Chapter 94: Older Brother (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94: Older Brother (1)
On the day the gambling den incident broke out, Calian spent the entire night combing through the evidence.
The documents detailed the den’s operations and the bribes paid, but Evan’s name was nowhere to be found. This was expected, so he wasn't disappointed. After all, his primary goal had been to obscure the relationship between himself and Franz; this move was merely a way to chip away at Evan's influence in the process.
Morning came, and Lemain summoned Calian. Kyrie’s involvement in the incident made the summons inevitable.
However, instead of mentioning Kyrie, Calian brought up a topic that seemed completely unrelated.
"To prevent Marquis Brissen from aligning with Randel, Franz allied with the Marquis instead. I targeted the Marquis's gambling den to ensure he wouldn't suspect Franz's intentions."
Hearing the explanation that followed, Lemain was genuinely astonished. Though he knew Calian was clever, the boy's knack for setting elaborate traps was extraordinary.
Having finished his explanation, Calian looked at Lemain and continued, "However, if this matter escalates and the Marquis has a change of heart, it will only worsen the situation, Your Majesty."
He was concerned that backing Evan too far into a corner might drive him to recklessly reach out to Randel or even rebel against the throne.
"Therefore, I request that you conclude this by punishing only those exposed in the investigation."
Lemain glanced at Alan, who sat silently beside him. He briefly weighed the strength of the knights and Valkan under Evan's command before nodding. "Very well. I shall do so."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
No matter how much their influence had waned, they were still the Brissens. Their knight order remained intact, and their reputation as one of Kairis's two greatest knight families, alongside Siegfried, would not vanish overnight just because of Silike's downfall.
"Then, who do you think the Marquis will put forward as a scapegoat?" Lemain asked.
"Viscount Geres."
"Ah, the one who suggested sending wheat to Tensil during the last meeting."
"Yes, that is correct."
"Plenty of nobles close to Marquis Brissen are wealthy enough to plausibly run a gambling den. May I ask why you suspect Viscount Geres specifically?"
Calian answered without a moment's hesitation. "I heard that a significant number of buildings on Astrisha Street belong to him. While Viscount Geres possesses immense wealth, his private forces are not particularly formidable. Although Marquis Brissen suffered financial losses from this incident, he still has revenue from his territory, so he won't be short on funds immediately. However, many knight families have distanced themselves from the Brissens following the former queen's downfall. Thus, the Marquis will value nobles with private forces over those with mere wealth. Among the pawns Marquis Brissen can afford to discard right now, Viscount Geres is the only one without a private army."
His reply was flawless. He was accurately reading not only Evan Brissen's situation but also that of every noble allied with him.
Lemain nodded. "Very well. I understand. You may leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Calian replied quietly, rose to offer his respects, and stepped out of the office.
A short while later, an investigator's report was delivered to Lemain. The name ‘Shail Geres’ was listed as the prime suspect.
Upon seeing it, Lemain looked at Alan, who was chewing on a sugar-preserved persimmon. His eyes shining with pride, Lemain said, "My son is truly extraordinary."
The words ‘my son’ were packed with immense pride. In response, Alan quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and spoke up.
"It is my disciple who is truly extraordinary."
Alan elegantly picked up another persimmon and popped it into his mouth. Lemain, acting as if he hadn't heard a word, continued, "I wonder who he takes after to be so clever. It is simply marvelous."
Alan made a sour face.
If his mouth hadn't been full of sweet persimmon, Alan, who absolutely loathed losing, might have retorted:
He takes after Chase. He certainly didn't inherit it from a snake like Devlan or an ox like Lemain.
* * *
Calian—who possessed a complex personality, having been born of the snake-like bloodline of Devlan, raised under the tutelage of Chase, and now living as the son of the ox-like Lemain—was currently soaking in a bathtub.
To be precise, he was submerged in a black tub filled with warm water, his eyes cast down as he tapped his fingers against the surface, deeply lost in thought.
Seeing this, Yan, who had come to help Calian prepare for bed, quietly backed out of the room without a sound. He then stopped Kyrie, who was about to enter with a report.
"I don't think you should disturb His Highness right now."
"Understood."
Kyrie turned back immediately without another word. Seeing him head toward the training ground at such a late hour, Yan wore a slightly exasperated expression.
Two months had passed since the gambling den incident was resolved. All of Viscount Geres's assets were confiscated. Since he had no actual connection to the den beyond siding with Evan, the matter was concluded by seizing only the assets that had facilitated his alliance, ensuring they would not find their way back to the Marquis.
Furthermore, Lemain did not hold Kyrie accountable for the killings. Instead, citing his responsibility for wielding a sword outside the palace as an attendant, Lemain handed down a two-month suspension. It wasn't house arrest, but a suspension—a disciplinary action that required him to leave the royal palace.
Hearing this, Calian had worn a peculiar smile.
'I had somewhere to send him anyway, so this works out perfectly.'
A suspension just when he needed someone outside. No one would suspect anything if Kyrie was absent from the palace. It was less a punishment and more a convenient excuse.
Today was the day Kyrie returned to Kairisis. As soon as he saw Calian, he offered a brief greeting and immediately reported, "On my way back, I saw the delegation from Tensil. Their numbers are unusually large."
A typical congratulatory delegation, including escorts, rarely exceeded fifty people.
"There are nearly a hundred of them. It looked like priests were among them."
Calian’s eyes fell. Nearly double the usual number of people had entered Kairis.
Naturally, Calian had gone straight to Lemain to ask about this.
"They said that as an apology for their previous rudeness and as a token of gratitude for our salt support, they would send thirty priests, including those who had previously returned," Lemain had explained.
Calian couldn't argue with the decision to accept. On paper, while it might be slightly unpleasant, there was nothing overtly suspicious about it. Tensil sending priests was not a rare occurrence.
Yet, he felt uneasy.
After returning from his meeting with the king, Calian had spent half the day tapping his fingers on his desk. Even so, the unanswerable questions lingered, which was why he was now soaking in the tub, lost in thought once more.
'It feels like Randel is planning something.'
It had been the same when he saw the red-glowing rose. Without a shred of evidence, Randel had immediately come to mind. This time was no different. The moment he heard Kyrie's words, he thought of Randel, yet he couldn't fathom why.
"What could he possibly plot with thirty priests…"
As Calian muttered this and let out a deep sigh, a voice echoed from outside the bathroom—a voice belonging to someone whose level of consideration was vastly different from Yan's.
"Get out."
It was his dearly loved yet detested second brother, who couldn't care less about his younger brother's deep contemplation. Calian's brow furrowed instantly, and he replied in a voice laced with annoyance.
"Yes."
Since he was told to get out, he had no choice but to comply. He shook off his thoughts, stood, threw on a robe, and stepped outside.
The two of them were still officially ‘on bad terms.’ This meant that even when they had things to say, they couldn't speak openly. At first, they had passed simple messages through Arsen. The problem was that over the past two months, Arsen had realized that Franz was surprisingly patient and had begun to push his luck. Of course, Franz's patience wasn't so vast that he would tolerate being picked on, so the two had reached a point where they growled at each other on sight.
'Shouldn't we stop them, Master?'
'This is practically harmonious. Do not worry.'
Seeing the two of them, neither Calian nor Alan had any intention of intervening. It was quite an entertaining spectacle, after all. As a result, Calian and Franz had agreed to simply leave their windows unlocked when they went to sleep, since communicating through Arsen had become impossible.
"What brings you here so late?" Calian asked.
"It seems the Margrave is returning."
"Are you saying Margrave Gray Brissen is coming to Kairisis again?"
"Yes."
His wounds from the beating must still be aching, Calian thought with a brief chuckle.
"That's strange. There's no way Marquis Brissen would have summoned the Margrave."
Gray was no longer a Sword Master, a fact Franz knew. Of course, Calian hadn't mentioned who was responsible for that.
At any rate, neither Evan nor Randel knew that Gray's status had changed. Since Gray knew his head would roll the moment the truth was discovered, he would have done everything in his power to hide it.
"The Marquis can't sense the Margrave's aura, so if they met, he would likely assume the Margrave has simply grown stronger than him. He wouldn't suspect that the aura has vanished entirely. There's no reason for him to summon such a man to the capital. Besides, he has no need to covet the Margrave's private forces just yet."
"The Marquis was also surprised when he heard the news," Franz said.
"Then, could it be…"
Pausing, Calian pointed a finger upward, asking if it was Randel who had summoned Gray.
"Probably." Franz nodded.
Calian didn't know what the priest Malcolm Chettish had done to Gray in the Latran Territory. He had only heard from Euria that Gray was somehow walking again. However, he knew very well that aura could never accumulate in a destroyed dantian, meaning there was absolutely no chance of Gray recovering his skills.
"Why summon him? And why would the Margrave agree to come…"
Thirty priests. Gray. And Randel.
As Calian fell deep into thought, unable to find the connection, an intrigued smile spread across his face.
"You are presenting me with an interesting riddle, Brother," he muttered to himself.
He was actually enjoying the difficulty of the problem, completely ignoring the look on his other brother's face, which seemed to ask what kind of madman would react this way.
* * *
The eyes of the knight scouting ahead narrowed. He turned to the group following behind him.
"Hold on a moment."
At his words, the travelers on the royal road to Kairisis pulled on their reins. Since no one else possessed eyesight as keen as his, they all wore puzzled expressions.
The knight turned his horse around and approached the person riding in the center of the formation. To the man who turned his head in inquiry, the knight said, "There are people up ahead who appear to be Tensil priests."
Kyrie was not the only one to spot the unusually large delegation. All royal roads eventually led to Kairisis, so it wasn't uncommon for travelers from different places to cross paths.
The man who heard the report replied nonchalantly, "If we run into them, we can just exchange greetings."
It was a carefree remark. He and Tensil were sworn enemies, yet he spoke of exchanging greetings. The knight, well-accustomed to this attitude, simply explained further.
"There are many who appear to be priests. Thirty of them."
Hearing the underlying warning, the man chuckled softly. "It would be best to spend a day nearby before moving on."
"Very well. A pity, since we're almost there."
Only then did the knight bow and withdraw. Soon, his voice could be heard directing the others to find a nearby territory where the group could stay for the night.
The man watched this unfold and murmured to himself, "Thirty priests, you say."
Beneath the deeply pulled-down white hood, red lips curved into a wide smile.