Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Night of Chaos
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Despite having steeled myself before entering the dining room, the outcome was quite anticlimactic.
To the point where I felt embarrassed for being so tense, as if a storm was brewing.
Dinner wrapped up peacefully without any major incidents.
Roselia and Leonier, the two women, seemed even closer than usual—they often met secretly without me knowing—and they chatted animatedly throughout the meal.
I was mostly left out, relegated to the background.
Seria stayed by my side as always, quietly attending to me.
So I, too, made myself as unobtrusive as possible, silently emptying my plate like a transparent ghost.
It felt like the first time in ages I'd finished dinner without worrying about choking from tension.
The moment the meal ended, I rose slowly from my seat first.
"Then, please enjoy the rest of your meal. I have some overdue work to handle."
There was no doubt that paperwork I'd left untouched during my collapse had piled up like a mountain on my desk in the study.
I needed to get through it quickly, or tomorrow's workload would at least double.
The moment I returned to the study, I was greeted by the usual chill air and ink scent, along with the predictably towering stack of documents awaiting approval.
I hung my jacket on the chair, rolled up my sleeves, and sat down immediately.
Scritch, scritch.
The only sound filling the quiet study was the fountain pen gliding across paper.
At first, it was mostly mechanical work—clearing the approvals that had backed up during my brief trip.
But as time passed, my hand grew rougher as it flipped through the pages.
Thud!
Finally, I slammed down the report I was reading onto the desk in irritation.
"Hah... These bastards are really pushing it."
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
What I'd just read was a regular report from the territory administrator and petitions from some northern nobles.
The contents were outrageous.
[Tax collection rates in villages near the border have sharply declined recently.]
[Holes in the food reserves have sparked widespread complaints from the populace.]
[Some families are showing reluctance to support the front lines.]
It wasn't due to poor harvests or administrative errors.
A quick glance at the ledgers made it obvious.
Taxes were collected but never reached the treasury; supplies were sent but never made it to the people.
Clear evidence that someone was slyly siphoning it off in the middle.
And they weren't even sending aid to the front lines struggling against the Monster Flow?
Living safely thanks to them... Hah.
'With the family head changed, they think they'll test the waters?'
Such arrogant behavior wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
The previous duke had retired abruptly without warning, and now a young upstart like me sat in his place. From the northern nobles' perspective, they probably wanted to line their pockets a bit.
They figured I hadn't fully grasped the operations yet, so some moderate embezzlement would go unnoticed.
"Arrogant pricks."
Something hot surged in my chest.
It wasn't just about them skimming supplies meant for the people.
What disgusted me was their ugly greed—squeezing the last drops of blood from the common folk barely scraping by in this harsh northern winter to fatten their own bellies.
Part of me wanted to unleash the knights right then and hang these rotten bastards from the walls, but I suppressed my boiling rage and tried to regain my reason.
'Now's not the time.'
I checked the date marked on the calendar.
[Estimated Period of Winter Monster Flow]
The great migration of beasts pouring from the Winter Forest—the Monster Flow—was in full swing.
Launching an internal purge now would create gaps in our forces.
Especially if border defense nobles were involved.
I twirled my pen and glanced at the map on the desk, particularly the area with the frontline fortress.
Dordeo Fortress.
The loyal man I trusted most was surely locked in a bloody desperate struggle right now, blocking the waves of monsters crashing against the front with his own body.
And yet the rear rats were diverting supplies to stuff their faces.
Thinking of the faithful vassal suffering supply shortages where they were most desperately needed made my blood boil in reverse.
'I'll make them pay dearly.'
I glared holes into the map as another indispensable ally came to mind.
Duke Baldinmar.
Ruler of the south and Leonier's grandfather.
If not for the massive troop support he'd sent unconditionally just because his granddaughter was here in the north...
With monsters more numerous and ferocious than usual, and support lacking, the northern front might have collapsed long ago.
I'd even been able to take the perilous gamble of leaving the territory briefly to raid the dragon's lair, thanks to Baldinmar's reinforcements solidly holding the rear.
But the price of that favor was far from light.
'The south's situation couldn't have been good either.'
The Baldinmar family was currently in a tense standoff with the imperial court, walking on thin ice.
With his princess granddaughter—the sole heir—rejecting her betrothal to the crown prince and fleeing here to Kaltstein like a runaway bride, the palace couldn't be pleased.
Crown Prince Damian.
He wasn't the type to sit idly by with that sinister personality.
He was surely pressuring Duke Baldinmar politically in some way.
Of course, Baldinmar was a powerful house, if not quite on Kaltstein's level, so it could hold out for a while without major issues.
"Still, I need to wrap this up as fast as possible."
I bit my lip hard.
I had to decisively end this Monster Flow, excise the rotten parts internally, and then immediately find a way to aid Duke Baldinmar.
That was my duty as one who'd received his grace—and the way to protect my people.
As I sketched out rough tactics and supply plans in my head while scribbling...
Knock, knock.
A small, cautious knock broke the heavy silence, sounding on the study door.
A glance at the clock showed it well past midnight.
Only one person would come seeking me at this late hour.
I relaxed the tension in my brow and softened my low, sunken voice.
"Come in."
Click.
The door opened, and a familiar figure slowly appeared.
It was Seria, not in her neat uniform but in sleepwear.
She carried a tray with a steaming teacup and simple refreshments.
"You're up late, Your Grace. Still working?"
"Almost done. Just finishing up."
I pushed the stacked papers aside to welcome her.
The air was different from the daytime distance we maintained as duke and servant—or head butler and family head.
This was the brief, intimate, peaceful time allowed only when the entire ducal household slept.
Just for us two.
I finished writing the support list for Viscount Dordeo.
Then I slowly rose from the chair, still wearing a soft smile, gently grasped Seria's shoulder as she stood holding the tray, and moved to the sofa in one corner of the study.
Sitting across from her, I took a bite of the refreshments she'd prepared and spoke.
"...Delicious. Did you make this yourself?"
"Yes. No pastry chef available at this hour. Does it suit your taste?"
"Excellent. Our castle chef would weep at your skill. How about I reassign you as exclusive cook?"
Seria covered her mouth and let out a light laugh at my teasing joke.
"Such jokes. If I went to the kitchens, who would keep you company on these late nights?"
"True... That would be a problem."
I lifted my teacup and glanced at Seria's face.
The stress and stray thoughts from the day melted away like snow at her smile.
Clink.
The sound of cup meeting saucer echoed in the quiet room.
The faint black tea aroma and Seria's warm gaze.
Everything was a perfect, peaceful respite.
'Tonight, maybe push a bit further than just holding hands...'
At least, until the uninvited midnight guests burst in.
Bang!
Someone flung open the study door roughly and appeared.
No knock, no warning—an rude, urgent entrance.
"Your Grace!"
Mine and Seria's gazes snapped to the door.
There stood a woman in maid attire, her face familiar, breathing raggedly.
Pale as a ghost, disheveled red hair.
And above all, the sharp longsword gripped in her right hand.
Drip, drip.
Red blood from her left forearm soaked the carpet.
'That woman... Rihella?'
Two years ago, one of my father's adjutants who suffered a grave injury in a monster battle and retired from the knights.
A woman who hadn't touched a sword since—now appearing with a longsword in hand.
Bleeding profusely, no less.
The dissonance of the situation made my mind blank for a moment.
But only briefly.
"What happened?"
I quickly regained my composure, frowning as I asked.
Rihella, clutching her bleeding sword and enduring the pain, shouted.
"Intruders! Unknown assailants have infiltrated Kaltstein territory in numbers! Exact count unknown, but I took down some heading for Her Highness the Imperial Princess."
"...Intruders?"
Intruders? Did I hear that wrong?
Impossible.
This was Kaltstein—the continent's northernmost bastion, an iron fortress.
Monsters aside, humans daring to invade here was suicide.
Yet Rihella's trembling form, sword bloodied, screamed stark reality—not a joke.
Shing.
At the same time, a sharp metallic ring came from behind.
Turning, I saw Seria had stood, drawn a decorative longsword from the study's corner, and was ready to fight.
Her usual gentle eyes gone, a thick killing intent swirled around her—enough to make even me flinch slightly.
"Your Grace, I'll guard you."
"...Hah."
I let out a small sigh at Seria's demeanor.
Anyone bold enough to breach Kaltstein wasn't ordinary.
Ideally, I'd want Seria safe by my side or hidden away.
But her resolute eyes told me no words would stop her now.
'No choice, then.'
I headed to the weapon rack on the wall.
Couldn't use my main weapon, Winter Fang, yet.
So I drew a spare longsword from the rack.
A weightier feel than Winter Fang transmitted through my palm.
This would suffice.
"Let's go."
I gripped the sword at a slant and took the lead.
Seria and Rihella followed.
'She said they were heading for Roselia and got spotted by Rihella. Which means...'
The intruders' targets were likely Imperial Princess Roselia and Lady Leonier.
And if my hunch was right, they'd keep attacking those two until their goal was met.
We raced down the corridor, talking as we went.
"Rihella, explain the situation. What about the guards? Didn't the barrier stones activate?"
"Their stealth is eerily advanced. They seem to have slipped past detection magic and scaled the outer walls."
Rihella bit her lip hard as she continued her report.
"If I hadn't run into them while preparing tea for Lady Leonier at Roselia's request, no one would have known until they'd penetrated deep into the main building. Their attire and techniques right outside the Duchess's bedroom... Not your average mercenaries."
"......."
Stunned by her account, I paused briefly before asking.
"Assassins? Wait, why were those two together in the first place?"
"Well... Tonight was a girls-only party to celebrate a new beginning..."
"...Hah, this is insane."
Elite infiltrators, backed by someone with clear intent.
And the two highest-probability targets gathered in one spot, of all times.
The silver lining: Rihella spotted them first.
Preventing the two from being killed without a fight.
Still, my mind raced with complications.
'The culprit... Damian, that bastard?'
Revenge for his fiancée being stolen? Or a probe to test northern strength?
No matter which—it didn't matter now.
Securing those two came first.
I picked up speed.
At the same time, I focused my mind, extending my senses across the entire ducal residence.
We couldn't be late.
If the princess or lady suffered even a scratch in my territory, the fallout wouldn't end at mere diplomacy.