Chapter 215: Intrigue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 215: Intrigue
“Is there anything you need? Come to think of it, your gambeson looks quite worn… And I heard your sword was made by a blacksmith in some small city, right? It's a sad reality, but the quality of weaponry is better here than in the South.”
After I secured another victory, Count Ohohena wouldn't leave my side. His previous defeatist attitude had completely vanished.
He seemed to truly believe that God was watching over us. It appeared my act of being a lucky man to hide my skills had backfired.
“I hope this isn't too forward of me."
I decided to graciously accept his offer. Refusing a noble's favor could be seen as a slight to their honor.
“Nonsense! Considering what you've done for me, this is the least I can do! Heh heh, you should have seen the sour looks on the faces of those bastards who were mocking me just yesterday.”
While humoring Count Ohohena, I turned my gaze to the stage.
To give the participants who had fought consecutive matches a rest, today, the third day, featured exhibition matches instead of official ones.
The first match was a raw battle, a troll hunt, and the main event was scheduled to be a group battle reenacting a great battle from history.
That match was the very reason Count Ohohena had dragged me all the way here.
Looking down at the stage where preparations were in full swing, he licked his lips, glanced around warily, and whispered to me.
“Who do you think will win? I had my scribe look into it, and historically, the Drazil Kingdom used a clever stratagem to overcome a severe numerical disadvantage and claim victory. If they're reenacting that history, won't the result be the same?”
The Southern nobles who had subtly gathered around us pricked up their ears. Their eyes were glued to my lips.
When Ohalla the Butcher won just as I had confidently predicted, they had come to acknowledge my insight.
And now they intended to use that insight to win big on this stage, which had become the largest gambling ring in history.
“How could I possibly know something that you, the leader of the South, do not…”
As I tried to subtly back out, Count Ohohena stomped his foot in frustration.
“Hmph. I secretly asked some of the Central nobles I have connections with, but they're all tight-lipped as if they've gone mute. His Grace Duke Babel must have ordered them to keep quiet. So they can keep all the profits for themselves. I mean, after making such a huge investment, they have to get something out of it, don't they?”
The owner of the gambling ring not only deciding the outcome but also betting on it—an act unthinkable in modern times—was treated as perfectly normal here.
Looking around, I saw no one who thought this was a problem.
On the contrary, their greed to ride this opportunity and make a fortune was plain to see in their glittering eyes.
‘Tsk. It's none of my business.’
Didn't the ruling class in my modern memories do the same things behind the scenes? The only difference between the two eras was how blatant they were about it.
Having confirmed that Count Ohohena had ties to the Central political circle, I looked down at the stage again. It was a narrow stage for reenacting a historic battle.
Perhaps for that reason, the number of champions playing the part of the Osan Kingdom's forces, who were said to have had overwhelming military power, was only double that of the Drazil Kingdom. On the other hand, the Drazil Kingdom, just as in history, had superior equipment.
It was a setup where either side could win, which was likely why the betting was so heated.
Was this intentional? I glanced at Duke Babel in the central stands and said.
“How could I predict the outcome when I haven't even seen them fight... but if, as you say, Count Ohohena, the Central political circle intends to reap a huge economic profit from this, isn't the answer obvious? It will be the side with the higher payout odds.”
A slight turn of my head was enough to see spectators shouting that the Drazil Kingdom would win.
Even among the commoners, there were those who knew their history. Indeed, so many people had bet on the Drazil Kingdom that the payout was low.
“Oh! That makes sense! No, I’d do the same myself.”
Count Ohohena and the other nobles became busy. Though all they did was have their servants place their bets.
Confirming that Count Ohohena's gaze toward me had grown considerably warmer, I tossed out a comment in a casual tone.
“However, His Grace Duke Babel looks troubled.”
If I were to suddenly ask about the stance of Duke Babel's faction, it would arouse suspicion, so I planned to start with a light topic and guide the conversation naturally.
“I hear he suffers from severe insomnia.”
“Well, I suppose when you're the head of one of the continent's Three Powers, you have more than a few headaches. You have to keep other factions in check and manage the nobles under you. Isn't this duel tournament meant to promote harmony?”
“Well, I doubt that’s the only reason.”
His tone implied he knew something.
I didn't press him. Not only did I want to avoid suspicion, but if he had intended to keep it a secret, he wouldn't have mentioned it at all.
When I didn't react, he smacked his lips and finally gestured for me to come closer, whispering so only I could hear.
“How can he sleep when a visitor comes every night?”
“An assassin, you mean? I've heard about that. That the real purpose of this tournament is to select a guard knight to prevent the assassination…”
“Tsk, tsk, so you've heard that rumor too. It's not true. Wouldn't it be even more dangerous to make a champion of unknown origin a guard knight?”
Come to think of it, Count Ohohena had never once mentioned the position of guard knight. He had only tempted me with the promise of a title and rewards.
I had to control my expression. The reason I had come this far was to become Duke Babel's guard knight and confirm Vivian's presence.
But now, the very foundation of that plan was a lie?
“Then…”
Before speaking again, Count Ohohena looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping and continued.
“The night visitor I spoke of is a dream.”
“A dream, you say?”
It seemed, however, that I hadn't been completely off the mark.
As I stared at him with a strange expression, Count Ohohena waved his hand with a smug look, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“You're probably thinking, 'What nonsense is this?' But His Grace isn't the only one who has received a visit from this night guest. While not every night like the Duke, all the key officials in his advisory council have had the same dream at least once.”
Beneath the surface, the Witch of Dreams was extending her reach to Duke Babel and his faction. If that was true, it meant Duke Babel was Vivian's enemy.
It did strike me as odd that he had no reaction to seeing the Black Knight Van der Belt or Baron Weshin's hound, Ohalla the Butcher.
If Vivian had been by his side, she would have surely recognized the two infiltrators.
“Haha… That is a strange tale indeed.”
When I feigned disbelief, Count Ohohena pounded his chest with his fist and spoke in a rush.
“I’m telling you, it’s true! They say the content of the dreams, dreamt by different people, is identical. An angel descended from the heavens and declared that if the South doesn't unite and stand against the King of the West Continent, they will not escape death, or so they say?”
“Isn't that… a revelation?”
Count Ohohena scowled and snorted.
“A revelation? Don't be ridiculous. The Lord has never interfered in human affairs like this. And He certainly has never incited war. If it were truly the Lord's will, wouldn't the King of the West, whom they call a devil, have received divine punishment long ago?”
“Still, isn't the Lord the only one who can perform such a miraculous feat?”
“Nonsense! It could be the work of wicked witches.”
Count Ohohena continued to explain the situation by quoting others. This meant that the conviction that it was the work of a witch was the judgment of Duke Babel and his key officials.
“Why would a witch…?”
“Another faction must have colluded with a witch. To join hands with a witch out of greed... Tsk, tsk. Getting involved with witches never ends well...”
Then it seemed the purpose of Van der Belt and Ohalla the Butcher infiltrating the tournament under false identities was to assassinate Duke Babel.
Vivian was trying to eliminate Duke Babel, who constantly stood in her way.
In other words, if I investigated the people behind those two, I might be able to find out where Vivian was.
Of course, I had to save Duke Babel first. Without its focal point, Duke Babel's faction would surely crumble easily before Vivian.
One wrong move, and we could be backstabbed by a unified South while in the middle of a war with the East Continent.
“His Grace the Duke doesn't seem like the type to just take this lying down…”
“Of course not. I'm sure he's planning a counterattack.”
The fact that he spoke in hypotheticals suggested he didn't know the details. Besides, harassment through dreams was a one-sided attack with few countermeasures.
‘Should I form an alliance?’
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. The problem was that I had no reliable means of conveying the information.
If I used some nobody, they wouldn't be believed even if they told the truth, and if I revealed my identity, Vivian might find out I've infiltrated the South.
The lack of time was also a problem. The tournament would be over in three days, so I had to find a way before then.
‘A pity. Becoming his guard knight and getting a private audience would have been the surest method.’
That wasn't my only problem. When I returned to my quarters after the day's events, a scrap of paper was waiting for me on the table.
‘There are those pursuing Lord Balak's past.’
It was intelligence from the Boatman. The reason he didn't come in person was likely because he was wary of those tailing me. That meant the pursuers had gotten quite close to the truth.
The village my false identity was from no longer existed, but not all the villagers were dead. With enough time and money, my disguise could be uncovered.
What was strange was that I hadn't done anything to arouse suspicion.
Since I had unintentionally started digging into a faction hostile to Vivian, it was highly unlikely that he had drawn her suspicion.
The only other possibility was Duke Babel, but hadn't the count said the rumor about selecting a champion as a guard knight was just a rumor? If so, there was no reason to vet me.
I tossed the scrap of paper into the fireplace and sat down in a chair. For a long while, I watched the crackling flames and organized my thoughts.
Who had the power to spend time and money to verify my past? The only person I had any connection with was Duke Babel.
The problem was his motive…
“Could it be?”
My conversation with Count Ohohena suddenly flashed through my mind. He had said that although he didn't know the method, Duke Babel was planning a counterattack.
What if this tournament was that method?
Don't clever people always try to gain multiple benefits from a single action?
Beyond fostering unity among his nobles and the massive economic gains from engineering the gambling, perhaps he had one more objective.
It was a deduction based on flimsy evidence, but it was the only possibility that came to mind. The moment I reached that conclusion, I knew what I had to do.
When the tournament resumed the next day, my opponent was Ohalla the Butcher, and once again, he had drawn only a single sword.
My goal was singular: to make him draw the sword at his waist, the one disguised as a spare.
It wasn't a difficult task. I just had to reveal a sliver of my hidden skill.
The moment the man thrusted his sword, an opening appeared in my vision—a gap between his awkward breaths, an exposed flaw that should have been covered by his other sword.
He had hidden it well until now with the sheer difference in our skill levels, but it was time to take off the mask.
As I deflected his sword outward, my simultaneous thrust pierced the forearm of his empty hand.
His sleeve tore, a line appeared on his muscular skin, and then the wound split open, welling with blood.
It was a shallow wound.
Despite that, Ohalla the Butcher was frozen solid like ice.
A man of his skill would have realized from that single exchange that he could not defeat me as long as he kept his true abilities hidden.
Returning to my initial stance, I aimed the tip of my sword at him and asked with my eyes.
‘Now, what are you going to do?’