abcnovels
Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Chapter 24 – Clouds of War (1)
Fate truly is fickle.
“C-Count, sir!”
They say that words have power.
The incident occurred even before I stepped out of the manor.
“S-S-S-Something terrible……!”
“Compose yourself in front of our guest. What is this disgrace?”
“A-Apologies……”
“Take a deep breath and speak calmly.”
“Huff, huff.”
The knight who had just burst in took a moment to catch his breath.
And then, after a brief pause.
“My apologies. The Lady’s corpse has just been found.”
“……!”
“……!”
With those words, the impact hit the room like a massive explosion.
A corpse.
In other words, it meant that Lady Isabel was dead.
“What…… Did you say?”
Even Count Arsene, who was usually the epitome of composure, stood up in shock this time.
This was the same man who had merely gasped once upon hearing that a mere teenager had reached the level of an expert.
But now, his pupils were shaking uncontrollably, as if an earthquake had struck.
Even his voice trembled.
“Lead the way!”
“At your command!”
They quickly brushed past me.
“……This is too fast, even for them.”
I, too, was equally surprised.
Left alone in an instant, I fell into deep thought.
I could guess the cause of death.
‘There’s no way it was a sudden natural death. She was likely murdered.’
It wasn’t hard to guess the culprit, either.
The issue was that, although I had somewhat anticipated the situation, I hadn’t expected them to act so quickly.
‘Even though slave trading is illegal, an illegitimate child is still just an illegitimate child. Denying any involvement would have been a better strategy for risk management, despite some loss of face.’
Yet, if they went through with it, there could only be one answer.
‘It means the factional strife within the Hart Kingdom is far more intense than I had thought.’
Concluding my thoughts, I quickly dashed out of the main hall.
It seemed that the entire country had been under the shadow of war for a long time.
***
“……”
When I arrived, a heavy silence hung over the scene.
Count Arsene, who was tenderly touching his wife’s cold, lifeless body, spoke without even turning his head.
“……Is this the reality of that fate you spoke of?”
“Hmm……”
I swallowed my breath, feeling a pang of guilt.
Such a significant event had occurred right after I mentioned fate.
‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like he’s particularly suspicious of me.’
After all, it would only take a bit of thought to realize I couldn’t be the culprit.
Wasn’t the situation obvious?
It was me who brought in the illegitimate child from the marquis, and I even killed a knight of the Foltaine family.
“If you don’t mind, may I take a look?”
“……”
I took his silence as an affirmation.
Count Arsene stepped aside, giving his silent consent.
With a light sigh, I first surveyed the surroundings.
‘It’s clean.’
I wasn’t referring to the body, but to the scene itself.
There were no signs of a struggle.
No other special circumstances suggesting an outsider’s intrusion.
Next, my eyes turned to the corpse.
‘At least 30 minutes.’
A soulless body gradually stiffens.
Judging by the rate of rigor mortis, Lady Isabel had been dead for quite some time.
The murder likely occurred before Count Arsene and I arrived at the main hall.
‘The direct cause of death is a stab wound.’
A sharp weapon had pierced her heart with precision.
If there had been any screams, someone would have come, but it seemed there were no witnesses.
In summary, the culprit boldly stabbed the Lady in the heart of the count’s manor and left without a trace, and left through the door.
Without any interference.
‘An insider.’
The conclusion formed instantly in my mind.
The wound itself was proof enough.
She was killed instantly with a single blow from close range.
This implied a close relationship that allowed such proximity.
‘There must have been an accomplice.’
No weapon was found at the scene.
Even if the assailant managed to hide the blood-soaked weapon in their clothes, they couldn’t mask the ‘smell.’
This is the count’s manor.
Knights with senses far beyond those of ordinary people were present everywhere.
They wouldn’t miss the distinct metallic scent of blood.
“Investigate the personal attendants, maids, and anyone else who might have had private access to the Lady.”
“……!”
Count Arsene looked at me with astonished eyes.
“……You’ve figured out in an instant what detectives with decades of experience have just concluded.”
“All the circumstances point to that conclusion.”
At my response, Count Arsene nodded quietly.
“First, gather all the servants in one place. Recall those on leave. This is an emergency. Also, from now on, watch all entrances and exits to the manor.”
“Understood!”
The knights quickly sprang into action.
And before long.
“Motherrrrrrrr!”
The two rascals, Jan and Hersen, who had just received the news, burst inside.
“……Didn’t I specifically say to take extra care with the children?”
“A-Apologies. The rumors spread through the entire manor before we had a chance to control them…”
My eyes narrowed sharply as I listened to the knight’s feeble excuse.
‘It’s like he’s reading a well-crafted script.’
The situation was unfolding seamlessly, almost too naturally.
“Ahhhhh! Let go! I said, let go of me!”
“Waaahhhh. Mom! Mooooom!”
Count Arsene closed his eyes tightly at the sight of his two sons wailing in grief.
“Get them out of here!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The knights led Jan and Hersen, who had collapsed in defiance, away.
Count Arsene watched them with a pained expression before murmuring through gritted teeth.
“If this really happened under the orders of the marquis, as you suspect… I will stake everything I have to erase the name Foltaine from this world.”
His low, clear voice pierced my eardrums.
It was like the cry of a wounded beast.
“I know it’s shameless to ask, but…… will you help me?”
I nodded without hesitation.
“That’s why I’m staying here.”
***
Jan and Hersen, who had been thrown outside, clearly heard the voices from within.
The reality of the situation still hadn’t sunk in for them.
Just minutes ago, their mother had been scolding them with her sharp voice.
“They said the culprit was definitely an insider.”
“Come to think of it, I don’t see Mother’s personal attendant. That Jake, who would always go in and out of her room every day.”
Tears streamed down their faces, mingling with a growing sense of malice.
They wanted to inspect the scene closely, but that was impossible.
The area was already heavily guarded by knights, allowing no further access.
“……The back of the manor.”
“What?”
“There’s a place where Mother used to meet with him regularly. I remember it clearly.”
“Let’s go there quickly!”
As soon as they reached a conclusion, the brothers headed to the back of the manor.
While the entire household was being gathered in the main garden, the less frequented back area drew less attention.
After all, there was no exit to the outside from there.
“There it is.”
Hersen pointed to a spot with his finger.
It was a place shaded even in broad daylight due to the high walls.
Yet, there stood a table and chairs meant for tea time, untouched by sunlight.
“Mother always used to fall deep in thought there……!”
Suddenly, Hersen stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening.
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
“……Jan.”
“I see it too.”
A dark, murderous intent filled Jan’s eyes.
Their gaze fixed on the shadows that were flickering in that spot.
***
I had no intention of personally tracking down the assassin.
There were plenty of people around who could handle that task.
However, I planned to pursue them in my own way.
‘Having moved so boldly, they won’t be satisfied with just Isabelle.’
There was another witness besides me.
And, if they were planning another major move, the optimal timing would be…
‘Right now.’
The most dangerous time is when everyone’s attention is focused on a single disaster.
This can be explained in terms of military strategy as well.
‘Create a disturbance in the east, and attack the west amidst the chaos.’
Naturally, my steps led me to the underground prison.
Perhaps due to Count Arsene’s orders, no one obstructed my path.
“Hey, pig.”
“……!”
It had been a while since I saw the pig.
Vigri de Foltaine, imprisoned inside, looked at me with fearful eyes.
“Y-You bastard, you’ve finally come to beg me for help, haven’t you?”
“……Beg?”
“Surely my father must have taken some measures by now? Heh heh. You hadn’t shown your face all this time. Are you here because you’re scared?”
I let out a light sigh.
“Well, your father did take special measures.”
“You! Can’t you fix that damned mouth of yours? He’s the esteemed Marquis! Call him by his proper title……!”
“That esteemed Marquis sent an assassin. As a result, the Lady of Count Arsene’s manor was murdered.”
“……”
The pig’s mouth clamped shut.
No, all movement stopped instantly.
“……Why would you make such a boring joke……”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
“……”
The pig stared at me blankly with his mouth agape.
“At least you seem to grasp the situation somewhat.”
“……”
“Your esteemed father, the respected Marquis, has decided to ‘eliminate’ all involved parties. Naturally, that includes you.”
It was an obvious sequence.
An already disowned child.
With no trust left, it was cleaner to eliminate him rather than leave him to cause trouble.
“Wh-Why would he go to such lengths?”
“He probably judged it to be more efficient to remove the risk.”
Fundamentally, unauthorized slave trading is illegal across the continent.
In remote areas, it might thrive due to lax oversight, but that doesn’t make it legal.
If it became known that a family member led the slave trade, the head of the family would inevitably face severe punishment for failing to manage them properly.
This means the royal faction would have a justification to weaken the noble faction’s power.
“Pig, there’s only one way for you to live now. Cooperate with us.”
“……!”
The pig struggled to regain his composure.
“I-If I’m going to die either way…!”
“If you cooperate well in this matter and help bring down the Foltaine Marquisate, you’ll naturally receive some leniency in your sentence.”
I interrupted the pig and continued the conversation.
“I’ve already received Count Arsene’s permission. You’ll be left penniless, but at least your life will be spared.”
“……What do you need me to do, sir?”
As expected, he was quick-witted.
Finally, a faint smile appeared on my lips.
“Count Arsene plans to wage a territorial war against the Marquis of Foltaine, staking the fate of his family.”
“Wh-What?”
“Naturally, the royal family won’t just allow it, so we’ll use the fact that the lady was murdered, along with the captured assassins. If we add your testimony to that, even the royal family won’t easily reject it.”
Shivering like an aspen tree, the pig raised his voice.
“Has everyone gone mad? Do you seriously think Count Arsene can defeat the Marquis?”
“He can.”
“This crazy……! On what basis do you have such
confidence? Have you recruited the first class 8 archmage in history or something?”
“Not quite, but we have a weapon more formidable than an archmage.”
“What? Who is it?”
The smile on my lips deepened.
“Me.”