Chapter 59
“…So the Madam went there of her own accord?”
Despite hearing it directly from Edmund’s mouth, Johann still asked in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“You should have stopped her!”
Johann couldn’t help but raise his voice.
“How can you be sure what might happen to her there?”
“Daphne is with child, so they won’t be able to harm her physically.”
At Edmund’s words, Johann opened his mouth as if to argue but was left speechless. Realizing that he had gotten too worked up, Johann let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes tightly before reopening them.
“I heard that the poison was removed from the Madam’s belongings.”
“…That’s right.”
“Hah, but who would’ve thought she had another poison…”
Johann muttered, convinced that Daphne must be the culprit. Edmund observed him silently before finally speaking.
“Nick had been brainwashed. And the information he gave was that Daphne intended to poison the imperial princess.”
“That’s right.”
“Why didn’t we ever doubt those words?”
It was more of a murmur to himself than a question. Why had they accepted it so readily?
“Well…”
Johann parted his lips to answer but, failing to find a proper response, changed the subject instead.
“Hah, that’s not what’s important right now. We can discuss that later.”
“…Yes, let’s do that.”
Just then–
“Your Excellency, what is going on?”
Baron Nouvelle, who had briefly left, rushed into the office after receiving the urgent ssage.
“How could the Madam be arrested for attempting to poison the princess? Didn’t you retrieve the poison?”
“There was no way to know.”
“Haah…”
Baron Nouvelle pressed his fingers against the deepening crease in his brow.
“My lord, did you manage to obtain what I requested?”
“Ah, here it is, Your Excellency.”
Baron Nouvelle handed over a magic stone imbued with divine power. He had obtained it from none other than the information guild, a network so vast that it was no exaggeration to say it had eyes on every corner of the empire. Asking for help from another noble house had been an option, but in this world, secrets never remained hidden.
Rather than risk rumors leaking, Edmund had chosen to seek out the guild, knowing that they possessed the magic stone he needed.
Edmund took the stone from Baron Nouvelle but did not use it imdiately. Instead, he tucked it away inside his robes. At that mont, Benjamin entered.
“Your Excellency, the Madam’s maid is indeed missing. According to Olga, she hasn’t been seen since last night.”
“Missing?”
“Yes. And… the maid’s belongings, along with so of the Madam’s jewelry, have also disappeared.”
“Hah.”
Nothing was falling into place. Edmund let out a long sigh. His wounded arm throbbed, and the dizziness washing over him doubled.
“It seems the maid was bribed by the princess.”
“That significantly narrows our options for extracting the Madam. It seems Your Excellency will have to request an audience with the Emperor.”
“…Daphne did not attempt to assassinate the princess.”
Edmund’s firm statent cut through the conversation.
“But the maid fled in the night, and all the evidence points to the Madam being the culprit.”
“Daphne is not the criminal. Let’s end this discussion here.”
Edmund’s certainty was so absolute that no one dared to contradict him.
“Johann, track down the missing maid with Alec.”
“Understood.”
“Baron, contact anyone in the imperial court who may be sympathetic.”
With Johann and Alec gone, Edmund pressed his fingers against his temples in exhaustion. Seeing that Baron Nouvelle remained, he turned to face him.
“Your Excellency, I have made contact with the guild master.”
The information guild master was a figure surrounded by endless rumors. No one knew their gender, and only a handful had ever seen their true identity.
Whispers circulated, but none of them contained the truth. The most plausible theory was that the guild master was a high-ranking noble. Regardless, the fact that the elusive guild master had made direct contact with them left Edmund montarily stunned.
“They gave this.”
“…A magic stone?”
It was a magic stone brimming with divine energy, its pure white glow completely untainted.
“Furthermore, they returned the paynt. They said they wouldn’t accept it because ‘it should go to its rightful owner.’”
Edmund frowned slightly, puzzled by the cryptic remark.
“The rightful owner…”
He repeated the words, his mind trying to decipher their aning. He had no known connection to the guild master, at least, none that he was aware of. The already tangled situation was growing even more complicated, making his head throb.
“…Understood. You may go.”
After dismissing Baron Nouvelle, Edmund stared at the magic stone resting on his desk before finally rising from his seat.
— — —
Edmund’s next destination was the underground cell where Nick was being held.
“Your Excellency…”
Nick, who had been locked away for days without so much as a sip of water, called out to Edmund with parched lips. Edmund pulled a chair forward and sat down in front of him.
Nick struggled to sit upright.
“Do you rember what you did?”
“…I’m sorry. I don’t rember anything.”
Edmund had expected that response, so he imdiately asked,
“Then what is the last thing you do rember?”
Nick tried to recall, but his face twisted in agony as he let out a choked scream.
“Urgh… Ugh!”
His entire body convulsed under the unbearable pain splitting his head apart. When the pain finally subsided, he gasped for breath.
“Every ti I try to rember, I’m hit with this overwhelming pain. It’s not that I haven’t tried.”
Edmund could tell he was telling the truth.
“But… I did recall sothing.”
Though haggard, Nick’s eyes shone with clarity.
“Red eyes. I don’t know who they belong to, but I rember red eyes.”
Red eyes…
Edmund morized Nick’s words and stood up.
“I’ll have Johann update you on the situation. You have a task to carry out.”
* * *
“…Ugh.”
Anna groaned as she regained consciousness, a pounding headache making her wince. Despite opening her eyes, her vision remained shrouded in darkness. A brief mont of panic was followed by the realization that she was wearing a blindfold.
“The sorcerer who cast the previous spell is dead, so the Head Maid of the manor has been enchanted instead.”
“And the maid witnessed it?”
“Yes.”
A soft sigh escaped the lips of the responding man.
As Anna listened, she belatedly recognized the other voice. It belonged to Swen. And at that mont, mories of what had happened before she blacked out ca rushing back.
The Head Maid acting strangely. And the way Swen’s deanor had shifted the mont she pointed it out.
“Well, we intended to bring her here anyway.”
The man murmured. Then, as if realizing sothing, he added,
“She’s awake.”
“Anna.”
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Anna instinctively shrank back. But with her hands and feet bound, all she could do was struggle in vain.
“Anna, calm down.”
Swen removed her blindfold. A flood of light made her squint.
“Y-you… What are you? Who are you?”
“What do you an? It’s , Swen.”
Anna stared at him, but a chilling sense of dread crept over her. He was definitely Swen, the childhood friend she knew. And yet, sothing about him felt profoundly wrong.
“Anna, there’s no need to be afraid. You’re still useful, so I won’t hurt you.”
“What… What are you talking about?”
“Do you believe in God, Anna?”
Anna was thrown into even deeper confusion by the sudden question.
“A new god will soon descend. We are rely preparing to welco them.”
Swen spoke in words Anna could not understand, his voice filled with reverence. Anna, however, was consud by fear at the sight of him. A crimson gleam flickered in Swen’s brown eyes, reflecting his overwhelming emotion.
“Anna, I have no desire to harm you. So, will you follow quietly?”
His voice pressed for an answer, and Anna trembled uncontrollably.
"Try not to use sorcery unless necessary. It seems Daphne is quite fond of this girl.”
Anna suddenly realized that they were not alone in the room. Her eyes widened in shock when she recognized the speaker. It was none other than her lady’s brother, Sergei.
“Do not worry, Lord Sergei.”
Swen stepped closer to Anna.
Watching the scene unfold, Sergei soon turned and left the room.
The original plan had been to place a spell on Daphne’s handmaid during the hunting tournant and present her to the imperial princess. However, upon learning that Daphne held the girl in high regard, they repurposed their sche. A different, similar-looking maid was sent to the princess instead.
‘Foolishness has its limits.’
Sergei clicked his tongue at the princess’s ignorance. Not that he despised fools – far from it. After all, who was easier to manipulate than a fool?
With light steps, Sergei strolled down the corridor. From behind tightly shut doors ca agonized screams, yet he rely closed his eyes and humd a tune, as if savoring a masterpiece. Before long, he arrived at a door and pushed it open.
“Your Eminence.”
Inside stood a figure clad in immaculate white vestnts – attire wholly out of place in such surroundings. This was the High Priest, second in power only to the Emperor.
“Ah, should I now address you as the Marquis of Bled?”
“You may call as you always have.”
With a slight smile, Sergei tugged on a bell cord. At his signal, the door opened, and about ten people were ushered in. They varied in age and gender, but all shared one thing in common – vacant expressions that, upon seeing Sergei, twisted into terror.
“You may leave now, Noah.”
Once Noah forced them all to their knees and exited, Sergei spun leisurely on his heel.
“These are the new goods.”
“Hmm.”
The High Priest narrowed his eyes as he assessed their condition. Sergei imdiately sensed that sothing about him was different from usual.
“Is there sothing on your mind?”
“Hah… You truly see through everything, don’t you?”
The High Priest turned slightly. And with that motion, the figure standing behind him was revealed in full.
“Offer your greetings.”
The person, clad in a hooded robe so large it concealed their entire face, raised a hand. Slender, pale fingers reached up and pulled the hood back. Sergei’s eyes widened in astonishnt.
“The Saintess.”
T/N: Sooo… Saintess Kaphia wants to be the new god? Is that it?
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