Chapter 58

“Cunning rabbit? No, you are a cunning lion.”

“A cunning lion… to have both the bravery of a lion and the wisdom of a snake is the highest praise. Your Majesty.”

The duke seemed to have no more words to counter, letting out a sigh as he spoke.

“Come out in about an hour. I will go out first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After saying that, a sound of a door opening and closing was heard from beyond the wall.

And for an hour, I pondered on how… to cook the fat pig of a lord.

It was a strategy I had crafted and refined in my mind numerous times…

Even though my opponent may be incompetent, he is a giant who can mobilize troops two to three times greater than mine…

However, if I fail, I will lose not only the serfs of my territory but also trusted vassals like Frost, Balt, Helmut, and Weiss.

Moreover, the count, countess, and lately, Ela, who has been expressing her wish to have my child…

Will face cruel and horrific punishments that could not be put into words…

So, until it was time to leave, I expressed my gratitude for the luck of my grand strategy aligning perfectly thus far and refined my strategy to ensure I would not lose my ‘precious people and vassals’ — a reason I absolutely could not fail.

Just like a craftsman breathing life into beautiful marble with chisel and hammer.

**

For several days following that day, I excused myself from the count by claiming I was ill and holed up in my room, continuing to devise my plans.

It may be that my absence made Ela’s expression look quite lonely as she brought me meals…

Yet, if there were more nobles I needed for my grand strategy, there was no opportunity to recruit them other than ‘now.’

And the day before the Emperor’s memorial service, today I was again sleeping under a blanket in the corner of my room…

When suddenly, I heard someone open the door and enter.

I thought perhaps my plan had been discovered and someone had come to arrest me, but I saw the person entering with an indifferent expression.

It was Balt.

Seeing that he wasn’t serious, it didn’t seem that my conspiracy to usurp the title of the Count of Nante had been uncovered…

“What brings you in so suddenly? Were you worried about me?”

Hearing that, Balt smirked and said.

“Now that you haven’t been eating much and have only been holed up in your room, I do have some worries…”

“I understand, I’ll eat properly. As soon as the memorial service is over, I’ll rest, so don’t worry.”

“Please make sure to do that, Your Excellency. Actually, for a few days now, a finely dressed butler has been coming regularly at this hour, saying, ‘If I can’t meet Count Croilet today, I will reveal Your Excellency’s secret!!’ after making a big fuss… I came to ask what should be done.”

As I heard those words, I felt a chill run down my spine.

At least the way he appeared so boldly indicated that he wasn’t someone who belonged to a force capable of threatening me…

Still, if he knows a secret… should I kill him?

No, he probably wouldn’t have come this far if I could persuade him a little…

“Send another maid to wait in the reception room. I’ll go myself in a bit.”

“Yes, understood.”

**

I cleaned up, changed my clothes, and headed to the reception room to meet someone other than Ela, Balt, Helmut, and Weiss.

Upon entering the reception room, which I had intentionally made as simple as possible according to my taste, there was a slender man elegantly enjoying tea and pastries.

At first glance, he appeared somewhat feminine, but… his upper body was… too slim to be mistaken for a woman.

Yes, although his figure was delicate, and his face was small with slightly red lips, giving off a chic vibe…

Anyway, I shook those thoughts off and sat down opposite to him, saying.

“I am SIEL von Croilet, the rightful ruler of the Croilet Count domain.”

The man responded with a clear, almost genderless voice that seemed unaffected by puberty.

“I am Chris Belladora. It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency.”

“I am not so pleased, am I? Someone suddenly barges in and insists on meeting me to avoid having my secret revealed…”

In response, the man also smiled and replied.

“Yes, but I thought that if I didn’t do this, someone like me wouldn’t have the chance to meet you. So please forgive me.”

When I negotiated with Duke Brussels, I had also asserted my power, so this Duke must have felt something like this too.

Why can someone with no power or strength have such confidence just because they hold ‘one of my weaknesses’?

What is this? It’s somewhat frightening…

“Alright, then first tell me the secret you know about me. Based on the value of that secret, I will grant you what you desire.”

I rang the bell on the reception room desk to call someone.

“I think I’ll need some money, so bring it generously.”

“Yes, understood.”

After several minutes, the servant I called came back with a box the size of a cutlery holder.

When I opened the lid to show the contents inside, Chris’s eyes widened.

“Truly, you are the ‘Count Croilet,’ rising star of Nante… I can’t believe you are exerting so much effort even for someone like me. Isn’t it gold coins, several dozen…”

He wasn’t just a mediocre individual trying to sell my secret for money.

Because if he were that kind of third-rate, he would have immediately pocketed the gold coins as soon as I gave them and then slowly revealed the secret he knew.

And the point of admiration here shows he is out to ‘thoroughly engage’…

He must either be a clever strategist or a professional gambler aiming for a bigger score.

“I believe that’s enough good faith shown; start speaking.”

“Yes, I will. I, Chris Belladora… witnessed Count Croilet meet with Duke Brussels several days ago.”

“Is that so? And… what’s the significance of that? Even if I did meet the Duke, isn’t it no great matter?”

Chris, hearing my words, chuckled and continued speaking.

“Then why did you meet in a church, more specifically in the confessional? That place is primarily where nobles engage in infidelity or… discuss matters that must remain secret.”

In that instant, I felt a fear as though I were drowning in his ocean-like clear blue eyes.

Because no matter how incompetent the count may be, simply by us meeting in the confessional, it would be clear that ‘I am plotting something.’

If it came to that, I would end up fighting against the count unprepared…

“T-That is…”

Hearing my trembling voice, Chris responded with a confident expression and tone.

“And considering the stories the current Count of Nante has spread in Elysium, along with the various rumors circulated by the minstrels… there was clearly an event during the retrieval of Helzman in which ‘you held your sword upside down,’ and it seemed that Count Croilet sought a secret conversation with Duke Brussels to usurp the title of the Count… Based on your reaction just now, it seems more likely to be true.”

I remembered a line from a comic about the Three Kingdoms where Sima Yi would always say something like this when he was cornered.

“Damn, this is a scheme by Kongming!! Everyone retreat!!!”

Though I laughed at seeing Sima Yi portray such a thing, experiencing it myself… is quite dreadful…

While I could eliminate this person and shut Chris Belladora’s mouth…

Someone with this level of stratagem surely would have told someone, “If I die, deliver this letter to the Count of Nante.”

Therefore, I cannot kill this man in front of me.

So I’d better just give him what he wants and hope he keeps his mouth shut…

Ideally, I would want to deliver a box filled with coins and quietly have a low-ranking servant fetch it.

“I concede. So what do you desire? I cannot give you my territory or title, so money it is.”

“How much can you provide?”

“As much as you want. Or would you rather become one of my subordinates?”

Upon hearing that, Chris, seemingly waiting for this question, flashed the brightest smile he had shown thus far.

“Yes, I will become your subordinate. Please give me a position that fits my abilities.”

“… Do you not think I will kill you because I cannot trust you?”

The remark about whether he would become my subordinate was said in an effort to prevent him from extorting money by catching me on a secret… but he really takes that seriously…

Still, it’s better to keep a dangerous person close under surveillance rather than far away; I might as well keep him around.

Moreover, this archetype will pledge complete loyalty as long as I meet his expectations…

If I can utilize his ability to pinpoint my one weakness with limited information, he would surely help shape my strategies in the future…

As I became engrossed in thought, Chris suddenly began to remove his butler uniform.

His suit jacket, dress shirt… as he took them off, he revealed a padded armor inside.

As I was about to ask why he was wearing padded armor underneath…

Chris looked at me with a wicked smile and said.

“Your Excellency, I will share a secret with you—a token of my loyalty towards you.”

And then Chris forcefully grabbed my right hand towards his chest.

The sensation in my hand… if I had just touched the chest of a dry man, it should feel rigid…

But in my hand was a small chest that felt elastic like rubber yet soft like a sponge.

As I stood there dumbfounded, unable to say anything, he looked at me seriously and declared.

“I, Chris Belladora, am a woman. However, wanting to serve a lord I can admire, just like my father, who was a knight and passed away when I was young, I have lived in disguise for several years. Your Excellency, I will serve you loyally.”

In this place, where medieval culture prevails, even if a woman were smarter than Napoleon and adept with a sword and bow like the great Jack Churchill of England, she would never be able to take a ‘knighthood’ or ‘office’…

If what this girl—no, this young woman said is true, I can trust that she won’t betray me.

Even if she betrays me, I could simply entrust the assassination guild to handle it…

Thus, smiling, I held her hand and shook it as I said.

“I shall accept your loyalty. However, until you prove your worth, you shall receive a payment of five silver coins.”

This way, I secured a slightly gender-neutral advisor.

And on this day, I personally experienced one of the meanings of empathy: ‘One has to experience it themselves to feel the emotions of others.’

Damn, so this is why the Duke was so shocked and astonished when he looked at me a few days ago…

**

After recruiting Chris, I brought her into my chamber.

To verify her abilities and since she poses a potential risk, I decided to keep her under surveillance 24/7 until her abilities and loyalty were fully confirmed.

No one, except Chris, entered the chamber, but just in case, I stationed two knights on duty outside.

Chris and I reviewed the ‘plan’ until just before the Emperor’s memorial service, confirming that our plans aligned before we spread out to rest.

The first line of that plan read:

[After the Emperor’s memorial service, provoke the Count suitably, denounce all his past dishonors in front of the nobles, and declare a duel war.]

From now on, the great Schwabin shall no longer be an aristocrat in this world.

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