Chapter 105

Episode 105

Lucia must have known.

She must have known that Baron Roman had declared war on House Walker at the vassal meeting. And yet, she was giving me a mission.

I bowed my head and listened.

“Eliminate Roman von Gerard. That’s the Inspection Unit’s sixth mission.”

So, it was as I had expected.

It wasn’t a difficult mission. I had already planned to use this war as an opportunity to eliminate the rotten root.

But the fact that the order came from Lucia’s mouth had a different meaning.

It wasn’t just about protecting the territory and its people it was about revenge for the Inspection Unit itself.

“Roman disregarded our consideration. He showed no remorse, even after we gave him a chance. Then, we must return to our original goal. Take Roman’s life and bring me his signet ring. Can you do it?”

I interpreted her words as follows:

Baron Roman was Grand Duke Hylix’s closest confidant. And Lady Rosalyn completed their triangle.

Eliminating one of them would weaken their power.

The curtain had officially risen. The Lady had taken her first bold step towards the seat of power.

I remembered what she had said about the sixth mission.

‘She said it would be beneficial for me as well. We definitely need to eliminate Roman before he becomes a bigger threat.’

Hylix had probably given Roman a similar order by now. It was a kill-or-be-killed situation.

Another war had begun.

“As you command, my Lady. But I have a concern. The scribe said the Inspection Unit must remain neutral. If the Walker family matters and the Inspection Unit’s mission overlap, there might be repercussions later.”

The Lucius Inspection Unit’s activity logs were partially public. We had started keeping records since the official mission orders were issued.

Only two people had access to them: Duke Kalisto, the head of House Kalisto, and Scribe Maxim.

In other words, the order the Lady had just given me would be recorded and accessible to those two.

“We can create a justification. Roman’s greed knows no bounds. He broke his promise with us, and he also harbors resentment towards you… We can use the investigation data we haven’t disclosed yet. It’ll be fine.”

I agreed with her.

And with the Lady’s support, there was nothing to worry about.

“I’ll make the necessary preparations. But my Lady, I think it would be best for you to relocate.”

“Because of the war?”

Lucia smiled as she asked. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to move.

“Roman declared an immediate war. It wouldn’t be surprising if enemy troops surrounded our castle right now.”

I told her about the atmosphere at the vassal meeting. How the vassals were divided and irresponsibly throwing out opinions.

“Of course, I don’t think they’ll attack immediately, but it’s still safer for you to be somewhere else.”

“Isn’t it safe here? I believe the Sir O’Brien I know wouldn’t let a single enemy soldier breach the walls.”

“Others might misunderstand and think you’re using yourself as a shield.”

“So what? Use me as a shield. By all means.”

I almost sighed. I could sense that she was teasing me.

I remembered my first meeting with her.

I had been so nervous that I had used “Mind’s Eye” and “Automatic Combat,” mentally calculating the positions of the weapons on the wall.

I had come a long way since then.

“Understood. The castle will be a bit chaotic with the war preparations. I apologize for disturbing your rest. Please bear with us.”

“I’m just a guest. Don’t mind me. I’m the one who asked to stay here. It must be burdensome for you.”

“Not at all. It’s an honor.”

The castle staff felt the same way.

At first, they were intimidated by the precious daughter of Kalisto. But they were all impressed by her kindness and grace, and now, there was even an atmosphere of reverence towards her.

She had a captivating charm. Perhaps she really was the Demon King’s daughter.

“It’s almost dinner time, isn’t it? Shall we eat together?”

“I’ll have it prepared immediately.”

There were several dining rooms in Walker Castle. Seven, to be exact. I heard that Roman, the previous lord, ate in a different dining room every day.

Thanks to him, I had hired enough chefs and assistant cooks to provide delicious meals for everyone in the castle.

The best dining room was reserved for me.

I had dinner with the Lady there. Usually, we would talk about “dance practice” during dessert, but thankfully, she didn’t bring it up today.

“My Lady, I have something to request regarding family matters. I would like to appoint Jericho as the scribe of House Walker.”

“You should handle family matters yourself. Why are you asking me?”

“If I do that, all the Inspection Unit members except Chloe will become members of House Walker. That’s why I’m asking for your permission.”

“I approve his concurrent position.”

“There are many conflicting interests involved. Wouldn’t it be better to consider it further?”

“What’s the problem? It’s my organization.”

I needed Jericho’s help to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. And for that, he needed to become a vassal of House Walker. So, I decided to appoint him as the scribe.

“I’ve taken up too much of your time. Good luck, Sir O’Brien.”

“Please rest well.”

I left the dining room and immediately summoned Jericho and Selendis. I planned to finalize our strategy tonight.

“Jericho, are you on a diet?”

His belly seemed a bit flatter than a few days ago. He slumped into a chair and grumbled.

“Don’t even get me started. They’re dragging me to the excavation site because they’re short-staffed. My pants are loose now. Hassale definitely has a grudge against me.”

“Hahaha. Chloe would be delighted to hear that.”

“How’s she doing?”

“I told her to take a break for now. I’ll call her here after her vacation.”

Since Lucia had said she would be staying here for over a year, I decided to relocate the Inspection Unit headquarters as well.

“We’ll discuss the war later. First, how’s the gold nugget excavation going?”

“We haven’t found any more yet. We’re currently focusing on excavating the ones we’ve already found. Two are stored in the warehouse, and we’re working on the other three. We’re limiting the manpower for security reasons.”

“There’s no need to hide it anymore. Deploy all the trading company staff. You can even hire outside help if necessary.”

I wanted the rumor of our intense excavation efforts to reach Baron Roman. It would drive him mad.

“Did you find any buyers for the gold?”

“I’ve signed contracts with three trading companies that have their own workshops. They can handle all of our supply.”

“Sell it carefully, paying attention to market fluctuations. How’s the equipment enchantment going?”

Jericho sighed in exasperation.

“Sigh… I’m already working overtime every day. I’ve made about fifty sets of weapons and armor…”

“Good work.”

“But Inspector, now that we have a stable source of income, do we really need to make equipment?”

He had a point. It was a business we had started to secure seed money for the trading company. But the situation had changed after Inquisitor Godfrey got involved.

“If it were just about making money, you’d be right. But we also need to consider our relationship with the church. Inquisitor Godfrey will be a valuable ally if any problems arise.”

Jericho was desperate to escape the clutches of overtime.

“Stop staring at me like that. You’ll burn a hole through my face. Hmm, I guess there’s no helping it. We’ll stop the enchantment work until the war is over.”

“Yes!”

“But I have another task for you.”

His joyful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a frown.

“You’ll be working as the scribe of House Walker from now on. Do your best.”

“…Excuse me? What kind of appointment is this? The scribe is an important position. We need to follow the proper procedures!”

“It’s wartime. Don’t you know what martial law is?”

Jericho desperately tried to back out, but it was no use. Selendis sealed his fate.

“I believe he’s a perfect fit for the scribe position. Congratulations, Sir Jericho.”

“Even you, Knight Selendis? Why is there no one on my side in this family?”

“If you want to blame someone, blame your competence.”

Jericho puffed up his chest, looking smug.

“Well, I guess it’s my fault for being so capable. Who can I blame? I’ll do my best since things have turned out this way.”

“I’m thinking of appointing Balzac as the administrator. He’s too talented to be a butler.”

“Do as you please. You’ll do it anyway, even if I object.”

“Are you sulking?”

“Of course! My workload just doubled!”

“But your salary doubled as well. And there’s a lot of overlap in your duties. You’re practically getting paid to slack off.”

Jericho’s face brightened. He hadn’t thought of that. He was such a goofball.

“Alright, let’s discuss the war. Jericho, how’s the logistics situation?”

“We’re in luck. We’ve been stockpiling food since last week, and we have plenty of weapons and armor here. Enough for five hundred men. There’s no problem with supplies.”

We had planned to use the holy water for the anti-monster equipment business. So, we had purchased a large quantity of weapons and armor and stored them in the warehouse.

“We need to sign a contract with the Lucius Trading Company in the name of House Walker. We’ll purchase the weapons and armor at the same price we bought them for.”

“Do we really need to go through all that trouble? You can just requisition them.”

“We’re not just preparing for the war. We also need to consider the aftermath. Many things will change. It’s best to avoid any potential accusations.”

Troops and logistics were the most important factors in a war. We had solved one of them, so we had overcome a major obstacle.

I looked at Knight Selendis and asked, “How’s the knight order?”

“Their training and morale are good, but we’re still short on manpower. We need to issue a conscription order throughout the territory.”

“I’m planning to announce Baron Roman’s declaration of war tomorrow. The reaction will be intense. Gather volunteers before issuing the conscription order.”

“Understood.”

“And we’ll discuss the tactics with Sir Paris when he arrives. Until then, each of you come up with a plan.”

The next day, we announced Baron Roman’s declaration of war.

“That damned bastard! He’s trying to kill us now!”

“Are we just going to stand here and watch? Let’s fight!”

“Let’s go!”

Public sentiment was boiling over.