Scheduled Collapse (2)
In the Barhart Empire, titles, ranks, and actual power do not always align perfectly. Compared to the Levenstein family—one of the imperial in-laws with immense influence—the Mars ducal house was generally considered two or three steps behind. Still, a duke was a duke. It was an undeniable fact that they stood near the very peak of a strictly hierarchical society.
Beyond all the complicated politics, the man before us was elderly. When someone of his stature didn’t just nod politely but actually bowed at the waist in greeting, how could a group of young students not be thrown off balance? Everyone’s expressions shifted, even Chrome, who had been pretending not to care while secretly on edge after hearing about his brother. Ligret showed no particular reaction, but that was just how she was, so we’ll move on. In the original story, the Nameless War Demon could lop off the emperor’s head depending on the route anyway.
“Please raise your head, Your Grace. There is no need to go this far.”
“No, no. If you hadn’t dealt with the culprit so quickly, the damage would have been far worse. How could expressing gratitude to those who saved so many lives be considered excessive?”
Duke Mars wasn’t wrong. If they hadn’t headed straight for the tower, the blood clots that fed on victims’ lives and multiplied might have delayed them significantly. Even after reaching the tower, if Ligret hadn’t flown directly to where Duve was, the creature might have grown even stronger with the extra time. And if they had dragged out the fight against the blood giant instead of finishing it quickly while waiting for outside support, the aftermath could have claimed many more lives.
These were all just speculations, but the fact that acting swiftly had minimized casualties was undeniable. Still, in a class-based society, lowering one’s head to someone younger and lower in status was never easy. If he had done it purely out of sincerity, he was truly a person of great character. If it was calculated, then he was frighteningly shrewd. Perhaps it was both.
“Is there anything you desire as compensation for this incident? I will do everything in my power to fulfill it.”
“It was a matter of saving many lives. How could I seek personal gain?”
“Oh, how commendable…! Do the rest of you feel the same?”
Thanks to the discussion we had beforehand, none of the other members demanded separate rewards.
“In that case, I intend to give you a personal bonus. Would you accept it? After all, money always finds a use.”
“I heard that Your Grace used your personal funds to help the victims of this incident. How could I possibly seek profit on top of that? Please withdraw the offer.”
Of course, it wasn’t that I truly had no greed. In this situation, accepting anything here would cause problems. How many people had been directly or indirectly harmed by this madness? How deep must the grief of the bereaved be? With the culprit’s identity now clear, all resentment was focused on that side for now. But while people were still searching for somewhere to direct their anger, it was best not to do anything that could be used against us. These matters could never be judged purely by logic.
“Haha, a young man who saved so many lives is already remarkable, yet you even consider my circumstances. I am both grateful and ashamed to lift my head. If that is how you feel, I will not press you now. But if you ever need help later, please tell me. Otherwise, my heart will not be at ease.”
“Hmm… If you insist so much, it becomes difficult to refuse. Then I will borrow your strength when the time comes.”
“Good, good. Though I am getting on in years, I have not yet forgotten how to remember a face. Rest assured. Even without exchanging material goods, simply maintaining a friendly relationship brings more than enough benefit.”
“I’m quite curious how the Midas family educates its children.”
Princess Lyla looked at me with an expression that seemed genuinely astonished.
“Even if you say that, there’s nothing special. We just learn things like how to get along well with our siblings.”
We also share food so delicious that one bite can send you to heaven, exchange elegant letters containing refined threats like “if you don’t join me or quietly disappear, I’ll kill you,” and maintain close bonds by sending knife-wielding entertainers to dance in the dead of night so no one gets bored. I send my condolences to Theo, who had to receive all the gifts originally meant for me because I used him as a meat shield. Still, the fact that he stubbornly survived and rose to become the next in line after that damned family head proves he’s quite capable himself.
“Anyway, I’m glad you came, Lady Lyla. Honestly, everyone was running on fumes—mana, stamina, consumables, all of it.”
“How could I not come when I heard I could see Chrome in action? Though what I witnessed was rather different from what I expected.”
The way she smiled while saying that was terrifying. The sense that she might be angry… was probably not just my imagination. I decided to clear up the misunderstanding first.
“Let me say this in advance—I didn’t call you here because I was certain of anything.”
“……”
The princess did not reply. Her smile remained exactly the same.
“While investigating my opponent for the tournament, I realized their movements were strangely elusive. There were even ‘coincidences so perfect they felt unnatural’ that caused tracking to fail. And……”
“And?”
“My gut feeling was bad.”
“That’s all?”
I continued with firm conviction.
“I don’t consider myself a good person, Your Highness. But I am not rotten enough to stand by and do nothing even after realizing something like this would happen.”
The smile vanished from Princess Lyla’s lips. After several seconds of silence, she lowered her head.
“I apologize, Chrome. I have committed a great discourtesy.”
I shrugged.
“I’m glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”
In truth, it wasn’t unreasonable for Princess Lyla to suspect me. I had called her before the incident even occurred, and the moment she arrived, the perfect stage for me to shine had been set. It would be strange not to wonder if I had known something in advance and prepared accordingly. To be precise, it had been Fiore who suggested calling the princess, but explaining that now would only complicate things, so I let it slide.
The princess gave a bitter smile.
“It feels strangely awkward when you call me ‘Your Highness,’ Chrome.”
“People tend to feel lonely when they’re only addressed by their title or position. It’s nice to have people who call you by name. Makes life worth living.”
“Is that from experience?”
“Young master, wicked merchant, commoner bastard, upstart’s son, employer… and recently ‘the main body is the tongue’ has been added to the list. Don’t you think that’s too much?”
“The last one has quite the discerning eye.”
“There’s someone even worse right here.”
Hmm, good. I could feel the awkward atmosphere loosening up. Now, what to do next?
Originally, I had planned to make a fortune gambling at the martial tournament, claim the winning prize, and then head to the dungeon. But with the competition suspended, there was naturally no prize, and although I had recovered my principal from the bets, the big score had failed. More importantly, I had used far more consumables than expected, leaving my inventory almost empty. Most of my combat strength relied on them.
I could still fight by spamming low-tier spells, but that wouldn’t work against opponents above a certain level. Fiore specialized in support, so in practice Ligret would have to carry everything alone. Crow would need to return to the main house because of his brother’s situation, and Akasha had been summoned by the Holy Star Church, so I couldn’t ask for her help either.
Should I ask Princess Lyla for assistance? Since we had already met, perhaps I could use this opportunity to challenge a higher-grade dungeon—
The sound of commotion from outside forcibly interrupted my thoughts as I tried to form a new plan.
In the garden in front of Duke Mars’s residence, soldiers from the ducal territory led by Daniel Richter were facing off against another group uniformly dressed in black.
Daniel Richter shouted, “This is the residence of Duke Mars! What is this rudeness, barging in without following proper procedures!”
A man dressed entirely in black from head to toe—looking as if the words ‘I have no flexibility’ had been written across his forehead—replied.
“This is an extremely urgent matter. I am aware it is discourteous, but please step aside for now. If I can take a few people with me, that will be enough.”
“Are you seriously saying that right now…!”
Just as Daniel was about to explode in anger, a man appeared in the garden and stopped him.
“That’s enough, Daniel.”
Daniel Richter retreated with a frustrated expression. Duke Mars opened his mouth.
“So, what business brings the empire’s proud First Sword to this insignificant old man’s home?”
The black knight saluted Duke Mars.
“Please forgive me for not revealing my name as I am carrying out an order. I apologize for the disturbance, Your Grace.”
“It’s fine. So, who do you intend to take? If you’re here to arrest this old man over this incident, you could have simply sent a letter instead of going to such lengths.”
At Duke Mars’s words, the black knight shook his head.
“Our target is not Your Grace.”
“You come to my residence saying you will take someone, yet your business is not with me? Then who is it? Or does this old man not even have the authority to know?”
The black knight—a man belonging to the Barhart Empire’s central army—continued.
“By His Majesty the Emperor’s command, we are to arrest three individuals: Chrome Midas, Fiore Midas, and Ligret.”