Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chasing the Connection
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"Don't say weird things. Just talk about Dilma."
Lydia barely managed to clutch her startled chest.
Her wine glass was swaying faintly from the hand that had slammed down.
"The raw material for the drugs circulating in Samad was found in the Empire. You permitted it, right?"
"Dilma...?"
The Second Prince, with his gloved hand, showed no change in expression even after hearing about Dilma.
He simply stared at his younger sister with his characteristic blank face and red eyes.
"Oh, right. Come to think of it, there were some merchants who sought permission to distribute Dilma."
He spoke flatly, as if it were no big deal.
As though he had no interest whatsoever in the Empire's affairs.
"They requested export as a medical painkiller, so I approved it. Through proper procedures, of course."
The Second Prince took a sip of water.
He pulled out a handkerchief every time moisture touched his lips and wiped it away.
"Of course, I didn't permit it for the Empire itself. It was all sold to the northern island principalities."
"Hah, and there are goods meant for principalities even farther than Vakal right here in the Empire?"
Liam let out a deep sigh at his sister's firm tone.
Then, with a suddenly serious gaze, he rested both elbows on the table.
"Lydia."
The heir to the King of the Desert, chin propped on interlaced fingers.
He met her eyes with a cold stare.
"I told you, I'm not your errand boy."
The Second Prince didn't show anger or displeasure.
His red eyes were as dry as if he truly had zero interest in the Empire's matters.
"I'm going to be the King of Samad. The kingdom's interests come first for me."
Indeed.
Liam was the son of the Emperor and Vanessa, but he had been raised in Samad all his life.
He had never felt any bond with Leonhardt, who was infamous for showing no interest in his children.
It was the Samad royal family that had taken care of him.
So there was no reason for him to feel any familial affection toward Leon.
"Besides, why would I sabotage the Empire and ruin trust between our nations?"
As he said that, the Second Prince looked steadily at me.
He reacted as if he had no intention of clashing with a nation that boasted two Grand Masters.
"Why don't you stop grabbing at straws and go hunt down the actual connection?"
With that, Liam rose from his seat.
He then went to greet the Samad royals who had arrived at the party hall.
"Oh.... Liam, personally inspecting the party hall as expected."
"Yes, Your Highness the Grand Duke."
Samad's Grand King chuckled as he exchanged greetings with Liam.
The old man also gave a nod to those of us still seated.
"He was meeting with Lydia and Sir Veil first."
"Indeed, my little sister personally introduced her husband."
Husband.
At that embarrassing word, Lydia let out a fake cough.
"Ahem."
Perhaps because adults were present, Lydia cleared her throat and put on a demure voice.
However, even she couldn't help but bristle at her dear older brother's follow-up jab.
"Their chemistry is so good, they've already started planning for children."
"Oh...? Already? As expected of Sir Veil!!"
The old man looked at me and broke into a wide grin.
In response, Lydia maintained her composure with a chilling smile.
"Whew.... We'll step away for a bit."
"Yes, yes—go enjoy some quality time together—."
The Grand Duke chuckled and waved them off.
Leaving her family's laughter behind, Lydia led me calmly out into the mansion's corridor.
"You endured that well."
"That guy throwing flirty lines whenever the situation turns against him is even more suspicious."
The Third Princess was no longer shaken by his jokes.
She quickly regained her calm and focused on the goal.
"He didn't seem entirely uninvolved."
"Right. Even if he didn't sell it directly to the Empire, the fact that he exported it overseas is suspicious enough."
Lydia rubbed her thumb against her sharp canine, lost in thought.
Soon, as if she'd organized her next plan, she spoke up.
"For now, let's pretend to inspect the place and check for any suspicious figures. Since he came here personally, he might meet with someone connected."
"That makes sense. Especially since he's someone who's only ever been in Samad until now."
We decided to split up temporarily and scout the surroundings.
While Lydia met with the top elites alongside the Eastern knights, I took on the mid-to-upper nobility.
"The connection, huh."
For Dilma leaked to the principalities to reach the Empire, it must have gone through several steps.
With the drug's price likely inflated, commoners probably couldn't afford it.
'Then the customers buying the leaked goods would be upper crust types.'
The kind who indulged in liquor and luxuries, the dim-witted young lords.
In the past, while guarding Irina, several such lords had courted her over her looks.
Now that he thought about it, some of them had acted drunk.
Even in broad daylight.
They might have been Dilma addicts who had just started indulging at the time.
'If I act like those fools I beat and chased off back then, they might even approach me.'
I headed straight for the restroom.
I wet my neatly combed bangs and roughly swept them back.
The scar on my forehead was fully exposed.
Water droplets trailed down my wet hair to the bridge of my nose, dripping steadily.
'Maybe add a bit more flair.'
I loosened my tightly knotted necktie.
Then undid about three buttons on my dress shirt.
"..."
Afterward, I checked the mirror.
Sharp eyes and tousled hair swept back freely.
One stray lock tapped lightly against my thick brow.
Finally, slinging my black suit jacket casually over my shoulders completed the perfect foppish young lord look.
'Time to head out.'
To avoid possibly running into Samad royals or imperial retainers, I steered clear of the main hall.
Instead, I wandered among the vaguely upper-class sorts without clear connections.
――――――.
As expected, the second-floor corridor away from the hall was packed with young lords and ladies.
While the adults mingled downstairs with dignitaries from various fields.
These youths had come upstairs to find idle partners like themselves.
Ladies in daring low-cut gowns, men with ostentatious canes and bowlers.
I passed silently through the excited young partygoers.
Then, suddenly, I started feeling the women's gazes.
When I glanced over, they averted their eyes and shyly nodded in greeting.
The men stole glances too, then coughed awkwardly and looked away when caught.
"...!"
Even Lydia, spotting me from the first floor, met my eyes before flushing red and whipping her head away.
'Did I overdo the delinquent look...?'
I hadn't expected this much attention, so I casually smoothed my protruding bangs.
Then, as I strolled leisurely with hands in pockets...
"Oh my."
A woman in a silk dress leaning against the corridor wall addressed me.
"A new face?"
She approached slowly, elegantly holding a glass of red wine in one hand.
With golden hair and red eyes, she was clearly a thrilled young lady freshly of age.
"Ah, yes. That's right."
I answered curtly and averted my gaze.
Pretending nonchalance as I scanned the surroundings, she tilted her head to meet my eyes.
"What are you looking for so intently?"
"Just.... checking if there's anything fun around."
The upper-class lady gazed at me steadily, then curved her red lips into a smile.
"What fun is there at a stuffy adult party like this? You just get drunk instead."
The lady sensually tossed her golden hair and raised her wine glass.
The liquid in it felt subtly thicker in hue than ordinary red wine.
As if something had been mixed in.
"Getting drunk is only fun once or twice. I'm bored of booze now."
"Oh my.... Bored of alcohol to the point of getting drunk? That's a serious condition."
Condition.
I tilted my head at the odd word choice, and the woman chuckled softly.
"That's probably because you haven't had the real stuff—."
The woman gently offered me her glass.
I took it.
"Something special in it, I take it?"
"Yes, drink this and you might rediscover the taste of liquor. I got a 'prescription' too."
Prescription.
That alien word choice gave me certainty.
"Fine. Holy water from a beautiful lady—I'll gladly partake."
"You're a fun one."
To win her favor, I slowly brought the wine glass to my lips.
The moment the red wine touched my tongue...
"..."
For simple wine, a subtle sourness poured out first.
But past the sourness, sweetness and a pleasant bitterness spread in my mouth.
Like chewing sweet herbs.
"How is it?"
The woman's red eyes looked up at me intently.
Seemingly satisfied with my dazed expression, she nodded quietly to herself.
"It's good...? What kind of wine is this?"
"It's wine infused with herbs. The latest ones prescribed by my personal physician."
It wasn't some hallucinatory haze.
Just a slight mood lift.
Like a peaceful afternoon at the head Su Bansa office with no summons.
But it was definitely not something ordinary wine could provide.
So I secretly took a deep breath and exhaled the intoxication with my Grand Aura.
"Curious for more?"
"Yes, sure."
The woman smiled brightly and led the way.
The moment she turned, I caught her lips curling up in an oddly pronounced smirk.
It was eerie enough to furrow my brow.
――――――.
I followed her around the corner.
We headed deeper into the mansion.
Into passages dimly lit despite all the lamps being on.
Soon the blonde stopped before a guest room labeled "Pavan Lemang."
"May we come in?"
As if in response to her question, the door slowly opened.
From the gap, the bitter aroma from the wine I'd just drunk wafted out.
"Come in."
Following the low, gruff voice, I entered with hands stubbornly in my pockets.
What I saw before me was...
Young lords and ladies around the same age as the blonde woman.
And one bespectacled man in a white gown.
"Brought someone who wants to try the booze here—."
"A new face."
The brown-haired young doctor smiled broadly and greeted me.
But his smile soon vanished completely.
"Huh, you're...."
He recognized my face.
"Aren't you the Empire's Greatest Swordsman, Marquis Veil Mikhail...?"
"Really?! Now that you mention it, the face does look similar? Almost didn't recognize you because of the outfit!"
Unfortunately, the one who recognized me looked like the connection.
I continued calmly in a low voice.
"Yeah, that's me. Anything uncomfortable about that?"
I leaned casually against the wall, legs crossed.
At first, the youths seemed wary, but realizing I was one of them, they relaxed.
"Oh, no way—. I was just surprised to meet a celebrity."
The young doctor rose from his chair, playing it cool.
On his table were dried herb leaves spread on white paper.
It didn't feel like an ordinary guest room at all.
"Didn't expect this vibe from you...? You looked so intense at the arena."
"Everyone indulges in a little rebellion now and then."
I sauntered to the room's center with a sloppy gait.
The doctor casually wrapped the herbs in paper.
"Well, even the Empire's strongest needs to unwind from stress."
"Speaking of which, can I have more of that wine I just had? It had an interesting taste."
The man in the white gown went expressionless at my question.
He exchanged glances with the blonde who'd brought me, then slowly nodded.
As if he'd changed his mind, he unwrapped the herbs.
"Of course. How could we not treat the Empire's hero to a drink?"
The doctor put the herbs in an empty flask and added a bit of water.
He slowly heated it over a low flame, observing my face through the reflected glass.
Initially wary, but relieved by my casual slouch against the wall.
With a subtle smile, he boiled the herb water and added it to the wine.
"Here, have a taste."
I slowly swirled the glass to let the wine breathe.
Then took another deep sip.
"Mm.... Definitely good."
I answered with half-lidded eyes while deeply breathing out the drug's effects.
"Right? That was top-grade herbs brewed fresh."
"How come the Empire never knew about stuff this good?"
Maybe because he was drinking the booze I'd pretended to enjoy.
With his guard somewhat down, I slipped in a question.
The proud blonde who'd brought me answered instead.
"It's the finest herbs airlifted from the northern Nordic Principality. Nothing like Empire-grown stuff, I'd bet."
Principality.
The Second Prince had mentioned that nation earlier too.
"I can't keep something this good to myself. Any chance to buy more separately?"
"Oh, don't even ask. It was so hard to get, even we struggled."
I chuckled at Pavan's exaggerated complaint.
Then, pointedly set down my empty glass and countered.
"How much? Do I look like someone who'd haggle over price?"
I was the Empire's Greatest Swordsman and a marquis, after all.
Knowing that, the guy was deliberately inflating the price with his tongue wagging.
He'd probably approached the other lords the same way.
"No way. If the Empire's strongest wants it, we can procure as much as needed. It just takes a bit of time and effort...!!"
He made a gesture pinching gold coins with his fingers.
"I can cover the cost right now, so no worries."
I approached a birdcage hanging in the room.
A messenger pigeon was calmly pecking at feed inside.
At my offer to pay on the spot, the doctor's lips parted in a mix of joy and fluster.
"Hold on just a sec...?!"
"Any problem with that?"
"No, it's just—I need to contact the trading company that supplies us!! It'll be quick, so if you could wait a moment...."
I flatly permitted the babbling doctor.
He then stepped out of the room briefly with the blonde.
Afterward, the two began whispering.
In response, I enhanced my body with Grand Aura, focusing my hearing.
Leaning leisurely against the wall, memo pad in hand, I eavesdropped.
「Are you insane...?! I said bring a moderately dumb pretty boy, and you drag in the Empire's Greatest Swordsman?!」
「How was I supposed to know...? He just looked like a total gigolo....」
I silently noted their assessment of my looks while jotting down.
「Might be okay? Pulling a celebrity to our side could net even more customers.」
「You're the idiot!! If we get caught, we're done for!!」
As expected, the man seemed a bit sharper.
But he wasn't much different from the woman.
「For today, just get him blackout drunk and send him off. If he comes back later, claim he was too wasted to remember right.」
I wasn't drunk at all.
From the moment they didn't confess the truth despite knowing I was a Grand Master.
There would be no mercy for them.