Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Usurpation
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Dive's residence was not far from the mansion. The butler, who had accompanied them at the lady's order, stared blankly out of the carriage window as if in a daze. It seemed the death of his master had come as quite a shock.
"...Lord Ian."
Ian turned his head in response.
"Since it's just the two of us, please tell me the truth."
"What truth?"
"Are you truly not involved with the lady in that way?"
"Ha, really."
"It's an important matter to me."
"Is it? To me, it's a pointless question."
The butler was puzzled. If there was nothing between Ian and her, then why had the lady refused to return to the bedroom with such horror? That terrified reaction had clearly been the behavior of someone whose secret had been exposed, to anyone watching.
"If there truly isn't anything between you two, it feels like all this tragedy began with my misjudgment."
If he had ignored the servants' whispers, perhaps that night wouldn't have ended in tragedy for the count, the lady, or Clark.
Ian chuckled softly and muttered.
"You're Sarmen, right?"
"Yes."
"Sarmen, who said this was a tragedy?"
"...Pardon?"
"Is someone's death always a tragedy? It might be for the count himself, of course, but for those who wished for his death, what greater blessing could there be? I believe you know that well enough."
There had been plenty of servants crippled by beatings, and he had watched the lady suffer in their stead, her body blooming with bruises.
Sarmen covered his eyes and let out a low sigh. He had no idea what the right course of action was.
"And even if it is a tragedy, it's not because of your misjudgment—it's because of the count's rotten personality."
Ian drew a firm line. As he spoke, the carriage began to slow. They had arrived at Dive's residence. Being quite far on the outskirts, there were few houses around.
"Hm. It's cuter and nicer than I expected."
A three-story mansion with a low roof. Compared to the homes of commoners, it could be called a palace, but for a noble, it was remarkably modest. The small garden held only a single willow tree.
"Butler Sarmen, isn't it?"
A servant who had come out at the sound recognized Sarmen and bowed. He rarely visited in person—what could this be about? And with a strange man in tow.
"Is Lord Dive inside?"
"Yes. He's in the middle of prayer."
"There's ill news. Show us in."
"Ah, yes. This way...."
At the mention of ill news, the servant led them inside first. The interior of the mansion seemed unremarkable as well. Except for the dark oil paintings hanging on the walls.
'Prayer, though?'
It was a bit surprising. Devout believers were hard to find in the borderlands. The center had the Papal Court and was closer to magic, so reverence for the gods was more common there.
But this was a place where the lord's power rivaled the emperor's. Everything revolved around the count, leaving no room for anyone to wield influence in the name of faith.
"Please wait here a moment."
Creak.
The servant guided Ian and Sarmen to the drawing room. He seemed to be the only one attending the house—no other signs of life, no noises at all. Ian rubbed the back of his neck, feeling oddly uneasy, and asked Sarmen.
"By the way, what kind of person is Lord Dive?"
"Lord Dive? You don't know?"
"Why would I know? He's not my brother."
Sarmen seemed to ponder how to describe him. While waiting for his answer, Ian examined the drawing room more closely.
A red-painted birch cross, a tablecloth with geometric patterns, dried leaves, decorative strings of colorful beads, books piled to the ceiling without a bookshelf....
"Aside from Lord Dive having rather unique taste, I really have no idea."
Sarmen glanced at the firmly closed door, cleared his throat.
"Truthfully, I don't know much about his childhood either, but from what I've heard, Lord Dive was someone with tremendous scholarly zeal."
"Scholarly zeal?"
Sarmen wasn't from Merelrof originally but a settler, so he only knew fragments from rumors passed down.
"The count seemed utterly uninterested in scholarship, except for counting money."
Sarmen wanted to object but couldn't deny it, so he brushed it off lightly.
"The count once said he thought that zeal was a blessing, but it turned out to be a curse. He read forbidden books from foreign lands."
"Forbidden books? What kind?"
"They were about the Underground God."
"Ah. The Underground God."
"You know of it?"
Ian let out a small exclamation. It had a grandiose name, but the essence was simple. A new religion born among the lower classes in foreign lands. Back then, it was just one of many heresies, but over time, it grew in scale and influence.
'Variel is outside its reach, but other countries had real headaches with it. Religious wars broke out.'
Since Merelrof handled trade for new foreign goods entering Variel, he would naturally have encountered such things. Ian crossed his arms and stroked his chin.
'Damn, this territory is a real mess....'
It was such a disaster that it was a wonder how it had limped along this far. The lord count was a mentally deranged jealous maniac, and his sole heir was a heretic. This was rock bottom.
'In that case, the lady's right—we need to replace the family head.'
No one could predict what would happen if a heretic gained power. In the long term, it could threaten not just Ian's territory but Variel itself.
Creak.
"Sarmen."
"Ah, Lord Dive."
At that moment, the drawing room door opened, and Dive entered. Ian had expected him to be close in age to the count, but he was surprisingly young. Late thirties, perhaps. His features resembled the count's, but his overall vibe was quite different.
One might say he exuded the air of someone who secluded himself solely for prayer.
"I've received a response from the Underground God."
"Th-there's ill news."
"Who died?"
Sarmen flinched in surprise at the uncanny insight and nodded, but Ian just snorted in disbelief. Ill news obviously meant a death. Acting like he had divined something profound was ridiculous.
"Last night, the count met his end at the hands of one of the mansion's slaves. The doctor is stitching his wounds for the funeral."
"Haa."
Dive let out an ambiguous sigh. It seemed like regret, or perhaps relief and joy. He pressed his fingertips to his forehead and muttered something.
'Heavy case. Real heavy.'
"And this person beside you?"
"Ah, this is Viscount Ian, the new lord of the neighboring territory."
At Samar's introduction, Ian offered a handshake.
"I'm Ian. I haven't yet received a family name from His Majesty, so feel free to address me casually. We have an imperial advisor from the palace with us now, and Lady Lien Merelrof requested assistance, so here I am."
Dive glanced at his hand before reluctantly shaking it and responding. He must have heard the rumors about Ian. The illegitimate son of commoner blood who had dragged down his father to become the new lord.
"What kind of assistance?"
"Starting with delivering this news to you, and handling various matters at the mansion. The lady is in such disarray that she needs someone to watch over things."
"My sister-in-law really... Bringing in an outsider instead of relying on family. I'll prepare right away. Let's head back to the mansion."
Ian smiled and nodded. But even in that brief exchange, several things grated. Ian was young and from the bottom, but he held a title, while Dive had none. Yet there was an undercurrent of condescension, just from being noble-born.
'And "head back"?'
It might be oversensitive, but his attitude made it seem like the mansion was inherently his. Dive left the drawing room to change clothes, and Ian turned to Sarmen.
"Butler, do you hope that Dive becomes the new family head?"
Sarmen hesitated. The sudden question didn't let an easy "yes" slip out. The count hadn't been a great master, but his business acumen was decent enough.
But Dive? He had never handled duties since adulthood and spent half his days lost in prayer to a cult.
"If he enters the mansion, you'll probably lose your place. You're not tied to the family by generations, are you?"
A butler was someone the family head trusted to manage the mansion. Dive already had one servant attending him, so naturally, he'd appoint him upon return.
"I have no right to speak. Having served the count, I only wish to uphold Merelrof's glory as his will."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Really? Ian raised an eyebrow and asked again, but no answer came.
They returned to the mansion with Dive in the lead. At the entrance, Ian spotted a familiar carriage....
"Isn't that your carriage, Lord Ian?"
"Yeah. Berik must have moved fast."
Berik had arrived after fetching Romandro. Seeing the officials arriving one after another, the knights scowled and openly went on alert.
"Lord Ian. What's going on here?"
"Let's go inside first. This is Lord Dive, the count's only blood kin."
"The advisor from the palace?"
"Yes. My condolences."
"Save the condolences. I'm fine."
Dive straightened his back and strode ahead, already acting like the mansion's master. Watching him rush in with his butler, Ian gave Romandro a look. Meaning, take a look at that guy for a moment.
"Ian. I have no idea what's going on exactly."
"A slave stabbed his master to death. But the mansion knights seem off. They might be planning to seize the place."
"Seize the mansion? You mean they're after the lordship?"
Ian briefly explained the morning's events, pointing out how they could use the lady's affair with him as pretext to oust her, and that Dive would surely be dealt with too.
"Plus, Dive believes in the Underground God."
"What? What day is it today? Talk about piling on the chaos."
"What's the Underground God?"
"Berik, I'll explain later. Just listen for now."
"Heh heh. The borderlands really... keep exceeding expectations."
Romandro recoiled in disgust. Of all things, the Underground God! It was the heresy Variel loathed and dreaded most. No central noble would be ignorant of it.
"So, in my view, having Lady Lien as the new family head is the best choice. Even if we leave what comes after to fate, for now, we need someone we can negotiate with."
"I agree. The knights are aggressive—who knows what they'll do later—and the Underground God is out of the question. Tell them to eat shit. That guy looks so normal... tsk tsk."
Ian nodded in agreement with Romandro's words.
"Then, we'll intervene."
"What, you have a good plan?"
"I have many plans, but I have to head to the center soon, so I can't drag this out."
At Ian's words, Berik, who had been listening quietly, lit up. His expression was like a dog catching a scent.
"...I haven't said anything yet."
"D-do we just kill them?"
"You catch on quick to that stuff."
But they couldn't just sweep them away openly. There was no justification, and Lien had to be the one in charge.
"We kill them, but we have to put some effort into it."