Velvet Rat
Velvet Rat
It was an exceptionally long and tedious afternoon.
Outside the window, the gloomy early autumn rain soaked the marble floor, and damp air squeezed into the study room, mingling with the dry scent of chalk dust.
"What is this?! 7 is 7, so why does having two 7s make 48?!"
"It is 49, Your Majesty."
"......I know that!!"
Shouting such things, I kicked a nearby wooden desk.
As I went through this series of actions, the chuckling sounds of the escort knights waiting outside could be heard beyond the door.
Tomorrow over drinks, they'd probably talk trash about me as drinking snacks, saying, "Our stupid little emperor is now fighting with the multiplication tables."
A moment later, Andrew let out a loud sigh, deliberately intending for it to be heard.
Yet neither I nor he let go of the chalk in our hands.
Sagak, sagak, with that faint sound, Andrew wrote on the chalkboard.
I think this every time, but it really is beyond inconvenient.
If I could use magic more skillfully, we wouldn't be having a conversation in such an inconvenient way, but conversing through something like telepathy instead.
But it's no use wishing for what I don't have right now.
In the first place, the magic I can use right now is at most maintaining the most basic spell for about five seconds.
Following Andrew's chalk as I read the writing, my eyes widened slightly.
『As per your imperial command, through the servant of Viscount Lorenzo von Moretti—a former comrade in the Former Emperor Faction—we searched through all kinds of back alleys and slums in the imperial capital. As a result, two days ago, members of the information guild known as 'Velvet Rat' finally made contact first.』
Velvet Rat, huh. What an ironic name.
It was a name that felt like a mirror directly reflecting my current self.
Velvet was a luxury fabric used in noble garments in any era.
A sewer rat wrapped in that glamorous fabric, and a scarecrow wearing nothing around its neck but a golden necklace labeled emperor.
Ha, which of the two looks more ridiculous......
By the way, so they contacted us first, huh.
Guild members making contact first with a client searching for an information guild. If it's a cliché, it's a cliché.
Of course, I think the reason was a bit different this time.
If they are guys settled in this imperial capital of all places, it's not as if they lack connections with other nobles.
Yet, no matter how much it was hidden, the fact that there was a noble's servant looking for them meant that it wasn't a noble connected with them, but another noble.
As Andrew said, rumors could circulate to a degree.
However, the fact that there was a noble personally searching for them after hearing those rumors was a different story. Nine times out of ten, such a noble either had something shady to hide, or—
『They must have contacted us first thinking we were desperate.』
To what I wrote, Andrew nodded slightly instead of writing a reply.
They were bastards who even called themselves Velvet Rat.
Though they probably don't consider themselves nobles, they must be folks who have done plenty of business with nobles.
The more they are like that, the better they catch the scent of a desperate person.
『It is said that they handed over a map, telling us to visit in three days, before vanishing. By then, we must prepare the information to be obtained and its price.』
Price. Those two words weighed heavily upon my shoulders.
Come to think of it, it was natural.
It's an information guild. Money-grabbing demons who even deal with nobles.
There was no way to get information from such guys without a price.
But right now, I had nothing to offer as a price. Just as a tsk was about to escape my mouth, Andrew moved his chalk first.
『We have already prepared the price on our end. Your Majesty merely needs to command.』
At those words, I quietly bit my lip so Andrew wouldn't notice.
Being the emperor yet unable to pay even a single coin with my own hands felt pathetic.
......Phew, let me put lamenting my situation on hold. Right now is the time to gather even tiny fragments of what can become my sword.
First, the information that must be obtained above all.
The most important information concerns the Lord Protector.
Information that could serve as the Lord Protector's weakness.
Even if not that, information capable of striking at the Lord Protector.
It was the most important information, and the more pieces of it we had the better, but it was also information that must not be mentioned right now.
Right now, we are merely one among countless clients.
If one of those ordinary clients suddenly demanded confidential information about the Lord Protector, what would they do?
If it were me, I would unconditionally leak the information to the Lord Protector's close aides: 'Someone is trying to buy information on the Lord Protector.'
Doing business targeting nobles in this imperial capital of all places meant exactly that.
......First off, before talking about what information needs to be acquired, there's something we must find out.
『Is there no unused training ground in this imperial palace that cannot be seen from the outside?』
As I said that while deep in thought, Andrew pondered for a moment before calmly moving his chalk.
『There is. The training ground used by the Imperiani, the direct imperial guard organized by the late emperor, is located in the west annex.』
I had only asked just in case, so hearing that it actually existed surprised me instead.
『There is? Why on earth did the Lord Protector leave something like that alone?』
Judging by his nature, there was no reason to leave it alone. And yet it's empty?
『Because it was Maximilian who disbanded the Imperiani. He erased everything created by the late emperor one by one, not to mention the Imperiani. As for the Imperiani's training ground, since he couldn't destroy the building itself, he simply prohibited its use.』
So that's how it is.
From the Lord Protector's standpoint, he must have wanted to erase everything made by the late emperor.
Isn't that something politicians in my previous life frequently did too? I don't know how others might feel emotionally, but whatever can be used should be used.
Perhaps it was actually a good thing.
An ignorant, spoiled emperor running amok as if it's his personal playground, without even knowing it's the late emperor's legacy.
Where else could there be such a perfect stage?
『If such a place exists, then good. The information to get from those information guild bastards is on nobles pushed out of central politics by the Lord Protector—especially nobles with young children around my age—and nobles in the Lord Protector's faction who have at least a third or fourth child.』
Andrew narrowed his eyes and pondered deeply, seemingly trying to figure out my intention.
『We will gather them in that empty training ground: the children of nobles who fell out of favor with the Lord Protector, and those who can never become family heads even if they belong to the Lord Protector's faction. For the excuse, we can just say the emperor is gathering them to play at swordsmanship.』
『Will Maximilian quietly stand by and watch that happen?』
『Of course not.』
If the man known as the Lord Protector were someone who would obediently let me do this just because I wanted to, I wouldn't be living while trembling and acting like this.
He is a paranoid man. A man who won't even let someone eat a different cookie from the exact same bowl unless he has granted permission.
There is no way such a man would grant permission, whether it's the emperor's stubbornness or the emperor's teacher's proposal.
Then why do it?
『It would be great if it works out. But it's fine even if it doesn't. At first, you will submit the proposal. Naturally, the Lord Protector will not accept it. That's fine too. Next, I will go and speak to him directly. He will never allow it. This repetition of rejections is what I'm aiming for.』
Repetition of rejections. Andrew silently chewed on those words for a moment, then nodded.
『You are trying to create a justification.』
『Indeed. This could be called a child's tantrum. However, it can also be viewed as the emperor's statement. Rejecting that repeatedly does not look good. And that becomes a justification. Didn't you say it? That nobles are creatures who breathe on justification.』
Someday, I must build a faction of my own.
At least, winning over children is easier than winning over adults.
That was why I had to create this kind of playmate circle. And those playmates had to be beyond the reach of the Lord Protector.
If it's Andrew's proposal, the Lord Protector could withstand it several times; even if it's my proposal, he could withstand it a few times.
But there is a limit to that resistance.
A noble family that will never forgive such dismissal.
Because my fiancée's family, Dietrich von Rosencavalier, is glaring at his back.
『And the families that accept the invitation when invited are also the targets themselves.』
This time, a soft "Ah" leaked out from Andrew's mouth.
『We gather people under the guise of finding playmates for the emperor. Some families will decline, and some will accept. There's no way they'd decline or accept without thought. They will all act based on their own calculations.』
And that becomes a weapon for me.
『Those who try to align themselves even with a powerless puppet emperor. Those who try to align themselves precisely because he is a puppet emperor with nothing to his name. Those who wish to invest in the emperor's future. Or those who were pushed away from the center by the Lord Protector, yet are too terrified of him to move.』
Knowing is power.
What kind of people could become my power? Who among them could refrain from becoming my enemy?
Or who will become my enemy?
Either way, Andrew must personally run around to present the proposal.
If he, possessing the rank of Count, comes to them, they won't be able to just say no without a word.
They will offer various reasons. Their reasons for declining. Their reasons for accepting.
No matter how they embellish it with rhetoric, obtaining the information hidden within their words is another reason why I am gathering these playmates.
Andrew bowed his head deeply.
『I shall obey your imperial command.』
Viscount Lorenzo von Moretti forcibly swallowed down a sigh rising to his throat as he headed toward the location specified in the note sent by Velvet Rat.
The fact that he, a noble, was moving his feet over a single note sent by mere back-alley rats felt utterly distasteful, like mud beneath his boots; however, his investigation revealed that Velvet Rat was utilized by quite a number of nobles.
There was no reason to force a deal, but it was not an organization to be ignored either. That was why Viscount Moretti came in person rather than sending his servant.
Viscount Moretti soon arrived at the location written on the note. There stood a small, shabby house.
Stepping inside after opening the door, a pitch-black abyss unfolded. The outside and inside were distinctly different.
'Illusion magic.... They placed restrictions on the five senses.'
Blocking vision with darkness while restricting hearing and smell. Taste was likely in the same condition.
Summoning the opponent to a location advantageous to themselves to gain the upper hand in negotiations. It was a common tactic in the underworld.
This old building as a whole was probably constructed to operate as one giant magic circle.
Even in such a situation, only his own figure, a chair set up as if telling him to sit down, and the table in front of it were faintly visible.
Viscount Moretti calmly walked over to the chair and sat down directly.
"I have come as you desired. I take it you are ready to trade?"
"You seem to be in quite a hurry?"
It was a woman's voice.
The moment he heard the voice, Viscount Moretti realized. It was intentional.
She deliberately did not disguise her female voice.
Someone capable of using illusion magic of this caliber should be able to change even her voice at will.
The fact that she didn't change it meant she was trying to induce let-down of his guard using her voice.
Using such a transparent tactic meant that some nobles had already fallen for it.
The empire's future is bleak. Viscount Moretti swallowed a sigh.
"Indeed. I am busy. Let us quickly discuss the information trade. I have already brought the price you bastards want."
Saying so, Viscount Moretti pulled out a pouch containing gold coins from his coat and placed it right on the table, whereupon a light laugh—He-heh—could be heard.
"Lorenzo von Moretti. Formerly belonging to 'Umbra', the intelligence unit of the imperial direct guard Imperiani....... For 'Hound Lorenzo' to come all the way here in person, you must really be in a hurry."
At that moment, Viscount Moretti's gaze shifted drastically.
His boiling mana instantly shook the magic deployed across this mansion.
As noise broke through the darkness, the figure of the opponent sitting in front of Viscount Moretti was finally revealed.
The woman was wearing a seductive smile while looking at Viscount Moretti with eyes devoid of even a hint of trembling.
For a moment, Viscount Moretti felt a sense of familiarity somewhere in her appearance.
"Oh my, I had hidden it so well until now...."
Viscount Moretti frowned at the sight of her chuckling with an attitude that suggested she didn't think that at all.
"You, where did you get that information?"
"Andrew Cassis von Bartolomeo, former commander of the Imperiani—oh right, nowadays he's just Andrew Bartolomeo, isn't he? I heard he somehow became the emperor's tutor, so it seems he's up to something?"
In that split second, before one could even blink, dozens of spikes reaching out from the darkness materialized around the woman's neck.
At the same time, five hooded individuals appeared and pointed their swords at Viscount Moretti's neck.
"How scary, how scary~"
"Speak. Who the hell are you?"
"If I hide it any longer, it feels like you'll really try to kill me. Isn't this too harsh when we haven't met in so long? Lorenzo-ajeossi."
Viscount Moretti wore an expression asking what nonsense she was talking about, before his face turned to sheer shock as if realizing something right after.
"Serena......?"
Viscount Moretti recalled.
During the 40-Year War, the family that accompanied the First Prince to the battlefield.
And the young lady of the family whose head died alongside the First Prince due to a surprise attack by the Norden Kingdom, having all titles, territory, and wealth confiscated to take responsibility for it.
Serena von Florentius.
"Yes, Lord Moretti. Serena has returned from hell."
She smiled.
In a place unknown to Julian, in a manner different from his intentions,
the story unfolds.