Covert Operation (3)
"Here—this dust hasn't been properly wiped. And what is that faint stain on the floor?"
"A manor is the very face of its master. Surely you don't intend to smear dirt across the Count and Countess's faces?"
"No, sir!"
"Then move with haste."
Gordon, who pursued perfection even on ordinary days, was particularly merciless with the servants from the crack of dawn.
"Haa… he's even fussier than usual today."
"Can't be helped. Half the nobility's coming, after all."
The servants sighed under Gordon's piercing gaze, but they understood well enough why he was acting this way.
Today was the day reserved buyers would arrive to inspect the magical beasts for purchase.
These were not mere noble sons or ladies dropping by for a tea party. The heads of entire houses were coming—and that meant every last detail of the manor's appearance had to be flawless.
Ordinarily, such men would have sent subordinates in their place. But those who intended to buy magical beasts wanted to see the creatures with their own eyes.
And so the servants swept and scrubbed the entire manor again and again, right up until the moment the noble house heads and wealthy magnates arrived.
"Welcome, everyone!"
"So glad you could come~"
It was noon.
As the appointed hour arrived and the nobles began gathering one by one, Darian stepped forward to greet them, raising his glass in welcome.
"Gathering with like-minded people ahead of the New Year's banquet—truly, nothing lifts the spirits quite like this!"
In truth, they had come to purchase magical beasts. But since that could hardly be said aloud, the whole affair was being dressed up as a social gathering.
"Come, come! The food's ready—drink and enjoy yourselves!"
With that cheerfully simple conclusion to the formalities, Darian drained his glass in one go, and the social gathering—or rather, the thinly veiled purchase waiting room—got underway.
"Well then…"
"Darling?"
As the gathering began in earnest and Darian reached to refill his glass, Freya fixed him with a pointed stare.
"…What? If I don't drink and join in, won't they find it suspicious?"
"…Drink in moderation."
"Of course! Hahaha! Freedom!"
"Ugh…"
If the host himself failed to look like he was enjoying the party, it might raise eyebrows—so Freya reluctantly loosened the reins.
"My lady, if it would please you, why not converse with these ladies?"
"A pleasure to meet you, Countess."
"My, my~ Countess, you're every bit as beautiful as the rumors say!"
At that moment, Viscount Bjorn—who had been whispering among the already-arrived nobles—approached with several wives who had accompanied their house heads, and addressed Freya.
"Oh… how lovely to meet you! Though… um… you are…?"
"…Ahem. Viscountess Leveret and Baroness Gilbert."
"Ah~! Of course! So nice to meet you~!"
"Ah… haha, yes. A pleasure, Countess."
"I'm terrible with names… Let's get to know each other better!"
I already know perfectly well who they are, of course.
The moment Freya had glanced at the guest list Viscount Bjorn provided, she had committed every house and every crest to memory. But she played the part of the famously dim-witted Freya, pretending not to recognize them at all.
"B-by the way! We were so astonished—about your son!"
"Yes, yes! Already a professor at the Academy, and he even saved the students when those ruffians attacked, didn't he?"
"And that new potion he developed—the capital is absolutely buzzing about it~"
Their faces stiffened slightly at Freya's failure to recognize them, but they quickly steered the conversation toward Felix.
"And yet, as far as we know, he's already of age… and there's no fiancée anyone can name?"
"Is that true? My goodness~! A handsome face, brilliant mind, and the next head of a count's house—if I were twenty years younger, I'd have sent him a whole cartload of letters myself!"
"Having a son like that… as a mother, I truly envy you~"
Felix was already a celebrity in noble society.
Outstanding achievements, rare good looks, an Academy professorship, and the eldest son of a count's house—he was the heir apparent, plain and simple.
And the most astonishing part of all? A man of such caliber had no fiancée.
In truth, Felix had once been engaged.
But before this couple had taken over the bodies of the count's household, the Evergarden family had been a complete disaster—clearly headed for ruin by anyone's measure.
While the previous head still lived, the family's status as a count's house had at least drawn engagement proposals for Felix, and one had even been arranged. But once Darian became head and thoroughly wrecked the family's standing—and with Felix's own reputation at rock bottom—the other side had unilaterally broken off the engagement.
Rosaria had fared no better.
And now that Felix had, quite literally, turned his fortunes completely around, every young lady of marriageable age was eyeing him hungrily.
They didn't say it out loud, of course—but inside the Academy alone, the number of young noblewomen lurking around corners in hopes of a "chance" encounter with Felix could have filled a truck.
Amusingly enough, Rosaria had almost no such suitors. The prevailing attitude of the age held that a woman stronger than a man was simply undesirable.
"Quite so, Countess."
"Oh my, Baron Gramlin, is that you?"
"I apologize for overhearing. But your son is truly exceptional… If I might be so bold, what would you say to my daughter—"
"Oh, Baron. The ladies are speaking just now, so if you could wait a moment…"
"Countess! What about my daughter? A fine girl of sixteen this year—"
The moment Felix's name came up, the nobles who had been eavesdropping with pricked ears swarmed in at once, each pitching their own daughters.
Marry my girl and that potion becomes ours!—the naked greed of the thought made the whole scene thoroughly ugly.
Just as the sniping began—whose daughter was prettier, whose was nothing special—
"Isn't that right~!? Honestly, I don't know who he takes after, but he's just so clever! Why, the Academy's headmaster personally presented him with a commendation plaque, can you believe it?"
"Ah, is that so? Truly impressive."
"And that's not all—he's so kind and dependable day to day. I really did raise one fine son, if I do say so myself."
"Aha… I see…?"
"And then last time, there was this one incident—"
"Ah… yes… ahem… quite… ah… yes… before that… oh, is that so…? Aha…"
Faced with all of this, Freya blossomed like a flower in full bloom, beaming as she launched into an endless, elaborate catalog of Felix's virtues.
Her words came so fast, the tempo never once breaking, that whenever a house head or lady tried to interrupt and pitch their own daughter, Freya simply buried them under another wave of praise. In the end, they could only give the same hollow replies over and over, forced to listen to Felix's praises for the entire day, their souls slowly draining from their bodies.
"Careful now—there's a staircase here as well… and we've arrived!"
Once the social gathering concluded and deep darkness settled over the territory, Viscount Bjorn led the throng of house heads and their wives down into the basement where the magical beasts were kept.
"Oho… so those are magical beasts?"
"My, they're not as frightening as I expected."
"They're still cubs, so their forms resemble ordinary animals… but even a juvenile specimen can easily threaten the life of a grown man."
"I see… so that's a magical beast for you. They'll be quite the sight once fully grown."
The magical beasts, lying still under the effects of the sedative, were far less terrifying than anyone had imagined.
Most looked like fawn, wolf, or bear cubs, with nothing more than a small protrusion on their foreheads to set them apart from ordinary animal young.
Even so, they remained extremely dangerous, and Viscount Bjorn made certain to impress that danger upon his guests.
"Well then… we shall proceed with the reservations and down payments. Please take your time looking around, select the beasts that catch your fancy, and inform my subordinate. I would be most grateful."
"Let's see… oh my, is this one a wolf?"
"A bear would be the strongest, wouldn't it?"
"This rabbit is so adorable—and yet something this cute is supposed to be that savage and violent? Magical beasts truly are remarkable…"
After Viscount Bjorn's brief introduction, the buyers began strolling among the caged beasts as if browsing luxury goods in a department store, leisurely appraising them while chatting among themselves.
One by one, they started confirming their purchases and handing over down payments. And just as that process was well underway—
"But these animals… aren't they a bit too still?"
One noble, peering carefully into a cage, pointed at the beasts inside.
Before coming here, they had heard all about the danger and ferocity of magical beasts and had arrived with high expectations. Now, seeing the real thing—sprawled limply on the cage floors like sickly chickens—they were thoroughly disappointed.
"How should I put it… I'd like to see them move about a bit, show some life. Lying there like corpses is just… well."
"Indeed. We're spending a fortune on these. Doesn't this feel rather halfhearted?"
"Weren't magical beasts supposed to be ferocious? Where's the ferocity in this?"
"You haven't just thrown ordinary animals in here and called them magical beasts, have you?!"
It seemed everyone had been nursing the same grievance. Once one voice spoke up, the other nobles nodded along and began voicing their complaints in turn.
"Now, now, everyone, please calm yourselves. Magical beasts are not creatures that simply submit to taming… To prioritize safety above all else, they must remain under the effects of the sedative."
"That's why they look a bit weak and listless… Once the drug wears off, they're more violent than an enraged bull. So please, settle down."
As the grumbling grew louder, Viscount Bjorn raised his voice to gather their attention and explained the beasts' condition once more.
"It's not that we don't trust you, Viscount Bjorn… it's just a little off-putting."
"I understand, my lady. But this measure was taken for your safety and for the sake of secrecy. I ask for your understanding."
"…Well, I suppose there's no helping it. Fine."
"Right, well—if it's the drug, then once it wears off we'll see their true nature."
Bjorn's earnest appeal seemed to land. Even the nobles who still harbored some dissatisfaction eventually accepted his explanation, and the atmosphere gradually settled.
Nobles, honestly…! They have no idea how dangerous real magical beasts are, so they spit out nonsense like that without a second thought.
But even as he bowed his head, Viscount Bjorn was cursing his primary clientele thoroughly in his heart.
Unlike these nobles, who had only ever seen sedated beasts, Bjorn had traveled north himself and felt the true danger of magical beasts firsthand. His understanding of them was entirely different from theirs.
Still… did I give them too much of the drug? No—once they confirm their purchases here, they'll buy no matter what… no need to reduce the dosage.
If anything goes wrong, it's all over…
The drug really is effective, though. Those savage creatures are lying there quiet as the dead.
Even so, the beasts' condition—stabilized by the sedative meant to suppress their ferocity—was so thoroughly calm that Viscount Bjorn found himself marveling at the drug's excellence.
The magical beasts lay flat on the floor, blinking lazily, utterly unbothered by the crowd of people bustling about and staring at them.
And because of that, the magic circles laid beneath the forms of the magical beasts remained completely invisible to everyone else.