Chapter 142
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The man hiding inside Viscount Gavrett’s mansion—one of the infiltrators—and a soldier named Loga from the Gavrett family, had been acting suspiciously.
They overheard a conversation in the warehouse where the infiltrator had escaped, and from what they heard, they assumed I and my companions were involved.
Based on the flow of the conversation, they thought we were taking a rest. Using that moment, I released hypnotic gas into the room.
The gas was administered slowly, so they wouldn’t notice. Before long, the two of them lost consciousness.
After that, I restrained them, made all three of us invisible, and quietly brought them back to Gavrett mansion. I then reported everything to the Viscount.
The reason I transported them in secret was simple: if the other soldiers found out that Loga was a traitor, they might begin to suspect one another. I needed to avoid that.
Upon hearing my report, the Viscount ordered that both men be confined in the underground prison. There, they would be held until the effects of the hypnotic gas wore off and they woke up.
”…Nnn… Nnn? …Eh?”
Thud! Clang!
Loga stirred in the dim cell. As the fog in his mind lifted, he looked around.
This place was deep inside the underground prison—far in the back. The only other person kept near here was the man who had cursed Lady Alicia. Had he awakened first?
Loga’s body was bare. Shackles bound his neck and wrists to the wall, and heavy weights held down his feet.
Through the iron bars in front of him, the Viscount and I stood silently.
”Good morning, Loga. How are you feeling?” the Viscount asked gently, his face lit softly by candlelight.
But Loga, sensing something was off, quickly began to protest.
”L-Lord Viscount!? W-Why am I here? There must be some mistake!”
The Viscount replied with a quiet mutter.
”A mistake, you say… Is that truly what you think?”
Without another word, I pulled out a device and activated it.
—
> ‘…So, what now?’
>
> ‘No, wasn’t that because the Third Prince liked Alicia? Are you really going to give up on that so easily?’
>
> ‘Shouldn’t someone else go in? I don’t like it either, but… I’d even do it myself if I had to.’
>
> ‘Haa… Honestly, I just wanted to assault Alicia while she couldn’t move.’
—
The voices echoed from the device I’d activated—a magical recorder. These were the exact words spoken during the warehouse surveillance.
As the recording played, the Viscount continued smiling. But behind that calm expression, a chilling pressure of killing intent radiated from him.
When the recording ended, Loga’s composure shattered. He started speaking rapidly, trying to explain.
”T-That’s wrong! I never said that! Koji’s guy must’ve faked it! That’s not my voice!”
The Viscount turned toward me.
”…Is that true?”
In response, I reactivated the device.
—
> ‘That’s wrong! I never said that! Koji’s guy must’ve faked it! That’s not my voice!’
—
The exact words Loga had just spoken played again. He stared, stunned.
”This recorder is a magic item that captures voices as they truly are. It can’t create false statements,” I explained calmly.
”Even so… there’s no proof that voice is mine!” Loga shouted, clearly grasping for any excuse.
”You noticed that, huh… Then look at this.”
I took out another device and activated it. A glowing square appeared on the wall, projecting an image.
It showed the warehouse—the same place where the suspect fled after cursing Alicia. And not long after… Loga appeared in the footage.
The recording had been made just in case other accomplices showed up. The visuals were dark, but still clear enough.
—
”This… This can’t be…”
Loga’s face paled even further in the dim light. I continued without pause.
”Now, watch from here… when I open the door.”
The footage advanced, showing the moment I had opened the door to the room. Inside, Loga and the other man were already slumped at their desks, unconscious.
The image darkened as the camera panned down. I turned off the device.
The Viscount looked at Loga and spoke in a colder tone than before.
”I was surprised, too. Koji possesses items that can record things exactly as they are. But did you notice what else that means?”
”Ah… No, I…”
”We’ve already examined that room. We found clear signs it was used to interfere with the royal family’s marriage negotiations.”
”That’s a lie! There’s no way—”
”No such evidence, you say? Then why do you know what we found?”
”…Haa… Haa…”
The Viscount had caught him. Loga’s breathing turned heavy and uneven, sensing there was no way out.
The Viscount leaned forward slightly, asking again.
”Whose orders were you acting on? If you talk, I might let you go.”
By saying “whose,” the Viscount made it clear—he knew this wasn’t just Loga acting alone. He was trying to force a confession.
”…Ha… ha… I…”
Even with the offer of release, Loga stayed silent. He knew this wasn’t a trap he could simply talk his way out of.
”It seems you weren’t just a hired hand,” I said.
The Viscount nodded in agreement.
”If you were, you’d have offered up the mastermind by now to save yourself.”
So, what now?
I couldn’t threaten to release the other man instead if he talked first. Loga had already seen from the footage that someone else had been captured.
But that other guy was way too dangerous to be used like that. Loga understood that too. He wouldn’t fall for it.
At that moment, the Viscount made a chilling decision.
”Very well. I’ll proceed with the summary execution of both.”
”…Eh!?”
Even I couldn’t hide my surprise.
Loga’s eyes went wide.
He knew, now, that his time was running out.
”Is that alright?”
”I don’t care. Anyway, Alicia’s curse has already begun to spread. Not just within the royal family—if a certain unfavorable marriage proposal reaches the wrong ears, the curse will leak out again. At this point, it might be wiser to give up on making Siera a royal.”
Then Loga raised his voice.
”Wha—! If you release me, I swear I won’t tell anyone about this…!”
”Do you truly believe your real master would listen to that plea? The moment you said those words, you confirmed that the secret’s been exposed. I expect they’ll cut ties with you.”
”U…”
Loga fell silent, overwhelmed by the Viscount’s calm logic.
I turned to the Viscount.
”If that’s the case, shouldn’t we also suspect that the marriage proposals coming here are advantageous to the other side?”
If unfavorable matches were blocked… then perhaps beneficial ones were being pushed through instead.
When I asked, he gave a vague answer.
”Hm? Ah… well, I have my reasons. There’s no issue.”
”I see. If you say so, then I’ll trust it.”
He didn’t seem to be hiding anything in particular.
There may still be noble houses with friendly ties. If so, we could use those connections to our advantage.
Satisfied with that part of the talk, I raised one last concern.
”What about the messengers? From what we’ve seen, only those two we captured were stationed here. But with how delicate this message is… I doubt they’d rely on just outsiders. Someone must’ve been in charge of handling their communication.”
”Let them be. Even if word gets out, they can’t act recklessly if they don’t know how we found them.”
If they can’t figure out how they were exposed, they won’t risk sending new agents, which could give us more chances to gather intel.
Just then, soft footsteps echoed from the side.
Tap, tap… tap.
A figure emerged.
It was Ms. Aeris, her face calm and expressionless, her gaze sharp as ice, locked on Loga.
”Ah… Aeris…”
Loga’s voice was barely a whisper, clearly shaken.
”You have no right to address me without honorifics.”
”Uh…”
Loga froze. He must have realized from her footsteps that she’d been listening to everything.
Aeris turned away from him and looked at me. Her cold demeanor melted into a warm smile as she stepped forward—and wrapped her arms around me.
Cling. Squeeze.
”You can call me whatever you like, darling♡”
”Uh, ah… n-no…”
It might’ve been fine if it were just us, but the Viscount was still here.
I nervously glanced in his direction—expecting a glare. But instead, he was smiling.
Not only that, he was nodding.
Loga blinked in disbelief.
”Huh? Uh, is this really okay?”
The Viscount’s face turned serious.
”It is. I approve of it.”
”Huh!?”
Loga and I both let out surprised voices at the same time.
The Viscount looked to me and spoke gently.
”You’ve done a great deal for this house. A proper reward is in order.”
”I appreciate that, but…”
”I understand you may not be ready for marriage. So I won’t force anything. Consider it when the time is right.”
”What do you mean by… ‘consider’?”
”As I’ve said, neither Aeris nor Siera can accept any marriage proposals for now. That means the matter of the next heir remains unsettled.”
”Well, that’s true, but still…”
”That’s where you come in. Even if you don’t officially marry into the family, I would like you to father the heir—with either one of them, or both.”
”HAaAAHH!?”
Again, my voice and Loga’s echoed together.
To be asked—by their father—to take on such a role…!
Loga turned to glare at me, but the Viscount was quick to stop him.
”This situation is your fault. You have no right to judge Koji.”
”Guh…”
Loga lowered his gaze and kept quiet.
The Viscount turned back to me with a calm tone.
”I’ve heard that he should be resting by now. From this point on, you may spend time with her freely.”
”Eh?”
Wait, how did he know that?
As if reading my thoughts, Aeris—still hugging me—spoke softly.
”I’m the one who told him.”
”Eh? But… why?”
”Because, in the end, you’re the one who broke my curse. And as Father just said, you can’t be offered in marriage anymore. So naturally, the person who did the most this time… is you♡”
”Eh…”
I understood the logic behind it, but even so…
Then, the Viscount added another surprising statement.
”This is only hypothetical, but… if neither daughter can bear children, should we consider Elina?”
”Wait—! No, that’s—!”
Even his wife…!?
I hesitated, unsure if I should even respond. But the Viscount spoke with a straight face.
”I’ve also heard that… age doesn’t matter to you, as long as she’s beautiful. A noble’s duty is to ensure their bloodline continues. You’ve shown the ability to protect this house. The land needs someone capable.”
”So… you mean, for that reason…?”
”Yes. But there’s no need to annul anything. It’s only if no children are born between you and the daughters.”
”Haa… I see…”
It still felt like an extreme reward, but to them—who prize bloodline continuity above all—it probably made sense.
Well… I’ve already crossed lines I never imagined. I don’t need to feel guilty anymore.
Whether or not to have children is my decision. I don’t have to act on it until I choose to.
If a better future comes along before then, I’m free to take it.
So, for now…
”Well then… maybe someday, in the future.”
”Yes.”
In front of Loga, whose face was twisted with resentment, I accepted the Viscount’s offer. Seeing that, he gave a satisfied nod.
And thus, the matter was settled.
Notes:
• Loga – A soldier from the Gavrett family. His appearance is not described, but he is skilled in tracking and stealth. He challenged the main character to a test of strength. His relationship to the main character is professional, and he appears to be working with the mysterious man.
• Siera – Iris name.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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