Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Turbulence
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"Hmm."
Marquis Mandora's face hardened as he read the scouting party's report.
He had sent a scouting team to Grada Territory upon the emperor's orders.
He had been somewhat surprised to learn that the Julius Count Family had repelled Count Yarve, but he figured there wouldn't be any more shocks.
That assumption changed after reading the intelligence agent's report.
[Time is needed.]
"Time is needed..."
The report from the scouting party stating 'Time is needed' made Marquis Mandora think he needed to revise all his previous judgments about the Julius Count Family.
It was an elite scouting party composed entirely of top-class agents.
They had effortlessly gathered intelligence on the emperor and high nobles alike.
So why would they need more time just to gather information on a mere count's family?
The unexpected result muddled his thoughts.
'What in the world happened there?'
As Marquis Mandora drummed his fingers on the table, deep in thought—
Knock knock.
The door to his study opened, and Knight Order Captain Trevik entered.
"Marquis Tano has arrived."
"Marquis Tano?"
Marquis Mandora looked surprised.
He had assumed Tano had returned straight to the border after parting with the emperor, but apparently not.
'Where has he been and what has he been up to?'
Doubt piled up on Marquis Mandora's face.
A short while later.
Guided by Trevik, Marquis Tano entered the study.
"Sorry for dropping by unannounced."
"What brings you here?"
Mandora, who had risen to his feet and been waiting, grinned slyly and gestured to the chair opposite him.
Once Marquis Tano sat down, Mandora smiled faintly and spoke.
"Thank you for gracing this humble place with your presence."
"I was on my way back to my unit and had something to discuss with you, so I stopped by."
"I see."
Mandora gave Trevik a glance, and he bowed politely before stepping out.
Marquis Tano slowly scanned the room.
A sly fox like him might have another guard knight hidden somewhere.
It wasn't about personal safety—it was because the conversation they were about to have was top secret, so security was paramount.
Mandora's expression soured slightly at his demeanor.
"Do you think I've hidden someone without your knowledge, Marquis?"
"If I've offended you, my apologies. But you'll understand once you hear me out."
"Have some tea and relax your guard."
Mandora poured tea into the cup in front of Tano.
Tano took a sip and asked,
"How's the matter with the Julius Count Family progressing?"
"Of course. A mere count's family is no issue."
Seeing Mandora brimming with confidence, Tano set down his teacup with a meaningful smile.
"I'd like to hear your thoughts. Do you think something major has changed in the Julius Count Family?"
"They did take down Count Yarve, so maybe. But on the other hand, it's hard to believe a family barely clinging to its legacy could transform overnight."
It was a fox-like answer.
Tano had expected him not to reveal his true thoughts clearly, so he posed the next question.
"What if they have an ally?"
"An ally?"
His eyes widened at the unexpected remark.
If true, this was no simple matter.
It would mean violating the empire's laws set by the emperor, and the faction aiding the count's family could be plotting rebellion.
Tano wouldn't be unaware of that.
For him to say this!
Mandora's eyes flashed sharply.
"Is what you have to say related to that?"
Tano nodded.
"Ah..."
"Listen to what I have to say from now on."
Tano confessed that, about half a month ago, after the meeting with the emperor ended, he had been summoned to the emperor's study in the evening.
There, the emperor had ordered an investigation into Marquis Valtre.
"Marquis Valtre?"
Mandora looked puzzled.
Tano nodded as if he understood the reaction and continued.
"I was puzzled at first too. When I asked the emperor why, he said the Magic Tower's movements were suspicious."
"Isn't the Magic Tower unrelated to Marquis Valtre?"
"I thought so too, but apparently not. According to the emperor's investigation, Marquis Valtre started reaching into the Magic Tower a few years ago and now has it almost fully under his control."
"No way..."
Mandora was stunned.
The Magic Tower had originally followed Grand Archmage Altros.
But with Altros holed up in the imperial palace, their ties had naturally drifted apart.
Marquis Valtre must have exploited that gap.
'Then...'
His eyes flashed as he rapidly sorted through his tangled thoughts.
After a moment.
Mandora spoke gravely.
"You're saying the Julius Count Family's ally is Marquis Valtre?"
"I deployed intelligence agents under my command to verify, and it turns out Marquis Valtre visited Nibon Territory recently."
"Count Yarve was his lackey, so he might have gone there for that."
"Possibly. But what if he met the Julius Count Family's young upstart there?"
"......!"
Mandora's eyes widened.
"It's not confirmed yet, but he definitely met someone there."
"Does His Majesty know about this?"
"Since you were handling the scouting on the Julius Count Family, I planned to consult you first before reporting."
"Hmm."
Mandora's gaze deepened.
Why was he asking for Mandora's opinion?
Was he planning to join hands with Marquis Valtre for rebellion?
But as one of the emperor's closest aides, that seemed unlikely.
No matter how he thought about it, Tano's intentions were hard to read. Based on experience, the best approach in such cases was to ask directly.
"What are your thoughts, Marquis?"
"I'll be frank. The Oscar Empire's position isn't what it used to be."
"What do you mean?"
"The Nanshar Empire has started moving."
"......!"
"We received a report recently that they've sent a scouting party our way. Pursuit teams are currently tracking their movements."
"What's the likelihood of war breaking out?"
"Low for now. But if our internal empire affairs get reported to Artisan, he won't miss the opportunity. And moreover..."
Tano trailed off, hesitating.
Mandora tilted his head.
"Why do you stop?"
"It must never happen, but if Marquis Valtre is truly plotting rebellion, wouldn't Artisan try to join hands with him somehow?"
"My God!"
Mandora was aghast at the dire speculation.
"It's common knowledge that if Marquis Valtre gains that kind of power, he'll try to seize His Majesty's throne at any moment. If Artisan reaches out to him?"
"It would be the worst-case scenario."
"To prevent that, we must capture the Nanshar Empire's scouting party at all costs and assess Marquis Valtre's forces. I'd like you to handle that."
"Me, how...?"
"I know all about it. Your scouting party is made up of the empire's finest talents."
"No, the rumors are exaggerated."
"Don't refuse. Step up for the empire."
"What about the Julius Count Family then?"
"Once we grasp Marquis Valtre's forces, I'll inform Duke Sihazana and have him act. Then we can deal with both without getting our hands dirty."
"I understand. I'll contact you as soon as intelligence gathering is complete."
"I'll be at the border, so send it there."
As Tano rose from his seat, he added,
"This is just between you and me. It mustn't leak out."
"Understood. I'll be in touch soon."
After seeing Tano off, Mandora returned to his study with Trevik.
Standing by the window, he organized his thoughts on their conversation.
The anomaly in the Julius Count Family was likely Marquis Valtre's doing.
Marquis Valtre's knights must be stationed in Grada Territory.
Otherwise, the scouting party wouldn't need extra time to assess a crumbling count's family.
"Trevik."
"Yes."
"Deploy all scouting parties to the Valtre Marquis Household and dig into every corner. If we're discovered, make it seem like it came from Marquis Tano."
"Marquis Tano won't stay quiet if he finds out. Is that alright?"
"When you ask someone to do dangerous work, they have to take the risks. I can't be the only one taking losses."
"Understood."
Trevik bowed deeply and swiftly exited.
Mandora gazed at the overcast sky that looked ready to rain and muttered to himself.
"A world of chaos is coming. To survive..."
His smile vanished, and his eyes gleamed sharply.
***
"That's our situation so far."
As Arthur surveyed the reactions of the ten or so people gathered in the study, the eldest, Helm, spoke up.
"We'd like to hear the former count's thoughts."
"For now, I plan to focus on territory defense until the emperor makes a move."
"If the emperor isn't a fool, he'll send scouting parties to gather intelligence."
"Don't worry about that. I've prepared countermeasures."
"Countermeasures?"
"You'll know soon enough."
Knock knock.
With the knock, Jackal and Dark entered the study.
They approached Arthur, bowed respectfully, and Dark reported politely.
"We've captured a total of 18 and handed them over to Millerph."
"Good work. No one got away?"
"None."
Arthur nodded in satisfaction at Dark's unwavering response and turned to Jackal.
"In case they send more scouts, stick with the Devil Squad for the time being."
"Understood."
As soon as Arthur finished, Helm asked,
"When did you start patrolling the territory for scouts?"
"I gave the order before leaving for Nibon Territory. I kept it secret because operating covertly seemed best."
"I see. So all the captured ones are scouts sent by the emperor."
"Not necessarily."
"......?"
At the meaningful words, Drakan spoke up.
"Who else besides the emperor would be interested in us?"
"Marquis Valtre, and as Keda said, Nanshar Empire scouts might have followed the Alpha Family's trail here."
"Hmm, enemies on all sides."
Drakan's face hardened.
As shadows of worry fell over everyone's faces, sharing his sentiment—
Arthur, Helm, and Jackal's eyes flashed, and they turned toward the window.
An unidentified figure darted away swiftly.
"Catch it!"
At Arthur's shout, Jackal launched himself toward the window.
Crash!
"Who do you think this place is?"
Helm approached the window and drew his Death Bow. He then nocked an arrow at the figure Jackal was pursuing.
Twang!
The bolt-like arrow struck the figure's leg.
Jackal then subdued it and waved to signal the situation was under control.
Arthur scanned the others' reactions, excluding Helm.
They all looked visibly startled, apparently unaware of the intruder's presence.
Even Helot and Dark, who had reached mid-level Sword Expert, hadn't noticed, so it must be at least upper level or higher.
Only one faction would send such a skilled operative here.
The Nanshar Empire!
Likely an assassination squad sent by Artisan, not mere scouts.
Someone of that caliber could be executed on sight.
Arthur turned to Keda.
He had been wearing a grave expression but nodded heavily upon meeting eyes, as if guessing the scout's backer.
Jackal slung the captive over his shoulder back into the study and dropped it on the floor.
"Ugh..."
The captive groaned, subdued by Jackal.
Jackal handed Arthur an oddly shaped empty vial.
"It was lying where it fell. I brought it just in case."
"Hmm."
As Arthur examined the empty vial with a stern face—
Keda approached, scrutinized it intently, and his eyes widened in realization.
"This is!"
"What's wrong?"
"It's the Nanshar Empire's Awakening Agent."
"Awakening Agent?"
Keda continued gravely.
"Using this turns even a Sword Actor-level knight into a Sword Expert instantly. A Sword Expert can reach peak upper level..."
"What?"
Everyone's eyes bulged.
"But it's empty, which means..."
As Arthur hurriedly looked at the writhing captive—
Veins bulged across its face.
It looked like it was rampaging.
"Damn!"
Helot rushed at it to knock it out, but an overwhelming aura erupted from the captive.
"Get lost!"
Helot was flung back by the unbound captive's swinging arm.
"Grraaah..."
The captive rose slowly, emitting a bizarre sound. Spotting Helm with the Death Bow, it roared.
"You... Raaargh!"
It charged at him with a monstrous screech.