Chapter 316 Whispers in the Dark
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Huff… huff… dammit!
- THOOM!! –
The office door didn’t just open; it nearly flew off its hinges as Lewya lunged inside.
”Neil!” she barked, breathless.
”Whoa! L-Lewya?” I stammered, nearly jumping out of his skin.
I had been mid-sentence with Diana, but the sheer force of Lewya’s entrance killed the conversation instantly.
”It’s a disaster!” Lewya panted, clutching her side. “There’s a rumor flying through the streets… They say Viscount Pelant has put a price on your head. He’s hired an assassin – “
”Ah,” I said, leaning back as I regained my composure. “So the word has already reached the frontier? That was fast.”
”Then it’s exactly as we feared,” Diana added, her voice chillingly calm. “Someone is orchestrating this.”
”…Huh?” Lewya blinked, her gaze darting between the two of them. “What’s with the faces? Why aren’t you two panicking?”
”What’s wrong?” I asked, tilting his head.
Lewya looked like she was about to have an aneurysm. She gestured wildly, her words tripping over each other in a frantic blur.
”Why are you so calm?! The Viscount literally hired a professional killer! I expect Diana to be cold, but Neil, I thought you’d be halfway to the next kingdom by now!”
”Hey, give me some credit,” I replied with a wry smile. “I can be level-headed when I need to be.”
I felt a pang of annoyance. Apparently, in Lewya’s mind, my default setting was ‘Total Meltdown.’
”Look,” I continued, “if a real assassin were actually at the gates, I’d be screaming. Trust me.”
”‘Real’?” Lewya asked, her brow furrowing. “Are you saying the rumor is fake?”
”Think about it, Lewya. Why is the news everywhere? Did the Viscount take out an ad in the local paper? Did he hire a guy to ring a bell in the town square?”
”Well… no, I don’t think even he is that thick,” Lewya admitted. “But if it’s a secret, how did everyone find out?”
”That’s the point,” I said. “Assassinations stay in the dark. You only hear about the client if the killer botches the job and gets tortured for info. The idea of a rumor naturally ‘drifting’ out into the public before the blade even moves? The odds of that are zero.”
”So it was leaked on purpose?” Lewya asked.
”It hit the frontier and the Atmiras territory at the exact same time,” I said, his expression darkening. “This wasn’t a leak. It was a broadcast.”
”But who would do that? And why?”
”Well… I have a pretty good idea of who’d benefit,” I muttered, “but I’m not ready to call it a fact just yet.”
I figured there was a seventy percent chance my hunch was right, but I wasn’t the type to throw around accusations without a smoking gun. Diana, however, had no such hesitation.
”The prime suspect is Viscount Pelant himself,” Diana stated firmly.
”What?” Lewya gasped. “Why would he smear his own reputation? Wouldn’t an enemy be the one spreading dirt like that?”
”An enemy would be more surgical,” Diana explained, her tone shifting into a lecture. “They would say, ‘The Viscount has hired a man to murder the Atmiras heir.’ But this rumor is intentionally vague. It’s just ‘an assassin.’ It leaves him an escape hatch – a way to claim he’s being framed. It’s too convenient for him. Therefore, it bears the hallmarks of the Viscount’s own handiwork… unless, of course, a third party is clever enough to make us jump to that exact conclusion.”
”This is a headache,” Lewya groaned. “So the Viscount is the lead suspect, but it could be an enemy trying to look like the Viscount?”
”Exactly,” I said.
”Ugh. But what does he get out of it? If you know you’re being hunted, you’ll just be more careful. There’s no profit in that – wait. Is that the trap?”
It seemed Lewya was finally starting to understand how the Imperial Nobility ¹ operated.
”If Pelant is behind this,” Diana said, “the goal is to deny us a moment’s peace. We just finished the Pediros mess. We were finally supposed to have a chance to breathe.”
”I see. It’s psychological warfare,” Lewya muttered. “Constant stress wears a man down, but hitting him with a new threat right when he finally relaxes? That breaks a man’s spirit. So, Neil, what’s the plan?”
”The rumor is going to cause some friction in the settlement, so I’ll handle the damage control there,” I said. “But like Diana pointed out, the rumor is ‘toothless.’ It’s all smoke. If I try to corner the Viscount with it, he’ll just play the victim. Honestly? If I can ignore it, I will.”
I had no desire to dance with a snake like Pelant unless I absolutely had to.
”You haven’t changed a bit,” Diana sighed. “I agree we should avoid him, but we cannot be careless. You must speak to your father and double the guard immediately.”
”No way,” I countered. “That’s exactly what he wants. He wants us wasting resources and manpower on a ghost. If he actually hired a killer, he wouldn’t announce it to the world and ruin his own success rate.”
”And so you assume there is no threat?” Diana’s eyes narrowed. “That is the very opening he is praying for. As long as the possibility exists, we must act.”
”I mean, sure, better safe than sorry, but…” I trailed off.
I understood Diana’s paranoia. In the world of the nobility, everyone was playing chess three levels deep. Still, calling in the cavalry over a rumor felt like a bit much.
”Why don’t we just hire some extra muscle from the Spear of Shouhyou ² to watch the perimeter?” I suggested. “If I go crying to my father about a rumor that might be fake, he’ll just lecture me for three hours on ‘fortitude’.”
”Bringing in outsiders now is a massive risk,” Diana snapped. “There are countless stories of assassins spreading rumors specifically so their target will hire more guards – allowing the killer to hide among the new hires. In your case, Lord Neil, it’s common knowledge you’d turn to the Spear of Shouhyou. It would be trivial for them to plant a mole.”
”Hmm. Diana, you’re usually a worrywart, but I think you’re overthinking this one – “
”Actually, Neil, I’m with Diana,” Lewya interrupted.
”You too, Lewya?” I asked, surprised.
”Forget your own modesty for a second,” Lewya said. “Among the nobility, you’re a rising star. They’re already calling you a ‘prodigy.’ Do you have any idea how much of a target that puts on your back?”
”I mean, sure, but why now?”
”Don’t you see?” Diana said, her voice dropping to a low, serious tone. “Every noble in the capital knows you and Pelant are at odds. If they hear Pelant is making a move, and they see you acting careless…”
”…They’d send their own assassin,” I finished, the realization hitting me like a physical weight. “They’d kill me and let Pelant take the fall. It’s the perfect cover for anyone who wants me gone.”
There was a long, heavy silence in the room.
”Okay,” I said finally, “I’m calling my father. We’re getting more guards. Better paranoid than dead. Definitely.”
”Quite the 180,” Lewya teased, though her eyes were still grave.
”Indeed,” Diana added.
The two women gave me a flat, unimpressed look. I shrugged. I was willing to risk my life for my people, but when it came to a political hit-job where no one benefited but my enemies? I’d like to keep my head attached to my shoulders, thank you very much.
I didn’t waste another second. I sat at my desk and began drafting a message to my father’s house, requesting a full security detail immediately.
—
Summary:
Lewya bursts into the office with news that Viscount Pelant has hired an assassin. Neil and Diana analyze the rumor, concluding it’s likely a psychological ploy or a trap designed to make Neil vulnerable to third-party opportunistic strikes. Neil eventually concedes and requests formal reinforcements from his father.
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Trivia:
- The rumor hit multiple locations simultaneously, proving it was a coordinated ‘broadcast.’
- Diana suspects the rumor’s vagueness is a deliberate ‘escape hatch’ for the Viscount.
- Hiring guards from the Spear of Shouhyou is risky because the preference is predictable and easy to infiltrate.
- The ‘prodigy’ label makes Neil a target for neutral competitors, not just established enemies
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Character Insight:
Neil displays a pragmatic survival instinct over heroic ego, choosing to ‘flip-flop’ on his pride once the logic of a third-party assassin cover-up is explained.
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Behind the Scenes:
The chapter highlights the transition from localized disputes (Pediros) to broader national-level political threats.
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TL Notes:
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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