Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The War Hero Becomes the Fairy Matriarch (2)
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[At that moment, Grates Kingdom. Wilhelm Mansion.]
"Is there really no news at all, Robert?"
"Yes. If the master is still alive, all we can do is hope he returns."
In the reception room of the Wilhelm Mansion, two men—butler Robert and Prime Minister Winchester—sat facing each other.
Considering one was the kingdom's prime minister and the other a count's butler, it would have been natural for the prime minister to take the seat of honor, regardless of appearances or age.
But the seat of honor remained empty.
It was a place reserved for someone, yet even now, with that person missing, the seat stayed vacant.
"All I do is manage the mansion so that if the master returns at any moment, he can resume his life here without disruption."
"Not because you're convinced Lord Wilhelm is alive?"
"How could a servant wish for his master's death? No body has been found, so all we can do is believe he's alive somewhere."
"......."
"You can glare at me with suspicion all you want, but it won't change anything. I'm no elite imperial spy—just an ordinary butler. All I can do is believe and wait."
"...I see. You're convinced emotionally, truly believing it."
The prime minister leaned back against the sofa, relaxing into a laid-back posture.
"Unlike you, I judge rationally. Partly because he's my friend, but as prime minister, I must remain as objective as possible. Whether my friend lives or died, for the sake of his honor, I need clear criteria for judgment."
"I understand."
"So, will you help me? If only to drive a firm wedge into those women causing a ruckus outside."
"......."
Outside the mansion.
Beyond the firmly locked iron gates, a group of women gripped the bars, shouting wildly.
"I'm Hans Wilhelm's secret wife!"
"When Lord Wilhelm visited our village, he gave me this token!"
"My child is Hans Wilhelm's! I'm the Countess Wilhelm!"
Hans Wilhelm's death.
With that, women claiming to be "Hans Wilhelm's woman" rattled the bars, leaving the count's household with no choice but to lock the gates and wait it out.
"I don't know if they're gold diggers or if they truly shared vows with Hans. I only know what happened inside Grates Kingdom, and I couldn't track cases he kept secret from me."
"......."
"And not all of them are trying to swindle an inheritance without even sleeping with Hans... Some are imperial spies."
"Imperial spies...?"
"Either they came on their own, or they're fringe elements who didn't get intel from the Imperial Intelligence Agency due to internal information controls."
"...I don't know much about politics, but what exactly do you want from me?"
"The Wilhelm List."
At Prime Minister Winchester's words, Robert closed his eyes.
"Even if I don't know much else, you know his will lists every woman he spent a night with—their names, races, ages, and details of the night."
"Ahem."
"It's a double-edged sword. Only a few know of it, but those who do have desperately tried to destroy it. Why? Take those imperial elites out there, for instance..."
"It's official proof of how they submitted to Hans Wilhelm to save their lives, every detail recorded."
Butler Robert rose from the sofa and walked toward the glass doors leading to the terrace.
"Even here at the Wilhelm Mansion, there are records of maids who shared the master's nights, and women he touched who were then chased out. Of course, the master did nothing wrong. He never forced anyone."
"Indeed, when he first became master of this mansion, one maid even accused him of assault."
"Yes, a vicious woman. If not for the hidden image-recording magic stone the previous owner had installed—which captured everything between the master and her—he might have been branded a rapist."
"The imperial survivors would have preferred that, ironically."
Prime Minister Winchester pulled a parchment from his pocket and unrolled it.
"To the imperial elites, the [Wilhelm List] is proof they begged for their lives. They stripped themselves, knelt before Hans Wilhelm, and used their bodies to survive—a humiliating blow made official."
"Doesn't everyone already know through rumors?"
"Some women even claim they barely escaped before things got intimate with Hans Wilhelm. Officially, among imperial women who survived him, none admit outright to 'being with Hans Wilhelm.' There are exceptions, but they're unusual cases."
"So, they're targeting this mansion?"
"Exactly. Only two people know where the Wilhelm List is: Hans Wilhelm and you."
Prime Minister Winchester pointed to the image etched on the parchment.
"Court Mage Melwin. He notarized the list with magic, but died last year."
A tomb of a white-haired old man.
He was one of the heroes who shone in the war against the Empire, the royal court mage of the Grates royal family, but died under mysterious circumstances just as armistice talks were heating up.
"Thanks to his magic, even after the notary's death, it remains a legally binding will."
"A will..."
"Neither you nor I want him dead. But the problem arises because some want that will revealed."
"Who would want it public?"
"Imperial losers vying to rise in the post-armistice world without more wars."
"......."
"Lord Robert, I understand your loyalty to Lord Wilhelm. But one thing must be made clear."
"What is it?"
"Even if Lord Wilhelm acted in good faith, madmen interpreting it politically could escalate it into a political issue."
Prime Minister Winchester pointed beyond the glass doors Robert was staring through.
"To judge if those women claiming to be Hans Wilhelm's are real or not, we need the records he left."
"......."
"Can I see that list?"
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency Prime Minister Winchester."
Robert bowed politely in formal courtesy.
"The will can only be opened after the master's death is officially confirmed."
"......."
"So, we can't disclose the list recklessly. If anyone tries to take that will, I, Robert, will protect it with my life."
"...That's fine."
At Robert's words, Prime Minister Winchester pointed outside once more.
"Regarding the Wilhelm Mansion and its staff, Her Highness the Princess has issued an order."
"Princess Sylvia...? What order...?"
"Until the missing Hans Wilhelm returns, the royal family will manage and protect this Wilhelm Mansion."
"!!"
No sooner had Prime Minister Winchester finished speaking than a group of knights appeared to deal with the women.
"Those are..."
"The knight order under Princess Sylvia."
Tall and muscular, these women resembled rugged female warriors more than beauties.
They might have looked odd in casual clothes, but coincidentally, the silver full-plate armor they wore suited them perfectly.
"The Amazonians."
The muscular knightesses, who could almost pass for men, made the women shrieking in front of the mansion shrink back.
They had lived as knights, as weapons of war, not as women.
Even Hans Wilhelm, who smiled at any woman, had once said he could share a sauna with them after battle without spending the night—and paid for it dearly.
And at the same time, they were the strongest military force in Grates Kingdom under Princess Knight Sylvia.
Excluding the overwhelming individual Hans Wilhelm, Princess Sylvia was deploying the kingdom's mightiest force to suppress the disturbance near his mansion and protect its people.
"Why would Her Highness...?"
"Separate from marriage, Her Highness believes Hans Wilhelm deserves proper reward for his devotion and contributions to this nation."
"......."
"His Highness on his sickbed complicated it by tying the reward to marriage, but a war hero needs fitting compensation. That's what the Amazonian Knights are for."
"Her Highness..."
"And occasionally."
Prime Minister Winchester spoke carefully.
"Once a week, Her Highness will personally visit this mansion to stand guard."
"To that extent...?"
"Yes. She wants to protect it that much. To prevent the will sparking another war."
"......."
"Truthfully, the best outcome would be if no such thing existed..."
The prime minister gave a wry smile, gazing at Hans Wilhelm's portrait on the wall.
"What I want to confirm is that. Whether Wilhelm truly... was thorough with contraception."
"Pardon?"
"It's troubling. If a woman shows up pregnant..."
The prime minister squeezed his eyes shut.
"Claiming to be imperial, especially the imperial princess. And if her name's really in the will."
[And at that moment.]
"Gaaahhh!!"
In front of the Arsin Barony's armory.
A dozen men writhed on the ground, screaming with their wrists twisted broken.