abcnovels
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 – Count Arsene (1)
What I’m about to say is half a gamble.
It’s possible that the leader of the Mask of Night I knew and the current leader are not the same person.
After all, twenty years was no small period of time.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
But what if he was the leader of the squadron?
I’m not trying to sell information about the leader’s life right now.
I’m selling information about an item they lost a long time ago.
“……What did you just say?”
“Before that, I don’t know if the purple mask is the same person I know.”
Purple Mask.
As far as I know, he is the one and only leader of the Mask of Night.
“It seems you are taking me for a fool. That’s a top secret even within our organization……”
“Is it Narakas?”
“……!”
The pupils inside the mask darted wildly.
“H-How?”
“Judging by your reaction, things are still as they were.”
“…….”
Thank goodness.
Well, they were only in their thirties when they interacted with me.
If it’s the same person, the value of this information I’m selling is even greater.
“Maybe 25 years ago, or so? Back then, the leader of the Mask of Night didn’t wear a purple mask. It was a colorless mask.”
“……!”
“However, the leader at the time was suddenly attacked by the enemy and lost their mask, which led to the present day. Your leader admitted his negligence and even lowered his rank.”
Behind the mask, the two eyes showed a series of earthquakes.
“The leader was set on downgrading himself to a purple, so how could the executives stay still? They all lowered themselves by a color, and isn’t that why Purple represents the leader today?”
“How do you know…… the secrets of our organization that only insiders know?”
“That’s not the point. I know the whereabouts of the colorless mask.”
“Gasp!”
The masked man, who had maintained a poker face up till now, gasped.
The colorless mask that symbolized the master.
It wasn’t worth much to the average person.
It was carved from a meteorite that fell from the sky, so it wouldn’t be completely worthless though.
But there’s no denying that the mask would shine even brighter in the hands of its owner.
“I-I don’t think this is a matter for someone of my rank.”
“Then?”
“……If what you just told me is true, the master will personally visit you.”
This is definitely a surprise.
Their leader doesn’t even bother to look at an invitation from the king of a country.
“But if it’s a lie…….”
“I’m sure I’ll meet a painful end.”
“…….”
The green mask stared at me for a moment, then spoke.
“Mr. Ancelot. Or should I call you Andrew von Meeke, 7th Prince of the Duchy of Meeke?”
“……!”
My eyes widened for a split second.
“……Did you already know about my identity?”
“A week ago, I was commissioned by my client Ben-Hur to do a background check on you. I was going to give him the results today, but…….”
A week ago was exactly when I first took the pig hostage.
“I see. But why did you go along with the whole Ancelot thing?”
“……Because it’s standard etiquette of the business to play along if the client wishes to hide something.”
“Ha, as expected of the best intelligence organization on the continent.”
But why reveal the truth now?
This is a warning.
“You’ll be hearing from the organization soon.”
“Wait.”
“Pardon?”
“Before you go, won’t it be okay to at least tell me the ghost-grade information? Think of it as a commemoration of meeting the benefactor who’ll find your organization’s missing item.”
The masked man’s voice took on a tone of incredulity.
“Isn’t that the kind of thing someone who sells information is supposed to say?”
“Is it? So, will you?”
“…….”
The masked man was at a loss for words at my brazenness.
After a while.
“…… Alright. I’ll tell you about the ghost grade information and the Marquis of Foltaine as a service. Since what you just said is worth that much.”
“Oh, one plus one. Sounds good.”
“Yes. If it’s the ‘truth,’ this much— no, I can offer you even more as a service.”
Emphasizing the word ‘truth,’ the green mask straightened his posture.
“I assume you already know why Ancelot is considered a great hero?”
“I’d prefer that you start from the beginning.”
The masked man complied with my request without a word.
“The man who turned the Swallow into the empire it is today, from a ragtag collection of clan-oriented alliances. That would be the great hero, Ancelot Heil Edenberg.”
“A great man.”
This was important.
“The King of Swallow, the sole emperor of the continent at the time, wanted eternal life. He had just gained absolute power over the continent, and his body was already dying of old age, so he tried to sell his soul to a demon. For one thing and one thing only— an immortal body.”
“It’s common knowledge that the first Emperor of the Swallow was a madman.”
“This is where Ancelot Heil Edenberg became a great hero. When Ancelot learned of this, he decided to take the blame of betrayal himself, and slit the Emperor’s throat. The emperor’s greed would bring demons into the country, and he couldn’t just let it happen. Up until here is what the world knows.”
The picture is clearer in my head now.
Look at these damned bastards.
“So, what is the truth that the Mask of Night knows?”
“……The one person who didn’t want the emperor to live forever more than anyone else was his child, the crown prince. He didn’t want his father to live another day and wished that he’d die on the spot. However, the Emperor’s mania reached its peak and he was so blinded by jealousy that he tried to harm even the founding contributors…….”
“I suppose that justified his wants.”
“Yes. From what we found out later, the prince had planned everything that followed. He was also the one who first suggested that they get rid of Ancelot.”
All for the sake of power.
“And someone like that is now hailing the very object of his jealousy as a hero.”
“Because that’s how he justified his rise to the throne.”
“Hahaha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Isn’t it funny, really?
In the end, he painted me, the very man he’d considered as a thorn in his side for his rise to power, as a hero.
“Whatever the story behind it is, Ancelot Heil Edenberg was a man well worthy of the title ‘Great Hero,’ and his exploits on the battlefield were enough to keep even my young mind awake at night with excitement.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. When a man as great as him returned, people of all ages were afraid of him to the point of resorting to taking his only child hostage.”
“……A hound that has lost its worth is boiled.”
“Yes. That’s the story of the great hero as we know it. It’s a little different from the story of self-sacrifice that the world knows.”
I let out a small laugh.
“I expected that.”
“What? You expected…… it?”
“Since you wanted a hundred gold, I figured you’d have something a little more special.”
“…….”
Was his pride hurt?
At this, the green mask trembled.
“……Then how about something else?”
“What?”
“The Marquis of Foltaine, the man you’re trying to do something about, is the current head of the Hart Kingdom. Their chivalric orders are among the top ten in the entire country. Although he’s illegitimate, if the marquis found out that his son was being held hostage by royalty from another country, he wouldn’t stand for it. It could also probably turn into a diplomatic issue between countries.”
This is kind of funny.
As expected of the Mask of Night.
Deducting the truth even with only the visible situation.
“If you’re going to get revenge, I’d recommend ending it with Count Arsene. None of this would have happened if you didn’t have a buyer in the first place. For the record, you don’t have a choice anyway.”
“What does that supposed to mean?”
The masked man looked up at the sky without answering.
The sun was still high in the sky.
“I have an appointment with Ben-Hur soon. And sometime this afternoon at the latest, someone from Count Arsene’s side will be here.”
“Is this a service, too? How kind of you.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing how you deal with them, and I’ll use it to deduce a bit more about your ‘real’ identity.”
“Real identity?”
“Well, from what we’ve been able to gather, the feeble 7th Prince of the Duchy of Meeke…… would never have the character to do something like this.”
Once again, I let out a smirk.
“You don’t have any intentions of helping me?”
“Is that a request?”
“Let’s say it is. Wouldn’t it be awkward if I died? I’m the only one who knows the whereabouts of the missing item.”
This time, the corner of the masked man’s eyes twitched.
“That would be difficult, as I haven’t been paid for my previous request.”
As if suddenly remembering, the other man continues.
“Speaking of which, I’m curious about the contents of those letters. I saw that they were addressed to the Marquis of Foltaine and the royal palace?”
“I even made sure to seal them tightly. You didn’t open them, did you?”
“Hahaha, of course not. Anyway, I’ll count that as a service, too. But this is it.”
For a moment, the masked man’s voice sank low.
“I will not accept any further requests. And besides, this is another test of my own.”
“A test?”
“The previous two pieces of information, plus the delivery of the letters. It’s not much of a waste if I think of it as traveling expenses for the afterlife. I don’t expect a powerless prince, who can’t even handle a count in the countryside, to know the whereabouts of the treasure.”
He was clear with his sticks and carrots.
From the tone of his voice, it was clear he wasn’t about to let himself be pushed around.
“Okay. You can deliver the letter separately when I contact you. Also, can I ask you one more question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Here in the Kingdom of Hart, what is the relationship between the Marquis of Foltaine and Count Arsene?”
“Hmm…….”
The green mask pondered for a moment before answering.
“If you look at the relationship between the two families aside from personal friendships, it’s neither…… good nor bad.”
“Why?”
“Arsene, the head of the counts, has always aspired to become a marquis. However, here in the Hart Kingdom, a fourth marquis has never emerged in the last 100 years.”
“So the weak king is concerned about decentralizing the royal power.”
“You catch on quick. Perhaps it’s because you’re also of royal blood?”
It’s a common story.
Becoming a marquis greatly increases the number of private soldiers and territories one can hold.
This naturally means that the nobles become more powerful.
This inevitably leads to a weakening of the royal authority.
“That’s why the Hart Kingdom has a history of promoting one of its counts to a marquis only when there is a vacancy, such as when an existing marquis family is ruined, based on an objective assessment of the counts’ merits.”
“I’m sure it’s not by merit, but subjectively, the amount of flattery and loyalty to the king. In any case, it’s a good strategy in peacetime, though I’m sure the nobility will be unhappy.”
I stroked my chin for a moment, considering, then nodded.
“I have an idea.”
“I wish you luck.”
Looking at him, I pointed to the tree where the masked man had fallen from at the beginning.
“I want you to watch from up there. I’ll give you a good view in return for your information.”
***
The sun was slowly setting.
He was right, I could sense a number of presences nearby.
“Damn it. Why the hell do we have to escort slaves ourselves?”
“The lord told us to bring them in unharmed, so don’t complain. Each one is worth several years’ worth of our salary.”
I could hear the chatter.
I immediately stormed out of the tent.
I kept Harun and the children inside, just in case.
They soon spot me and stiffen.
“Ha…… No wonder the lord is so angry.”
“Is that really a man? That’s kind of…… disgusting.”
The group stared at me and snickered in unison.
Ignoring them, I quickly scanned them.
There were about twenty of them, all seemingly regular private soldiers.
There were at least three knights who knew how to manipulate mana.
“You there. I see you’re one of the higher class slaves, so where are your masters and why are you all alone?”
“I’ve been alone since the beginning.”
“What?”
“Let’s go. Aren’t you short on time?”
“……?”
The group’s mouths were agape at my bizarre behavior, and I quickly finished what I had to say.
“Go and tell your master. Tell him I have a way to elevate Count Arsene to the rank of marquis.”
“……!”