Ch.87Kanpf’s Raid #4

To train someone with strong obsessive tendencies, one must skillfully use both carrot and stick.

And I believe that mental fortitude is the most important factor in effectively utilizing those carrots and sticks.

From the moment I was born into this world until now, that belief has remained unchanged, and despite various incidents, the current peace without extreme ruin seemed to prove it.

Simply not being intimidated or trembling with fear when confronted with unusual madness was already half the battle won.

Once you become intimidated and start harboring fear, you unconsciously begin to distance yourself, and when that happens, it’s over.

That was the principle I had established for myself.

“You still haven’t caught that suspicious someone, have you?”

Following that principle, I was in the process of training two women today as well.

When I first started handling Helena in the direction I wanted, and even until quite recently, there were times when I wondered if this approach was really appropriate.

Now, those feelings had been greatly diluted, so I felt little hesitation about the situation.

“No. I secretly ordered soldiers to patrol more carefully, but there’s been no result. Maybe because it was done secretly?”

Helena, who was resting her head on my thigh, sighed as she turned her face inward.

With Helena on my left and Ellen on my right, my legs were slightly numb, but it was bearable.

The bed firmly supported my backside, so not much weight was concentrated there.

“If the culprit remains uncaught like this, will we have to conduct a large-scale search?”

“That situation might come, but I’m acting this way because I’m afraid they might get scared and run away. Besides, if we were to search extensively to catch them, it would cause a big commotion since focusing all our efforts at once would be more effective.”

The situation continued with Ellen asking and Helena answering.

I was caught in the middle, simply remaining silent while stroking the hair of both women.

On the night of that duel that crossed the line, I had been keeping up with the situation through these two.

I just found it awkward to interject, and I didn’t see the need to, so I was just observing.

Both Helena and Ellen are quite capable women.

Occasionally, their intelligence drops to a childlike level, but that doesn’t mean they’re incompetent.

Their sharp competence might be as dangerous as incompetence, but fortunately, it was at a controllable level.

“But… what’s the purpose of those spies? Are they after the valuable treasures in the mansion? Or people?”

As I was quietly listening, I unconsciously voiced a question that had been on my mind.

There are many important figures in this mansion.

While there wouldn’t be unimportant people in the mansion of a noble who rules a territory, I thought I could somewhat deduce their intentions depending on who they were targeting.

“Sorry. I don’t know either. It’s too complicated to dig into the fundamental reason. There are no clues.”

“That’s right. Even if we know someone was watching, we can’t know their motives. If we could just find out who was watching, things would be easier to solve, but we don’t even know that.”

All we know now is the single act that there was a watchful eye.

It was no exaggeration to say we knew virtually nothing.

Helena and Ellen seemed to be sighing because they knew this well.

As a result, I was feeling quite frustrated too, but it was clearly less than what these two women were feeling.

Thanks to my steel mentality, I only felt a slight sense of frustration.

I pondered how to address this frustrating situation and then spoke up.

Hoping that talking about anything might make things a bit better.

“…Anyway, is it certain that there was surveillance? Not just imagination?”

“Imagination? That possibility can’t be completely ruled out, but… I think it’s unlikely. It’s embarrassing to sound arrogant, but I am a Master after all, and Ellen isn’t just any ordinary elf, right?”

That’s not just a saying, but actually true.

I know well how sharp the senses of a Master and an elf who has made a dramatic leap by obtaining a legacy are.

“Right. So it’s certain there was a gaze, and that gaze was felt from quite far away?”

“Yes. It far exceeded the level of an ordinary person. Even an Expert probably couldn’t do it. A human who has reached Master level might be capable, but we don’t have any connections with Masters.”

They haven’t even seen the faces of such individuals to begin with.

Among them, some are only known through rumors, and others don’t appear in public.

There were only about two Sword Masters like Helena who openly operated.

Unless Helena had started a war and swept across the continent, which she hadn’t.

Though she did cause some trouble, it was all within the kingdom.

In the end, it didn’t seem likely that a Master or someone of comparable strength would come all the way here just to scout.

“So does that mean the culprit is someone who isn’t that advanced in skill but can hide their presence and has eyes capable of seeing the mansion from afar?”

I wonder if such a perfectly matching person exists, and I see contradictions in my own words.

Would it make sense for a person of not-so-advanced skill to be able to hide their presence or possess physical abilities beyond normal limits?

As I involuntarily let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity, the expressions of the two women became strangely somber.

It wasn’t a look of frustration, disappointment, or the strain of a difficult situation.

It was the look of being deeply immersed in something.

I couldn’t quite grasp it, but did they have some insight?

With a premonition that an answer might soon emerge, I closed my mouth and momentarily stopped the gesture of stroking their hair.

The oppressive silence seemed to weigh heavily on my chest.

With a jolt, Helena and Ellen simultaneously sat up as if their minds were connected, and then looked at each other as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“What species naturally have good senses? Especially eyes.”

“Beast-folk. And elves are typical examples.”

“Then assuming either of them as the spy…”

As Helena opened the conversation, Ellen smoothly picked it up.

Once the floodgates opened, the well of words seemed endless.

They took turns asking and answering questions multiple times.

Beast-folk, though forming a united nation, have distinct tribal characteristics.

It’s a political form easily understood by imagining the United States.

Elves are similar, but with the significant difference of not having a leader.

Instead of a leader, they have a system called the Grand Council, where village chiefs around thirty years of age gather to decide important matters.

In some ways, it could be close to a republic.

“Beast-folk have too strong individual personalities, and above all, there’s no connection. Sometimes a few beast-folk venture into human territories as mercenaries, but their numbers are few.”

“So you’re saying elves are more likely? What’s your opinion, Duke?”

“I think so too. The hypothesis that elves sent scouts rather than beast-folk makes much more sense to me.”

Their opinions were converging on the theory that elves had sent the spy.

As I listened quietly, it seemed very plausible, and I found myself nodding unconsciously.

There was nothing to refute, nor any reason to do so.

“The cause?”

“They probably sent scouts after realizing I had obtained a legacy. They must have been restless, especially since it wasn’t just any elf, but a dark elf living in the human world.”

Ellen chuckled with a bitter smile, muttering that it was typical of their arrogant nature.

A legacy.

I couldn’t deny that Ellen, having obtained it, could be a potential threat, but it was hard to believe they would deliberately stir up trouble like poking a hornet’s nest.

Natural disasters are phenomena that cannot be prevented.

Even if they come, only attempting to minimize the damage is permitted to humans, or elves.

Usually, one just prays they don’t come at all.

Even if that disaster could think.

“Good. We’ve narrowed down the hypothesis this far, so we need to verify it through testing. But…”

“It’s necessary. Don’t worry about me. Even if I can’t fight back, I should at least be able to escape.”

I had a rough idea of what kind of verification Helena was talking about.

She probably intended to deliberately show a gap, not too obvious, to induce the opponent’s action.

In essence, it was like casting bait and fishing.

I thought this idea was excellent, so I nodded and said that I could take care of myself, though it might look unseemly.

Even if they were elves, they probably weren’t as advanced as Ellen is now, and at best, they might be at the level of the other dark elf mercenaries, including Olivia.

However, thinking this way didn’t mean I was underestimating them.

I couldn’t.

These were women I might lose to in one-on-one combat, let alone if there were several of them.

But I was confident I could escape. Especially within the Duke’s territory.

Even if the spies or scouts had thoroughly investigated the local geography, it was still unfamiliar territory to them.

And even if they knew it well, in urgent situations like a chase, verification would take a bit more time.

The saying that even a mutt has an advantage on its own turf isn’t for nothing.

“I apologize. Right after obtaining the legacy, I should have immediately wiped out the village…”

Ellen muttered these terrifyingly brutal words with wild eyes.

From Ellen’s perspective, they might be less than strangers, but the thought of annihilating them seemed excessive.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down.”

I placed my hand on Ellen’s shoulder to soothe her intense hostility.

Thanks to that, light returned to her abyss-like eyes, and the sharp atmosphere softened.

“Ellen’s matters are our matters too. So instead of feeling sorry, let’s calmly work to resolve this.”

“Ah, Grand Duke…!”

Eyes filled with light beyond loyalty, bordering on fanaticism, and a face immersed in ecstasy.

I smiled wryly at that still-burdensome sight.

Since it wasn’t a recent development, I wondered if I had reached a state of acceptance.

◎◎◎

From the day after establishing our plan, the so-called “bait operation” was put into action.

First, as usual, the three of us toured the territory and listened to the stories of the people we met.

Not pretending to listen, but genuinely paying attention, and even recording potential issues. Killing two birds with one stone by also trying to catch the spy.

Usually, few people pour out everything they want to say when facing a noble, let alone a duke, the highest nobility except for the king.

It’s due to fear from the difference in status and fear of being crushed by that power.

But Helena had a good reputation because she was kind and treated people sincerely.

So the people she met were quite open about their inner thoughts.

Even so, they seemed to maintain a certain line because nobles were nobles after all.

Helena’s madness was also a well-known factor.

Thus, on the first day, we naturally couldn’t sense any approaching presence. It was expected since all three of us were together.

On the second day, Helena went out alone from the mansion and toured the territory.

Unlike the previous day, she didn’t attract attention by riding a horse or carriage, and she appeared here and there to check on public sentiment.

Like yesterday, not just pretending to check, but really doing so.

As expected, the suspected elf spy didn’t appear, so the second day also passed peacefully without incident.

The next day, Ellen and I toured the territory.

I thought there might be some reaction since we were more tempting targets than Helena, but they seemed unexpectedly cautious, as not even the slightest movement was felt.

I couldn’t tell myself, but Ellen said so, so it must be true.

On the fourth day.

Ellen, who was presumed to be their target, left the mansion alone.

Originally, she had come to the Krauser duchy on the condition of receiving land, so it was perfectly natural for her to visit that land.

In the process, or before executing the plan, we had considered using dark elves.

It seemed they could catch the spy much more easily if they moved.

But in the end, we changed our minds for a very simple reason.

If dark elves who had been quietly farming suddenly showed unusual behavior, it would look suspiciously out of character.

On the fourth day, there was no significant harvest either, and finally, on the fifth day.

Ellen was my escort, so like the third day, we left the mansion together but parted ways midway to go our separate paths.

As planned, without awkwardness.

“My, you’ve been coming out often lately. Is something the matter?”

“Haha, nothing special. Harvest time is coming soon, and after that, the weather will turn cold, so I’m checking things in advance. Don’t worry too much; it’s peaceful both inside and outside.”

Like a politician visiting a traditional market during election season, I toured markets and farmlands, greeting people cheerfully.

Though I only occasionally inspected the sites due to being busy with paperwork, I had gained considerable public support by visiting even that much.

It was something I was proud of, though it’s embarrassing to say so myself.

Farmlands are basically in secluded areas, sometimes separated from densely populated residential zones.

Thus, I naturally found myself in a deserted area. As a result,

“You’ve come.”

I could feel the air stirring in a way it never had before.