Conspiracies Chasing Tails
Please… please… please…. There it is!
Rustle. As she unfolded the crumpled note tucked tightly beneath the basket, an astonishing report caught her eye midway through.
She needed to read nothing else.
— …The region had been so parched from the lack of winter rain that a fire broke out at Viscount Caris’s residence and the surrounding area.
The cause of the blaze remains unknown, and it is presumed that everyone inside perished. Nearby villagers were unaware of the fire’s outbreak, leaving no time for rescue. The house has burned to the ground and now lies abandoned, with no one daring to recover the remains. Burial fees at Sionel’s communal cemetery are said to be exorbitantly high. Furthermore…
‘What? What? What did it say?’
It was a shocking report indeed. She knew fires were common in spring when winter rains failed—Morgana had chattered endlessly about it back at the monastery.
But… they were dead? Those people?
Dot was not the sort to mourn a family she had already killed once. Instead, an odd feeling washed over her—relief that the matter had resolved itself without her lifting a finger.
‘I never commissioned the job, never even hinted I wanted them dead. Yet they conveniently burned to death on their own. How utterly convenient.’
In the past, even after ordering their deaths through the underworld guild, she had felt uneasy, fearing they might someday uncover her identity or motives and stab her in the back.
Now that worry was gone.
Sionel’s climate was peculiar; though its yields were modest, it occasionally produced rare agricultural goods.
‘Since I’ve cultivated the image of a gourmand, even if this request ever comes to light, I have a ready excuse. I simply wanted to taste something grown only in Sionel.’
Once she settled on a plausible story, Dot’s spirits lifted.
‘It’s only natural for a noble to keep track of useful contacts for acquiring goods. No need for long-winded excuses. Ah…! I wonder if my plan will succeed. Next on the list is Morgana!’
Even when using the underworld guild, requesting two murders in quick succession felt distasteful.
Still, at least she was safe now.
That leisurely satisfaction wrapped around Dot like a seductive coil.
She fancied herself a brilliant strategist, intoxicated by her string of victories. Any unforeseen event could be handled with quick thinking. Whatever it was!
Meanwhile, someone in the Grand Temple was diligently writing a letter to be sent somewhere.
It was Saintess Capia.
I have heard the news of Lady Klein’s return.
However, as I am the sinner who failed to protect that pitiful lady to the very end, I hesitated to visit immediately and offer my greetings, so I delayed the timing.
I am relieved to learn that her debutante ball went well and that she will soon begin full-scale social activities. Everything must be the will of the Divine.
I shall ascend to visit you soon. I do not know whether the lady will remember this insignificant body, but I have always looked forward to the day we meet. I shall pray every day that the Divine’s blessing may reach all people.
From Saintess Capia.
“Haa…”
A cold expression settled on Capia’s face as she set down her pen.
In this lonely space, she had lived far too humbly for far too long. If she truly was a child of the Divine, there must come a moment when she could spread her wings and soar.
If the Divine did not grant her that opportunity, then she would have to create it herself.
With these two hands of hers.
“Send this to the Imperial Palace.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
“After dispatching the letter, prepare for a pilgrimage as well. It will be a long journey.”
“You, Saintess?”
When the young priest asked in surprise, Capia’s smile deepened.
“Indeed. The Holy Knights have already returned from their penitential march to welcome spring. How could I remain idle? A person must work, after all.”
“Yes… Saintess.”
The young priest, his face glowing with reverence, carefully took the letter and left.
Alone once more, Capia’s gaze turned icy again.
Child, how long will you look at me with those eyes?
After I became Saintess, countless people gazed at me with admiration, only for it to shift into disillusionment and resignation, and eventually treat me as a forgotten relic. All because of the rise and fall of holy power. I have endured this for decades.
Will you change too?
I no longer wish to experience such things.
To live as a respected Saintess, I must act. You, at least, must understand me.
There was no distinction between good and evil in Saintess Capia’s heart.
Everything she said and did was merely a desperate struggle for survival.
* * *
“Is it true?”
“Yes, Lady Pay. Why do you ask?”
At the top floor of the Mizhuang Hotel.
After the spring ball, Pay, who had not met Cassel alone in some time, received startling news.
Saintess Capia!
She was reportedly planning to enter the Imperial Palace soon. Good heavens.
“…Lady Pay?”
Pay, who had been rapidly assessing the situation, lifted her eyes.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was simply surprised to hear that the Saintess of the Grand Temple, whom I had only heard of, would come to the palace to give lectures.”
Cassel could not even manage a faint smile in Pay’s presence.
“There is nothing particularly surprising about it. Until the previous Saintess, it was common for her to visit the palace annually to encourage charity and mercy. Only in this generation has the frequency decreased significantly.”
He offered no explanation as to why.
Pay, who had gathered information from various sources, did not press further and simply closed her mouth.
“I see…”
She already knew through Holt Dane why the current Saintess was being neglected. The real question was why the previously quiet Saintess was now stretching her limbs and rising to action.
‘The future has changed so much that I can no longer predict everything perfectly. It’s difficult for me, and it will be for Dot as well. If Saintess Capia has any connection to the parentage verification, she will likely use that to scheme something.’
The Saintess had not ruined Morgana’s life out of boredom.
If she had been jealous of Morgana for being born a noble lady, she would have killed her at the temple under the pretext of illness.
If the Saintess had orchestrated the carriage attack, she would not have dared show her face in the capital out of guilt.
Her reason for coming after confirming the survival of the lady she believed dead or missing must be unrelated to the bandits’ assault.
Then what was the true purpose of her visit to the capital?
‘Whether willingly or not, if she provided “assistance,” she might try to shake the lady who has taken the noble’s place and extract something from her. She would not have helped for free.’
The most dangerous thing in the world is favor given without reason. The truth was that greedily accepting help in haste would later demand a steep price.
Pay could sense it.
Saintess Capia was neither on Dot’s side nor on Pay’s. She had either manipulated events together with them to achieve her own goal, or had knowingly turned a blind eye to the manipulation.
After parting with Cassel, Pay wondered whether the Saintess would recognize her.
‘…She most certainly would. She even gave me the ruby pendant to bind my magic. My hair has remained a light pink shade and still has not faded, so the chances of her realizing the truth are extremely high. If she learns I have become a mage, she will surely deduce that the Grand Temple’s relic has been damaged.’
New information she had just learned:
Saintess Capia apparently had some connection to the Orleans family. She was a distant relative who had continued receiving support even after becoming Saintess.
And the Orleans ducal house.
Pay sighed inwardly.
‘Truly, ever since accepting the Crown Prince’s request, every task I undertake feels like lifting a strawberry vine. Each fruit seems separate, but once lifted, they are all connected by a single root that is difficult to trace.’
This endless search for clues would eventually come to an end.
‘No matter how difficult, I have no intention of stopping. Once I find the root, I can harvest every strawberry that has grown nearby. Cheer up, Pay. I’ll find them all and burn them to ashes.’
「…Pay!」
Someone called her.
It was Pine Echo, the one she had stationed near the monastery aside from the other three.
“Oh, Number Four!”
She had recently sent it to infiltrate the ducal residence to gather information on Dot’s movements, and she was curious about the results.
It was something she had done after releasing the Undine’s summoning, and unlike before, Pine Echo seemed to have slipped inside the main building as well.
She could guess why this was possible.
It must be due to the immense growth in her magical power after drinking the elixir Lucius had given her.
Even so, it was remarkable that it had accomplished something it could not do before.
Now then, what had happened?
「Hmph, I discovered something tremendous the moment I arrived.」
“Really?”
Number Four was even more boastful than the Salamander, who was famous for its arrogance.
「Of course! I’m only telling you because you love this Number Four so much, got it?」
“Of course, of course.”
The news Pine Echo brought was unusual.
The lady had hidden a note by her bedside and carefully read it before burning it in the candle flame. The fact that the corners were slightly smudged from frequent handling was also noteworthy.
The content was quite long for Pine Echo to memorize at once, but the first line read: Sionel Territory Northern Region Report.
「But that note seemed to have come from outside. After burning it, she thoroughly checked the empty basket that had been in the room, confirmed there was nothing unusual, and then handed it to a servant to throw away.」
“You mean she examined the entire basket?”
「Yes! If it had been something that was originally there, there would have been no need to check the basket’s condition, right?」
That made sense. She had pretended to receive something through someone and had them investigate the area around Sionel. What could possibly be there?
“The northern part of Sionel territory…”
“Pay, don’t overthink it. Let’s just go.”
“Chirp, cheep, chee!”
Lucius, who had been beside her, spoke up, and Momo chimed in agreement. Its cries grew increasingly strange toward the end, but that was fine.
Pay gave him an incredulous look.
“Lucius, do you even know where Sionel is? It’s at the very edge of the empire. Even the northern part of Sionel would still require us to travel all the way to the southernmost tip of the empire.”
“We can just ride that one.”
“Cheep…?”
Lucius pointed at Momo, who had been chewing on jerky inside the basket.
Drip.
Like a proper mount, Momo quickly glanced at the map hanging on the wall and roughly estimated the distance.
Going itself was fine, but if it meant it had to work, then absolutely not!
Momo rolled its large eyes and deliberately turned away from their conversation, but Lucius’s reasonable words followed.
“You’re the Drakan rider officially recognized by the Crown Prince. Why couldn’t you? Get proper permission, cross the imperial skies in one go, and be done with it. The saddle can easily carry at least three or four more people besides you, so bring some attendants. Momo is sturdy, so a little hardship won’t hurt.”
“Cheeeek.”
Momo flipped onto its back, spread its wings, and played dead, unwilling to carry anyone but Pay.
However, its little scheme did not work on the two of them. The three of them had grown close enough by now.
Momo was the type who needed to work a bit to regain its energy (?).
“Lucius. If possible, come with me. Will you go with me?”