Episode 84
With the shout filled with anger, unable to contain his rage, he threw the letters he had just received onto the floor.
As the letters scattered in the air, Isaac caught one of them, and the mont he saw its contents, his complexion hardened.
"It's Duke Deshimo, who copied our rcenary Guild business exactly!"
A thunderbolt struck Isaac's head. Soon, his face contorted like a demon's.
"You recomnded to the Young Lady, thanks to which I could spend ti with her during walks and beco close."
The Count caught his breath for a mont and continued his explanation.
"During a walk, I ntioned to the Young Lady that Marquis Strode seed suspicious, and she told that if anything happened, I should go to the Ice Castle in the forest and hide. Honestly, I had no idea what she ant at the ti."
Then, adding sincerity to his acting with a thick persuasive appeal.
"Actually, today was the day I was supposed to et the Young Lady to give an interim report on my business plan progress. On my way to the eting place, the Marquis called for ."
He struck his knee with an angry face.
"He dragged outside the castle to eliminate because he knew I suspected him and saw as a potential threat. I didn't want to be suspected, so I pretended to follow him."
A small lant followed, saying he had planned to run away after assessing the situation but never thought they would drug his food.
"Probably the reason the Young Lady told to go to the Ice Castle was because she was worried when I didn't show up at the eting place and contacted you."
She's a smart one, isn't she?
No sooner had the last word ended than Isaac, unable to contain his anger, stood up from his seat.
"That, that, damnable bastard!"
Seeing his montum as if he would imdiately go and grab Marquis Strode by the collar, Count Vittora hurriedly held him back.
"Calm down and hear out."
"What more is there to hear? We must go arrest that scoundrel and throw him in jail right now!"
Even Atanas's aide, who always maintained decorum, was no match for his anger.
"The Duke will never let this slide. Yes, absolutely not!"
Ignoring the cold sweat running down his spine, Count Vittora asked with a grave expression.
Arresting the Marquis imdiately was not what Flora desired.
"Do you think that would be enough?"
"Huh?"
"Are you saying we should end it by just throwing him in jail and charging him? It's truly unfortunate that this happened, but it's already done. So we must turn this into an opportunity!"
Looking at the flustered Isaac, Count Vittora slapped his chest as if frustrated.
"If we were going to expose and arrest the Marquis imdiately, why would I have been hiding in this Ice Castle!"
Slowly, he recited Flora's plan as if it were a sche he had devised himself.
"After today, only one day remains until the contest deadline, right? Since Marquis Strode has joined hands with Duke Deshimo, he must be planning to ruin the contest. In the remaining day, he might pressure others and naturally extort their business plans."
Marquis Strode was the one who had openly handled the North in Atanas's place. At the ntion that they couldn't ignore the power he wielded, Isaac flared up again.
"So you an others, wary of Marquis Strode, won't submit to the contest."
"I acknowledge they worked hard on the contest. But originally, I was probably the only vassal sincerely dedicated to the essence of this contest."
It was natural, as they were people blinded by the crumbs from the linked business, not the rcenary Guild itself.
He had made Count Vittora the intended winner precisely because he thought it was obvious they would turn their eyes to other businesses if they just won the contest.
"And above all, isn't the Duke Deshimo side promoting that they will provide generous support for business expansion? He'll use that as a pretext for threats disguised as persuasion. Saying this business will fail anyway."
At that, Isaac deliberately made a wronged expression.
Just as Flora had thought, it wasn't due to a lack of money; he hadn't expected this outco from an event ant to manage the vassals.
'If Duke Deshimo hadn't interfered in the first place, this wouldn't have happened.'
It seed that eliminating the demon of the Northern Forest had beco a significant blow to the other Ducal Houses.
That's why Duke Deshimo, famous for being the most hot-tempered and impatient, had stepped in like this.
'Unlike Lucifer, the prestige of the Deshimo Ducal House cannot be ignored.'
If his influence intervened, the outco was predictable.
With Count Vittora gone and the others' business plans extorted, the contest would literally be ruined.
And the relationship and trust with the vassals would fall even lower than now.
Because Duke Deshimo would strive to make it so.
"The success of the contest, no, the success of this rcenary Guild business, is only possible if Marquis Strode is completely off his guard. Therefore, I plan to hide here until the day of the contest."
"Yes, hearing it now, I understand. If the Count, whom he thought was dead, suddenly appears at the critical mont, the Marquis will be so shocked he'll faint."
"I will expose him when I appear for the contest."
"Yes, thank you for your cooperation."
As Isaac expressed his sincere gratitude, Count Vittora waved it off as if it were nothing.
"I will bring you anything you need."
Seeing him cald down and back to his usual self, Count Vittora felt his acting had worked well.
"It's fine. There's paper and pen here too, so I can rewrite the business plan, and above all, I have this precious sample in my possession. Ah, to prove this, can you prepare one monster for ?"
"Coincidentally, monsters appeared today, so that works out well."
As there would be a few captured monsters for ecological study, preparing one wouldn't be difficult, so Isaac nodded, telling him not to worry.
"Please endure a little longer. I will send a carriage on the morning of the contest day."
Just as Isaac was about to leave the Ice Castle, he stopped, turned back, and asked a question he had been pondering.
"Count, do you know why Marquis Strode did this?"
At the question from soone who had suppressed his anger, Count Vittora gave a bitter smile. His face said, 'Why ask when you know?'
"Greed. Greed born from failing to serve his master as his master and trying to climb above him."
Whether it was money or power.
By coveting what was beyond his station, he had ultimately reached the forbidden state nad 'betrayal'.
'Perhaps the Marquis doesn't even think what he's doing is betrayal.'
Isn't it said that if a rebellion succeeds, it becos a revolution?
Isaac felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
How shocked would Atanas be if he learned of this?
The master he served was soone with deep affection, contrary to his appearance, and more easily hurt than one might think.
But his master would overco this tragedy, even if it was arduous.
Because he had now realized that enduring and accepting everything was not the right solution.
He was soone who could beco strong enough to protect what was precious.
Sadly, Count Vittora was right.
This worst situation would beco an invaluable opportunity for the North, no, for the Lucifer Ducal House.
If Atanas couldn't do it, he, as his aide, would make it happen.
Returning to his true nature, Isaac relayed this unbelievable news to Atanas, and seeing his face darken shortly after, he let out a low sigh.
He, who had maintained silence for a long ti, instead of sighing deeply as usual, wiped the sweat from the still-roughly breathing, sleeping Flora's forehead.
"I knew you were conspiring with Flora, but I didn't know you'd go as far as to involve the contest."
"My apologies."
"What is there to apologize for? I'm the one who said to grant Flora whatever she wants."
With those words, Atanas fell silent again.
Only the sound of the clock's second hand and the child's rough breathing echoed in the room.
Should he marvel at his daughter, who was smarter than he thought, or bla himself for being a foolish father who didn't even know his daughter was struggling so hard and just quietly waited for the result?
'When I take one step forward, my daughter takes ten.'
It was laughable that he was chasing from behind when he should be leading by example.
Along with that, a quiet anger boiled up from the depths of his heart.
"We must give a punishnt fitting for soone who doesn't know the weight of betrayal."
What kind of house is Lucifer?
It is a house that, even now, long after the ancestor's sin, bears the weight of betrayal.
If soone says they want to share this punishnt, as their superior, he cannot simply ignore and overlook it.
"Have Marquis Strode's room secretly investigated. If there is related evidence, gather it all."
"Yes."
"And have the castle gates locked until the contest is over. He might have found it easy to barge in as he pleased, but we must show him leaving won't be the sa."
A chilling murderous intent flickered in Atanas's eyes.
"Also, relay to the Duke Deshimo side. Tell them if they play any more petty tricks, I won't stand idly by either."
It was the mont the hot anger, which had been quietly sleeping until now, awoke and turned into action.
'……As expected, he has changed.'
He is definitely different from before.
This change will bring about a great shift, beyond the North, to the Empire.
Isaac could only reply, hiding his mixed feelings of joy and bitterness.
"I will carry out your command."
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Finally, the day of the contest dawned.
'Phew, I want to leave this stifling place quickly.'
Marquis Strode, who had only been thinking of thoroughly milking the Ducal House's assets when he first arrived in Lucifer territory, fidgeted restlessly, wanting to leave this place imdiately now that the awaited contest day had dawned.
If it weren't for the sudden, bizarre incident of monsters attacking two days ago, which led to strengthened castle wall security for safety reasons, he would have left long ago.
'No. I must see the Duke's face, ruined and devastated after the contest fails.'
If none of the vassals show passion for the business and instead express dissatisfaction, how ridiculous would his position seem, having tried to promote unity among the Northern nobles through this opportunity?
The Marquis drove a wedge between the Ducal House and the vassals by saying the Duke would never hand over other businesses to the vassals. As a result, they all gave up participating in this contest.
'First, I'll prevent the Duke from getting closer to the Northern nobles, then, with so help from Duke Deshimo, I'll gradually snatch away the related businesses.'
If the vassals unite and pressure the Duke of Lucifer, the Duke will eventually yield to their will and gradually relinquish his rights.
As it has always been.
'By the way, I hope Count Vittora's body was well hidden.'
After disguising an aide and having him ride a carriage, creating a scene as if Count Vittora was hastily leaving the territory, as long as the body isn't discovered, I shouldn't be suspected.
I told the assassins sent by Duke Deshimo to throw the body deep in the forest, but I'm inwardly concerned whether they followed my instructions properly.
'No, this is an unnecessary worry. They are Duke Deshimo's people; they must have handled it properly.'
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