Chapter 155

Episode 155

Our journey was smooth.

Romero, the second son of House Kalisto, had truly cleaned up the territory.

“Wow, there’s not a single monster in sight. They’ve all disappeared. It feels like we’re in a different world.”

Selendis responded to Jericho’s casual remark, “The emergency order for the Azure Dragon Knights has finally been lifted. I heard they conducted numerous subjugation operations during that time.”

“He’s definitely trying to seize the opportunity. Come to think of it, Prince Romero is quite similar to Prince Hylix. I don’t know how he held back all this time.”

It was only natural.

The succession race for House Kalisto had begun. The candidates had been narrowed down to Romero and Lucia.

In this situation, Romero held an organization that the Lady didn’t have.

The knight order.

It was a well-known fact, even among commoners, that the one who controlled the organization that formed the foundation of every noble family would become the next head.

Of course, there was a variable. The Lucius Inspection Unit, which had gained power comparable to the Kalisto Knights.

The Inspection Unit had made achievements through its secret missions.

And my presence added weight to the equation. I was the “Magic Swordsman” who could freely wield both sword and magic, and I had been appointed as the “Plenipotentiary.”

Gamblers betting on the Kalisto succession would probably have placed their bets at 50/50.

I intended to make it 100/0 in this opportunity.

“What’s Oracle up to these days? It’s been quiet.”

“Our informants are checking daily, but she hasn’t left her mansion. Only occasional visitors and messengers, that’s all.”

“Messengers? Sent by the branch families?”

“We couldn’t confirm for sure. It seems they’re using intermediaries to obscure the contents.”

Oracle, Prince Hylix’s strategist, wasn’t an easy opponent. She wouldn’t make careless mistakes.

Moreover, she held the dangerous belief that branch families should also have opportunities.

I didn’t think she would become a major obstacle, but only time would tell.

“My lord, we’ll be arriving at Marsha Village soon.”

A knight reported. The village came into view.

It was a fairly large village, so there were accommodations for nobles.

I approached the carriage and knocked. The curtain opened, and Lady Sapiella looked at me with a gentle expression, as if inviting me to speak.

“My Lady, you must be exhausted from the long journey. We’ll be arriving at the village soon, so please bear with us for a little longer.”

“I’m fine. But I feel bad seeing so many people working hard because of me, especially in this hot weather…”

“Not at all. Everyone considers it an honor to serve you, my Lady.”

Soon, we entered the village. This was Milbread Viscounty, located about halfway between Kalisto’s main castle and House Arcnest.

The village was in a state of emergency upon hearing that the Lady of Arcnest was staying there, accompanied by the Lucius Inspection Unit.

It was a testament to the Inspection Unit’s rising status.

We prepared accommodations for Sapiella in a small mansion. The plan was to rest for the day and depart the next afternoon.

“My Lady, please don’t hesitate to inform us if there’s anything you need. We’ll take our leave.”

We bowed and left.

There was still time before dinner, so we sat down and enjoyed the sunset.

“It seems like we’ve been having a lot of good fortune lately. Things are going well in the territory, and the Inspection Unit is running smoothly. Especially catching that bastard Arthur, that was exhilarating!”

Jericho’s rambling began. He sometimes started talking to himself like this.

“But on the other hand, I sometimes think about the day we first met, in the secret hideout. I miss those days.”

“Why are you suddenly getting sentimental?”

“It’s just that everything we’re doing lately is so important that it makes me think about the past. I felt more at ease when we were raiding House Gerard or fighting that corrupted butler in Cliff.”

I understood what he meant. It was a side effect of the Inspection Unit’s excessive power.

There was a surefire cure for that.

“So you want to go back to the old days? I can demote you anytime you want.”

“Oh, come on, don’t say such scary things! I’m happy now. Even escorting Lady Sapiella like this feels like a dream.”

“If you like her, express your feelings. Nothing will happen if you just watch from afar. Don’t you know the saying, ‘You can know the depth of ten rivers, but you can’t know the heart of one person’?”

“Uh… Was I that obvious?”

“Where I come from, we call people like you ‘smart fools.'”

Selendis and I laughed. Jericho’s face turned redder than the sunset, embarrassed.

“Ahem, but Lady Sapiella comes from a noble family. She’s like a blank canvas. I’m worried I might taint her if I get too close.”

Jericho had many opportunities to talk to Lady Sapiella alone, but he never did. He only did what was required of him as an Inspection Unit member.

If it were me, I would have used the opportunity to build rapport by discussing art.

It would be so much easier if pursuing romance were like fighting demons.

At that moment, the mansion’s front door opened, and Lady Sapiella came out. She was carrying a canvas and a lot of art supplies.

I nudged Jericho.

“Nothing will happen if you don’t act. Don’t miss this opportunity.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Have you already forgotten that I danced with the Lady in the capital? You do what your superiors tell you to do.”

Jericho cautiously approached Sapiella. He scratched the back of his head, said something, and took all her luggage.

Their awkward conversation somehow brought a smile to my face.

They stopped walking at a gentle hill overlooking a river. The sunset over the hill was a breathtaking sight, perfect for capturing in a painting.

Jericho set up the easel and placed the white canvas on it. A maid who accompanied them placed a chair and held an umbrella over it.

The seamless flow of these actions showed how much Sapiella loved painting.

She was no amateur.

“What do you think?”

“I think Sir Jericho should be more confident. In terms of status, you also come from a long-standing family.”

“I agree. If you have time, help him out.”

“Understood.”

I was about to get up, but I stopped when I noticed Selendis staring at me. Realizing her gaze, she bowed her head.

“I apologize, my lord. I’ve kept you for too long.”

“What’s there to be busy about? Jericho is doing all our work. Let’s relax for a change.”

I sat next to Selendis and watched the sunset.

Just then, a large hawk flew overhead. I immediately recognized who sent it.

‘It seems something has been decided in the Imperial Family.’

It was the hawk Princess Beatrice kept. We had exchanged messages a few times while dealing with Arthur.

I extended my arm for the hawk to land.

Thankfully, Selendis untied the message tube and handed me the note inside.

“It seems things are proceeding as we expected. Arthur has been expelled from the Imperial Family, and the Magic Tower has closed its doors. Prince Karma said he’ll summon me soon.”

“It seems there wasn’t much resistance from the Magic Tower.”

“Well, I doubt they stayed silent. After all, two court magicians were involved. Selendis, if you don’t mind, please prepare a short reply.”

Selendis immediately brought writing tools and a small piece of paper. I had sent a messenger before departing, but I needed to inform Beatrice as well.

I wrote that my destination was House Arcnest and that I would head to the capital immediately after completing the mission there. Then I released the hawk into the sky.

“Inspector, dinner is ready.”

The mansion’s caretaker delivered the welcome news. We stood up.

“Shouldn’t we call the Lady as well?”

At Selendis’s question, I glanced at where the two were.

The Lady was focused on sketching, and Jericho was completely engrossed in watching her.

“It’s best not to disturb them now. Let’s eat first.”

A week later, we arrived at our destination, the mansion of House Arcnest.

Perhaps because it was close to the capital, the atmosphere was lively. There were many merchants, but there were even more armed adventurers.

‘It’s amazing how public order is maintained with so many of them around.’

House Arcnest had a unique business strategy.

While most families established trading companies and made money through commerce, they supported adventurers and explored dungeons and ruins.

Naturally, most of their investments resulted in losses.

But if they discovered even a single artifact, they could earn a fortune.

Moreover, they ran an adventurer’s guild and managed a famous mercenary corps.

I had heard that their profits were substantial, and seeing this thriving city, I could truly grasp the scale of their operations.

‘I’m curious about what kind of person he is. Most nobles would be busy playing with money.’

The head of House Arcnest was building wealth and fame in a completely different way.

It was like “value investing” in my previous world.

At that moment, a group of people approached us.

The middle-aged man at the front resembled the portrait Jericho had shown me. He had a generous double chin and belly. His name was Mikhail, the head of House Arcnest.

I immediately dismounted.

Thankfully, Mikhail also dismounted and greeted me.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Viscount. I am O’Brien of House Walker, an Inspector from the Lucius Inspection Unit. It’s a privilege to meet you.”

“Hahaha! The pleasure is all mine! To meet all the heroes of House Kalisto in one place, this is truly amazing!”

“Heroes? You flatter us.”

Mikhail shook his head vigorously.

“Flatter you? I heard you made a great contribution this time. And I also heard that His Grace appointed you as the plenipotentiary. I’m honored. Hahaha!”

It seemed like I would be eating and drinking to my heart’s content today.

Under Mikhail’s guidance, we entered the mansion of House Arcnest. The viscount explained that they didn’t have a separate castle and lived in the mansion.

“When I heard you were coming with Ella, I thought I was dreaming. I really wanted to meet you! Please enjoy yourselves tonight and share your stories. I’ll treat you well!”

Even though we were meeting for the first time, he didn’t need to use honorifics as a viscount, but he seemed to be paying attention to his words and actions.

I wasn’t going to take this hospitality for granted. You never knew when or where someone might be plotting, so I had to stick to the manual.

A grand banquet was held that night.

Mikhail introduced Sapiella and his other children. He had a lot of children. Ten, to be exact.

Sapiella was the youngest and his only daughter. It seemed she was the apple of his eye.

I suddenly noticed that she had a lot in common with Lady Lucia.

‘Could it be… No way, right?’

Fortunately or unfortunately, Plione, the protagonist of , didn’t have any sisters.

‘At this point, shouldn’t there be a spin-off?’

I should ask Mr. Sommelier when I returned from the mission.

There might be side stories or spin-offs I didn’t know about.