“Seeing as you never miss an opportunity, you are equally as cunning and unscrupulous.”
Xenon muttered in a disgruntled voice.
“Since a good opportunity presented itself, there was no reason to let it pass.”
I replied with a smile, and Samuel, sitting beside Xenon, spoke up impassively.
“The Temple is growing increasingly suspicious of the Resurrected One, and the Emperor’s distrust of the Crown Prince has become a topic of discussion.”
“Isn’t it rather awkward for a religion to so blatantly interfere in politics?”
“It is not a matter of interfering in the imperial succession. The Temple is always sensitive to issues concerning ‘faithlessness.’ And the High Priest is expressing concern that the monarch of all is a faithless one.”
“Oh dear, Lord Heinri will be busy.”
Given that at least half the empire’s populace are believers, a rift with the Temple would bring no good to the imperial family. Ultimately, it would fall to Heinri to manage the situation.
Well, since he desires the throne, this too is a burden he must bear.
Samuel asked me.
“But how did you destroy that palace? I heard no reports of Monsters appearing.”
“I didn’t summon any this time. How shocking would it be for a Wyvern to appear at a ceremony bestowing divine blessings?”
I had considered summoning a Wyvern, but I couldn’t possibly bring in Monsters while claiming the sinister aura had vanished thanks to Maxel’s departure.
So I thought of magical artifacts. After all, we have access to the very convenient power of magic, don’t we?
Listening to me, Samuel looked slightly surprised.
“A man named Dekin can create magical artifacts that can be used within the imperial palace without detection, so I commissioned him.”
Of course, a magical artifact that goes undetected by the palace’s barrier would be extremely weak in power.
But if the power is weak, couldn’t we compensate with quantity? Placing magic bombs or similar artifacts all around was entirely possible with the help of animals.
“It’s expensive, but the artifacts that man makes are certainly reliable.”
Xenon nodded. Regardless of their personal relationship, his face showed no doubt in his brother’s skill.
Xenon asked.
“But when exactly are you leaving the mansion?”
“All necessary work is finished, so I’ll gather the documents tonight.”
My gaze, lost in thought, dropped downward.
Father would strive to dismiss the collapse of the Crown Prince’s palace as a mere mishap.
Though the Empress waking is surprising, ultimately it is the Emperor who establishes the succession, so he likely thinks things will be fine in the long run if handled well.
Of course, they won’t be fine. Soon enough, Heinri will push to have the Emperor declared ‘mentally and physically infirm.’
‘An Emperor who has lost his judgment…’
Heinri didn’t tell me separately, but I knew he had started administering drugs to the Emperor some time ago.
The crow that brought me news said the Emperor, drugged, was growing violent. It was only a matter of time before he lost the trust of his ministers.
Imagining that sight, I smiled meaningfully, and Samuel questioned me.
“Wasn’t your aim revenge against Roam? Leaving now, they still seem intact.”
“Intact? How long do you think they can keep wearing that lofty shell?”
“I don’t think making them the talk of the town is the entirety of your revenge.”
Oh? Surprisingly, Samuel was seeing the situation accurately.
Looking at him with unexpected eyes, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Roam supports Maxel. So when Maxel falls, Roam will fall too.”
Samuel did not point out that Maxel had not yet ‘fallen’ to the extent of kneeling.
Instead, he expressed doubt on another point.
“Would they still support him in this situation?”
“They will.”
I asserted.
“Because I will make it so.”
Samuel looked puzzled but asked no more. And now, I finally got the chance to mention the reason for our meeting.
I asked.
“So, what was the urgent message you needed to convey?”
Between catching up with Xenon and Samuel and sharing recent developments and progress, we seemed to have briefly forgotten the main point.
Xenon, who let out a low sigh, was the first to speak.
“You know the rumor about a Monster that transforms into an animal that was circulating? Back when the Monster attacks happened.”
“Ah, yes.”
I remember. I heard that rumor in Father’s office.
At my affirmation, Samuel also spoke quietly.
“There was also a rumor about a Dullahan.”
“Right. I heard that too.”
Hearing that, at first my heart sank, thinking perhaps Nadav’s identity had been discovered.
But it turned out Nadav was completely unrelated, and Mori, who was also there, said his identity wasn’t discovered either.
After learning neither had been exposed, I was busy dealing with Roam and Lilia, so rumors like that were pushed to the back burner…
“Why bring it up now?”
The sudden reemergence of the rumor made me tense automatically.
“This paladin and I looked into the source of that rumor a bit. To be precise, he started a few days earlier, but I was the one who found something first.”
Xenon answered quickly. Samuel looked at Xenon with displeasure but quietly closed his mouth.
Smiling triumphantly at Samuel’s reaction, Xenon squared his shoulders and spoke.
“There was a witness.”
My eyes widened.
“A witness?”
“Yes. Probably because the sighting location wasn’t far from the Lindea River, the rumors seem to have gotten mixed up a bit.”
Xenon, scratching his cheek, added casually. Words I couldn’t help but be surprised by.
“They saw a real Dullahan. A Dullahan that can transform into an animal.”
* * *
Father’s office, visited in the dead of night, was somewhat desolate.
I took a deep breath after sweeping my gaze over the dimly moonlit interior. Cold air filled my lungs.
I had long since learned of the secret space and long since pilfered the key. Perhaps because I had indiscriminately dismissed servants recently, the mansion’s security was not as thorough as before.
Moreover, with the Dullahans keeping watch around, there should be no problems.
Minte was the one explaining beside me.
[I will monitor the corridor.]
After entrusting the corridor to Tristan and the balcony to Zigore, I placed the lamp I was holding on the desk.
[The inkwell on the desk, the eighth book on the third shelf of the bookcase, under the carpet.]
Minte reminded me of the information once more. I nodded and first picked up the inkwell on the desk.
Confirming the uneven shape beneath the inkwell, I pulled out the book from the specific location. A faint grid pattern was revealed through the gap.
I took out the long metal bookmark wedged between the books and pressed the grid according to the shape.
*Click.*
The grid slid back, revealing a small space. A single silver key hung there.
Hooking the keyring with the end of the bookmark to pull it out, I immediately flipped over the carpet.
The floor seemed smooth at a glance, but feeling with my hand revealed a slightly protruding part.
[I’ll do it.]
Minte, who had been watching me from the side, extended her claws and scratched the floor.
*Scratch.*
A faint sound of wood being scraped echoed. The firmly fixed cover slid aside, revealing a keyhole.
Before inserting the key, I took out a disposable magical artifact I had brought. It was an auxiliary tool used to disable security magic.
Activating the artifact, the metal tool flashed a couple of times before turning completely black and corroding. It meant the security magic had been disabled.
*Clack.*
“There’s more here than I thought.”
Contracts, various documents, several pouches of unknown purpose, a box that looked luxurious, and so on.
After skimming through the documents, I took everything out and placed it into my dimensional storage. At a quick glance, they seemed to be documents related to Roam’s financial channels.
Perhaps reading further would reveal other things. But I had no intention of carefully examining each one here.
‘No need to waste time reading here.’
No separate warnings came as I unhesitatingly stored them away. Was this the only security magic?
I felt a momentary puzzlement but soon cut off my curiosity and hurried. Then, after restoring everything to its original state, I called Zigore from the balcony.
“Let’s go now.”
The corridor was silent. Quickly leaving the office, I descended the stairs.
The path out of the mansion was smooth.
However, instead of escaping immediately, I stopped in my tracks.
Roam was where Lilia would return. Unless she married Maxel, this was Lilia’s home.
Looking over the mansion and garden showing dim outlines under the moonlight, I touched my bracelet.
‘They said there are many wide-area fire magic spells.’
Would it then be massive enough to burn this beautiful Roam garden to the ground?
I let my lips twist into a crooked line and took in the beautiful night scenery. It was a sight I would not see again. I intended to savor the atmosphere to the fullest one last time.
* * *
Last night, a great fire broke out at the Roam mansion.
The fire, starting from the garden, spread in an instant, turning the surroundings into blackened ruins.
The fire moved to the mansion. Fortunately, as the fire started in the garden, the mansion’s occupants evacuated in time, so there were no major casualties.
However, the flames, strangely difficult to extinguish, engulfed both the main building and the annex of Roam.
Many were interested in the severe property damage Roam suffered. But that topic was soon pushed aside when news spread of the Resurrected One’s disappearance on the day of the fire.
A rumor swept the capital that someone, coveting the Resurrected One’s holiness, had brazenly set fire to Roam and kidnapped the Resurrected One.
Amidst this, the youngest son of the Roam family claimed to have seen a Dullahan that night.
The youngest son’s statement that a fearsome Dullahan appeared briefly at the Roam mansion without causing any disturbance and then vanished was utterly absurd.
Some expressed pity, saying the timid youngest son, shocked by the fire, must be suffering from delusions.
Following the eldest who abruptly left the family over an absurd betrothal, now the third son is so unstable he’s talking nonsense!
Everyone cautiously agreed. Regarding Roam’s opaque and bleak future.