The Seeds of Rebellion
“Sir, the man says if you have something to say, you should come up yourself.”
This guy? The knight in the blue helmet, whose name I still didn’t know, was more arrogant than I’d expected. Even though a noble had come all the way to an inn for an unscheduled visit, this commoner was acting as if he could summon me at his whim.
“Did you tell him it was an official matter from the Rystein family?”
“Yes, I did. But he insisted that he wouldn’t meet anyone unless they showed him the family crest to prove their identity…”
On what grounds was he being so stiff? I reached out to pull out the brooch bearing the Rystein crest, only to realize that, having regressed, I hadn’t received it yet. I considered showing him the Mountbern family crest instead, but decided to just go up myself.
“Lead the way.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
I tossed a silver coin to the innkeeper, whose face had been twisted in annoyance at the noble’s demands, and he immediately began to guide me with a fawning attitude. As I climbed the stairs toward the top floor, where the luxury suites were located, I organized what I knew about the knight in the blue helmet.
His name was unknown. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be in his mid-to-late thirties. In my past life, he had defeated me in a tournament, won the prize money, and vanished into thin air. Monica used to mock me constantly, calling me a loser who couldn’t even win a rigged tournament. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case this time.
After he took second place in the tournament two days ago, I had searched for his whereabouts and found him staying at an inn within the territory. Given that he hadn’t revealed his family background, he was likely a commoner, yet he possessed an arrogance that dared to order a noble around.
Before my regression, he had been found as a corpse in the hills of the territory, which had caused quite a headache. The Rystein family had been falsely accused of being dishonorable, petty people who took revenge because he hadn’t won the tournament. Seeing his current behavior, it seemed likely he had acted this way toward another noble and ended up getting stabbed and discarded.
Bang, bang!
The innkeeper stood before the guest room door and knocked loudly. “Hey, a knight from the Rystein family has come to see you personally!”
The well-oiled door creaked open slightly. Through the gap, a pair of brown eyes met mine. The eyes, which had been trembling with anxiety, widened the moment they saw me, and the door swung open wide.
“I have been waiting, Sir Knight!”
What kind of situation was this? I sat on the only chair in the room and stared at the blue-helmeted knight who introduced himself as Jack. He wore a complex expression, a mix of anxiety and relief. Since Jack had insisted that this was a matter of great importance, I sent the innkeeper away and had Johnson guard the door. Since the soundproofing seemed poor, I ordered him to prevent anyone from even approaching.
“You realize how rude your behavior is, don’t you?”
“That is…”
“I didn’t give you permission to speak yet.”
This wasn’t my usual style, but I felt I needed to be firm this time. A moderate amount of pressure and tension is a good friend when it comes to extracting the truth. Plus, I was still a bit annoyed from having to climb all the way up here.
“Not only did you make a noble come to you, but you also spoke out of turn before I even questioned you.”
Usually, I wouldn’t bother with such trivialities or try to keep my subordinates on a tight leash. “If the ‘important information’ you speak of doesn’t meet my standards, you will pay the price for your insolence. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
“Speak.”
His answer was booming. He must be confident. And the answer that followed exceeded my expectations.
“It is a rebellion.”
The word ‘opportune’ was truly fitting for this situation. Just as I needed evidence to stop Baron Enixon’s rebellion, a witness had appeared at the perfect moment. I had originally intended to use him to save a life that was meant to be lost, but obtaining such high-level intelligence was an unexpected harvest.
“Can you take responsibility for your words?”
“Yes! I swear to the gods that there is not a single lie in what I have told you!”
“What are the descriptions of the conspirators? Do you know who they are?”
“I cannot say for certain, as I only heard their voices from outside the room. But I am certain the content was related to a rebellion. I remember the voices, too.”
“If you didn’t see them, it’s useless… No. I have someone in mind.”
Uncertain evidence? I could just make it certain.
“From now on, you overheard Baron Enixon’s plot for rebellion.”
“Pardon? Who is that…”
“Come now, how can you not know Baron Enixon? Regardless, that is what you know. When you meet the Countess later, just say exactly what I told you—that you confirmed Baron Enixon’s plot for rebellion.”
“But wouldn’t that be committing perjury before the Countess?”
“Perjury? Someone might think I’m forcing you to lie. This isn’t perjury. It’s merely a reasonable deduction based on the information I’ve obtained separately and your testimony.”
“A deduction… I see, a deduction.”
“That’s right, Jack. While we’re at it, we should check who is staying in the next room. If what you say is true, a murder has occurred, so I should call the innkeeper to check the crime scene.”
I had Johnson call the innkeeper back. The innkeeper was reluctant to open the door or reveal the identity of the guests, but after I persisted, he had no choice but to comply. After having Johnson record the details, I opened the door and entered the adjacent room. A faint smell of blood hung in the air, and when I opened the wardrobe, I found a corpse of an unknown person inside.
“I-I’ll go call the guards right away!” The innkeeper shrieked and ran outside.
With this much circumstantial evidence, I thought I could persuade Monica.
“Your speculations are excessive.” Monica dismissed my words in a single stroke.
“You cannot charge someone with the grave crime of treason based on such circumstantial evidence, Sir Edward. I am in a situation where I need to secure the support of my vassals; how do you think I would look if I ousted a Baron’s house based on such flimsy evidence?”
“A murder has occurred, and we have a witness who claims it was to silence someone. Even if it isn’t concrete proof, I believe it is enough to warrant suspicion.”
“Well, I don’t feel that way at all.”
She was being incredibly logical today. Monica, who usually suspected and rooted out anything that could be a threat to her, was suddenly using logical reasons to completely deny my suspicions.
“Of course, the murder is a very serious matter. That is true.” Monica, who had been looking at me, turned her cold gaze toward Jack, who was standing next to me as a witness.
“But you, are you certain that the people you overheard were from Baron Enixon’s house?”
“Yes! I am!”
“But you said yourself that you didn’t even see their faces. Are you claiming that a wandering knight who hasn’t been in our territory for long can distinguish the people of a noble house just by their voices?”
“T-that is…”
“Think carefully. Sir Edward standing next to you is a noble, so he will be fine, but you could end up taking all the blame if you’re not careful. Baron Enixon could charge you with the crime of insulting a noble, and you would have no defense.”
“…Now that I think about it, I suppose I cannot be certain…”
To be swayed so easily by Monica’s wordplay. I had brought him along in my haste to use him as a witness, but it seemed like a poor choice.
“You see, Sir Edward? His testimony changes like flipping a hand with just a little persuasion and pressure. You want to attack a titled noble based on the word of a man like this?”
At Monica’s gesture, Jack was sent outside. Once we were alone, Monica’s tone became clipped.
“Do you have some kind of grudge against Baron Enixon?”
“I am not doing this out of personal feelings.”
There wasn’t much time left. As I recalled, it hadn’t even taken a week for the rebellion to break out after the tournament. Finding new evidence now was a long shot. I needed to do something helpful to gain a voice in these matters. Ah, I had this.
“It is certain that Baron Enixon is planning a rebellion. At the very least, we must keep him in check so he cannot act recklessly.”
“I told you, I cannot do that without any justification.”
“The name of the person who stayed in the room where the murder occurred is written on this paper.” I handed her the paper Johnson had written on.
“He is surely connected to Baron Enixon. He is the most likely suspect, and even if not, we can at least tie them down by demanding he appear as a witness.”
Monica stared at me with her usual expressionless face.
“Investigation and judgment are the rights of the Lord. Interfering with such things is an overreach of authority.”
“As a knight of the Rystein family…”
“If you are a knight, just follow the Lord’s orders. Don’t talk back. It will be the same even if we marry. Don’t try to meddle in things that are beyond your station.”
Cold words poured out. Once again, I felt the reality that she was, indeed, Monica.
“It means: do not cross the line.”