Chapter 102 - Power and Love (8)
Power and Love (8)
Translator: XZY
Chapter 102: Power and Love (8)
***
“The dormitory building seems like it will be completed within the next two weeks, but the classroom building still has some way to go. The progress itself is decent, but I don’t know if we can meet the deadline.”
“Please maintain the current pace. We can consider delaying the start date of the classes themselves, but for now, let’s watch the progress a little more.”
Aiseline was twirling her hair at her desk, which was piled high with ledgers, architectural blueprints, and reports from the laborers.
From the next cash procurement date, construction status, personal details of the young ladies coming to take classes, the status of assistant instructor recruitment, to the mansion's finances… the sight of her lost in thought with all sorts of vast information in her head was the very picture of a businesswoman.
“…”
Felinne, who was publicly playing the role of the baroness, couldn't even read a single ledger, let alone understand double-entry bookkeeping, but as for Aiseline, it seemed she already had a firm grip on the finances.
‘Can’t this person just be the baroness?’
Felinne was breaking a single drop of sweat in a corner of the office, dressed in a gown that didn't suit her at all.
Even though the weather had gotten quite hot, Aiseline didn't seem to mind going back and forth between the site and the office, completely immersed in the work of the training school.
“Oh, oh my… Felinne-ssi. I’m sorry. As you can see, the Ravencrow Barony is currently facing a once-in-a-lifetime turning point. I failed to properly entertain our honored guest.”
“Ah, no. Strictly speaking, I am the lady of the house, and Lady Aiseline is the honored guest.”
“Ah, th-that’s right… I’m sorry. When I get too absorbed in my work, I sometimes lose track of things…”
There was no way of knowing why this noble girl, who was nothing less than a pillar of the Duplein ducal family, was cooped up in this remote barony poring over ledgers, but she just figured Derek must have some reason for it.
“As I said, Felinne-ssi, you must come and play the role of the honored guest at the opening of the training school. As the baroness, you will be treated with the utmost respect.”
“…No, where is Derek?”
“Derek-ssi is currently out at the Belmeade County on urgent business. He said he would finish his work and return soon, so we must finish everything important before then.”
“Th-the Belmeade County?”
It wasn't a particularly close place, so for him to suddenly be frequenting such a place, Felinne couldn't help but tilt her head for a moment.
“I hear that Lady Elente is in a great crisis… I’m quite worried, too. Since necromancy is involved, it’s even more frightening.”
Aiseline had heard the full story of the situation at the Belmeade mansion and had written the letter just as Derek wanted.
She had written down contents that would be helpful in defending Elente. Derek had taken that letter and returned to the Belmeade mansion, so the major issues would probably all be resolved soon.
“How… did Derek end up looking after the Belmeade County’s affairs?”
“Well, there were a few coincidences that overlapped… and also, it seems that the former heir, Linus-ssi, had made a separate request to Derek-ssi.”
Linus, the former heir, had said that on the condition of helping Derek obtain his baronial title in every way possible, he hoped Derek would be on Elente’s side in her time of crisis.
So, it was in a way natural for Derek to actively take Elente’s side, but there were quite a few parts that were not entirely agreeable.
‘Come to think of it, why did Linus-ssi give up his position as heir of the Belmeade mansion?’
‘And how did he predict that Lady Elente would fall into such a crisis?’
‘It’s also strange that he specifically asked Derek-ssi for help. If he needed a noble to take his side, there would have been many other places he could have asked for help besides Derek-ssi…’
The actions of that young man named Linus, who seemed like a free spirit, had too many parts that were not understandable at first glance.
In any case, since he was one of those who had played the most decisive role in helping Derek obtain his baronial title, Derek also didn't seem to have any major questions.
‘I hope he finishes everything well without any major trouble.’
Aiseline thought so and began to move her quill pen once more.
As Felinne sat in the corner of the office watching her, she was at the point of wondering if that girl was really the flower of the Duplein ducal family.
Just watching her, she looked like nothing more than a staff officer of the Ravencrow Barony.
<><><>
The next day, the Margrave of Belmeade gathered all the high-ranking retainers and direct blood relatives in the mansion’s main hall.
Behind the head butler and the head maid, three or four key servants each stood in a line with their heads bowed, and from the grand chamberlain, mercenary commander, treasurer, legal officer, intelligence officer, to the magic advisor… the veteran retainers, who were no different from the Margrave of Belmeade’s arms and legs, were seated.
They were all busy people, but the reason for forcing them to gather in one place was obvious.
It was to decide Elente’s treatment in this very place today and to proclaim the result to the entire family.
Depending on how the Margrave of Belmeade, her father, handled Elente, who was accused of dabbling in necromancy, the direction of this family would be greatly shaken.
Creeak—
Thud, thud—
The main door opened, and the wife of the Margrave of Belmeade, Rienkloff, walked in.
The middle-aged woman, whose graying hair was beginning to show, asked the Margrave with a heavy expression.
“You… what is the reason for gathering the retainers to this extent…?”
“…”
“Have you… made a decision…”
Countess Rienkloff was a submissive and quiet person. She rarely offered a different opinion on the Margrave of Belmeade’s educational policies or the direction of the family’s management.
This time, too, Rienkloff just quietly lowered her gaze and showed a dark expression.
The Margrave of Belmeade couldn't help but feel a little pained seeing that, but he did not deliberately show it.
He just clamped his mouth shut and spoke in a heavy voice.
“Go and be seated.”
As Countess Rienkloff went and sat at the head table, soon their youngest son Leonard also followed her in.
Leonard, too, on the surface, wore an endlessly dark and heavy face. He offered his greetings with a modest appearance and then went to sit in a corner seat.
When everyone who was supposed to come had more or less arrived, the key figure of this gathering finally made her appearance.
Appearing with an escort of squires, she stood with her back straight like a proud rose, her red hair cascading down.
It was Elente, standing right in front of the retainers without a single change in her expression. Whatever the situation, everyone sitting here thought the same thing. She was a person to whom the expression ‘truly beautiful’ was fitting.
“You have all gathered so busily since the early morning. It is so tiring to be confined to a room for a long time… I am at the point where I rather welcome the current situation.”
Before anyone could say anything, Elente spoke to the gathered people in a gentle voice.
“I haven't heard anything, but it doesn't seem like you have all gathered to apologize for a misunderstanding… Is it safe to assume you have gathered to condemn me?”
“That depends on you, Elente.”
The Margrave of Belmeade, sitting at the highest seat, said.
He placed all the materials the retainers had investigated on the table and continued the conversation in a heavy and ponderous voice.
“I am in a position where I must judge your treatment, Elente, in this very place.”
“…”
“And, through the investigation of the past week, many things have come out of your room. Not only the traces of necromancy left in the basement that had been neglected for many years, but it was also full of your belongings found inside that basement, such as accessories and magic tools.”
“Oh my, is that so.”
Elente still looked relaxed.
Leonard propped his chin for a moment, looking at Elente. He had been observing Elente carefully for the past few days, so he had seen through the fact that she was being mentally cornered.
However, Elente, who appeared in this place, gave the feeling that she had regained her relaxed atmosphere.
‘What is this…?’
Leonard had thoroughly isolated her in the mansion.
He had bribed a few servants to spread false rumors, fabricated letters and the basement, and if there was anyone who could be her ally, he had stepped forward first to win them over.
The biggest variable was Derek, who had suddenly visited the Belmeade mansion in the middle of all this, but even he had cooperated with Leonard, so there were no variables left.
But her appearance now was as if someone was mentally supporting her.
Her hollow eyes had become neat, and her disheveled hair was once again beautifully arranged… she had returned to the girl who could be called the flower of Belmeade.
“And, circumstances were also captured that you had sent a letter to Valerian of the Duplein ducal family.”
“I see.”
Elente walked into the middle of the main hall filled with retainers, let the hem of her pretty dress hang down, and showed a bright smile.
Leonard could not figure out the identity of this endlessly welling sense of incongruity.
Surely, if things went according to Leonard’s prediction, Elente should have swallowed a dry gulp of saliva at this point.
And it was a situation where she had to deny the charges the Margrave of Belmeade was reciting in any way possible and list all sorts of statements to prove her innocence.
However, Elente was just humming and nodding her head at the Margrave of Belmeade’s words.
She was so relaxed that it made one wonder if it was okay to be like this.
The moment Leonard narrowed his eyes, he made eye contact with Elente.
It was Elente’s position to raise her voice and refute something soon, but she was still just keeping her mouth shut. After making eye contact with Leonard, this time it was Elente who just gave a light eye-smile.
‘What is this? What is she trying to do?’
It was the moment Leonard monologued like that.
“──Unfortunately, it seems I’ve been completely found out.”
Just like that, her single phrase fell into the main hall, which had been as quiet as a clear mirror, and spread out.
It was a reaction that no one had expected.
Whether it was the Margrave of Belmeade, the Countess, Leonard, or the other high-ranking retainers… everyone in this place had thought that Elente would try to prove her innocence by any means necessary.
That was why many had even thought of counter-arguments to her predictable refutations.
Nevertheless, Elente did not say a single word to defend herself.
“Wh-what do you mean by that… Lady Elente!”
“No, Lady Elente…! I-is that true?”
A murmuring sound began to flow through the crowd.
At Elente’s unexpected bombshell declaration, everyone gathered on the scene couldn't help but widen their eyes.
BAM!!!
However, the scene had to become quiet again as the Margrave of Belmeade slammed his hand on the desk.
The most authoritative person in this place. It was time for the Margrave of Belmeade, who held the right to judge the treatment of everyone, to speak.
“Elen…te.”
His expression, which had always shown a strong nature, seemed to be somewhere between anger, sadness, and doubt.
No single word could represent his state of mind. From within that endlessly complex heart, the Margrave of Belmeade could only force out his words.
“What… what in the world do you mean by that, Elente… You, you have been researching necromancy?”
“Father. Since you are the one who knows me better than anyone, you can understand me, right?”
Soon, Elente said with a bright smile.
“When walking the path of power, one needs a weapon that no one else has… a weapon solely for oneself. My dagger, hidden in my heart, that I can thrust at my opponent when no one expects it. That blade… was just necromancy for me.”
“Elente!”
“But, since things have come to this, I must tell you. Yes… I intended to wield necromancy as my weapon and use it as the foundation of my power. No matter how cursed a taboo it is, depending on how you use it, it can become a sword that cuts down the enemy.”
Soon, with her hair let down, she raises the corners of her mouth and laughs even wider.
That appearance, beyond beauty, begins to take on a certain eeriness.
“The series of research processes, carving up corpses, painting with blood, and handling flesh, might be startling at first sight. But human life is fleeting, and if it can be used for a greater cause, it is a sufficiently valuable thing. Could you please… understand my philosophy? Father.”
The high-ranking retainers who were looking at Elente all began to break out in a cold sweat.
Even the retainers like Briana and Milton, who had a little loyalty left for her, began to swallow dry gulps of saliva.
“It’s… it’s a witch…”
A mercenary said as if muttering.
It was an insulting remark, but no one could voice any opposition to it.
With that, no more words flowed through the crowd.
A tension as if standing on the edge of a sword. The retainers’ throats were trembling.
Among them, the most flustered was… none other than Leonard.
Because he knew.
Elente had never researched anything like necromancy. All of this was a stage set by Leonard, and she was just being falsely accused.
Nevertheless, what was the reason for admitting to all those crimes?
Coming to this place, Leonard had finished predicting every move Elente would make.
He had calculated every scenario twice, three times, ten times over, and had thought of countermeasures for every possible case that could follow from here, but… he had not anticipated a situation like this.
He couldn't see. He couldn't see anything.
He could not tell what kind of intention was contained in Elente’s expression, which was even showing a warm smile.
He felt as if his whole body was being dragged into a place full of all sorts of unknown variables, not the stage he had designed.
— ‘Why do you try to fight on the battlefield your opponent has created? Let us redraw the board where we are the masters.’
The words Derek had said, sitting in the dark room wiping away the rainwater, were floating in her mind.
Clutching the clever plan the man had given her in her hand, she once again showed a powerful, mad smile.
“Your expressions are not good. But, it is not good to see me as such a madwoman. It is not only necromancy that deals with corpses and human lives. You must not forget the nature of humans, who wage war and shed blood at every opportunity. If you forget that humans are beings who have progressed through blood, you will only regress forever.”
“Elente! You… you…!”
“Father! I told you since I was young! That I would stop at nothing to seize power!”
Elente said as if whispering in a voice that had become even more wistful.
“This is my means, and my method.”
A moment of silence.
The Margrave of Belmeade stumbled back a few steps like that, and then finally slumped down onto his chair.
“Elente… I… I believed in you…”
“Oh dear… in the end, you too cannot understand me, Father…”
The Margrave of Belmeade’s last words.
That meant that even the Margrave, who had been her last ally, had finally abandoned her.
That was the signal.
With the largest supporter turning his head, all the retainers of the family completely let go of their trust in her.
Her confession was the very proof that she had betrayed the faith of all the retainers who had followed her.
“How… how could you do this…! We believed in and followed you…!”
“She’s a witch…! There is a witch there who dabbles in curses while handling blood and corpses…!”
“We cannot repeat the tragedy of Duplein…! Right now…! We must cut the root of this trouble by any means necessary!”
“I have lived for over ten years assisting only Lady Elente… how could you do this…!”
“I knew vaguely from before. She was a person who only spoke of power, and would one day cross the line…!”
“I knew too, but…! I didn't know it would be to this extent…!”
Soon, what poured down were arrows of criticism.
The disappointed criticisms from the loyal retainers who had resolved to believe in and follow only Elente for their entire lives flew in.
Elente closes her eyes gently, raises the corners of her mouth, and lifts her head.
She entrusts her whole body to the current situation where the gazes of reverence and respect that had always been directed at her have turned into lights of criticism and abhorrence.
In the midst of it, the girl spreads her chest even wider and monologues.
‘Yes, so this is what it means to be thrown to the bottom.’
That very pit of despair and frustration was something one had to experience at least once to try to fly high.
The world was full of those who were flailing in deep despair.
There was a girl whose half of her family members were devoured by necromancy overnight, and there was a boy who had crawled up from the bottom of the slums from birth.
Compared to that, what a sweet and comfortable pit of fire this was.
If she couldn't endure a single temporary pain like this, what great ambition could she discuss?
Elente showed an even brighter smile.
And just like that, she was looking Leonard straight in the eye.
<><><>
Thud, thud—
Leonard was traversing the corridor with busy steps.
At a glance, he had the elegant appearance befitting a young master of the Belmeade family, but his pace was twice as fast as usual.
‘What is this? What in the world is happening?’
Things were extending beyond Leonard’s calculations.
Certainly, the situation itself seemed advantageous to Leonard.
As planned, Elente was being framed for researching necromancy and was falling into ruin, abandoned by all the retainers.
After the meeting in the main hall ended, the Margrave of Belmeade, with a look of despair, was the first to leave the scene.
After that, the retainers raised their voices and debated what to do about Elente’s treatment, and Elente, standing silently in the middle of it all, was the very picture of a criminal.
All of this was as Leonard had planned.
However, Elente’s conduct was completely unexpected. There was surely some kind of trick left.
But that trick was not yet visible to Leonard’s eyes. This was a clear and unfavorable turn of events.
He had to see through what she was aiming for. It was not the time to be drunk on victory.
The place Leonard headed to with such quick steps was the heir’s private room.
It was the magnificent room that Elente had used until now, and that Leonard might use in the future.
In the basement connected to that place, there was a facility that Leonard had prepared by bribing a servant.
That research lab, stained with corpses and blood. The servant who had helped Leonard set up this research lab was already mixed in with the pile of corpses in that basement. He was not a person who left loose ends.
‘There might be something left that I haven't discovered yet. First, starting from the private room, I have to meticulously review every place that Lady Elente’s influence might have reached.’
He must not be careless. Leonard, clenching his teeth, pulled the secret handle behind the bookshelf in the private room and opened the door.
Srrrrrng—
The heavy secret door opened, and he strode down the stairs leading to the basement.
He wracked his brain over and over, trying to predict what move Elente would make.
However, everything was unknown. What in the world could she do in this situation?
That girl who only knew how to command the retainers, in this situation where all the retainers had turned their backs… was there really not a single move she could make?
This was not the battlefield Leonard had designed.
As he came down to the end of the stairs amidst that anxiety and impatience, the sight of the basement, with a faint smell of blood remaining, came into view.
It was the moment he was about to open that wooden door and go inside.
Creeak—
“…?!”
“Oh.”
There was someone already there.
The darkness inside the basement.
Red eyes, faintly visible between white hair, turn once towards Leonard.
It was a man, with his cloak hanging down, adjusting the sleeve of his leather tunic, sitting on a chair and wiping his sword.
The man’s sword glinted blue, catching the light coming from behind Leonard.
“What…”
“Young Master Leonard, is it?”
“Baron Ravencrow… what are you doing here…?”
“Well now.”
Leonard felt something was amiss and took a step back.
It was because the man, just crouching and wiping his sword, looked like a predator in front of its prey.
— In that case, who is the prey?
The moment Leonard instinctively asked himself that question, Derek stood up from his seat.
Though it was a warm late spring, he felt the illusion that a cold chill was filling the basement.