training.
“Be ready for it when we return.”
Beatrice and Sral nodded in understanding.
“It seems strange things have been happening where I couldn’t see them.”
Deaurus Lumin frowned as he looked at the Heirloom of the Houston Family I delivered at Jerni Houston’s request.
As I explained what happened, Deaurus tucked the heirloom into his robes, and his eyes twitched.
“Jerni is just the same as always. The older she gets, the more vipers she seems to keep in her head. What kind of Noble just hands over her family’s heirloom to the Royal Family? Actually, it’s absurd to give it up at all. Ha, really…”
“Glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
As I nodded, Deaurus, rubbing his forehead, let out a sigh.
“Sigh, but Count Georg? You think he might be involved with the Demon Race?”
“It’s only circumstantial evidence, but the possibility is high.”
Deaurus stroked his chin thoughtfully, closing his eyes.
After a moment, he opened them again and spoke with a sigh.
“If Count Georg really has joined hands with the Demon Race… that’s trouble. The Wolfhound Mercenary Band will surely be caught up in it as well.”
That name suddenly coming up made me tilt my head in surprise.
“The King cares about that sort of thing?”
“How could I not?”
Deaurus answered with a serious expression.
“A single Sword Master can turn the tide of war. In this conflict with the Demon King’s Army, both tactically and strategically, he’s a talent we cannot afford to lose.”