Chapter 119

Episode 119

The timing was impeccable.

I already had a lot on my plate with the territorial war and everything else, and now Arthur’s issue had surfaced.

Of course, I had sown the seeds, so I would have to reap what I had sown eventually. But I only had one body, and it felt like I had too many things to worry about.

I decided to listen to her story before making any decisions.

“You said you think he learned magic, not that he definitely learned it. That’s a bit vague. Do you have any clues?”

“I mentioned this before. I suspect the court mage, Muon, is involved. Do you remember?”

“Of course.”

Muon was the youngest and most promising of the three court mages. He was so talented that he could sense and manifest mana from birth.

Beatrice had told me that Muon frequently visited Prince Arthur’s residence.

So, I had planted spies in the Imperial Palace to monitor the situation, and Jericho was also gathering information through his contacts in the Mage Tower.

“Muon doesn’t visit my brother’s residence anymore. It means whatever he was preparing is complete.”

“That’s not enough evidence.”

“But the most crucial point is that Arthur has changed. He used to be rebellious from head to toe, but now he’s completely docile. Can you imagine? Even when he gets angry, it feels unnatural…”

Her story gave me a hunch about what was going on.

“A body double?”

Beatrice nodded silently.

“When I first heard about it, I went to the capital to see for myself. It wasn’t just a change in personality it felt like a completely different person. It’s definitely not the brother I’ve known for so long.”

“It’s not impossible.”

“That’s why I concluded that he learned magic. There’s no other explanation.”

I had worn a human skin mask that Jericho had made during a previous mission.

If the body double had a similar physique and wore a high-quality mask, it would be difficult to tell them apart.

A swordmaster-level knight or a mage might notice subtle differences, but unfortunately, Prince Arthur could no longer wield a sword. People might assume that the trauma from that incident had changed his personality.

‘Something definitely happened. And if they used a body double, it means the prince isn’t in the Imperial Palace right now.’

Thinking from Arthur’s perspective, the answer was obvious.

‘He’s planning to kill me.’

He had never been interested in marrying Lady Lucia. But he wouldn’t easily forget the humiliation of having his hands cut off and being publicly disgraced.

“Aubrey, how many informants have you planted?”

“I’ve been sending people diligently, but there’s a limit. Both the Imperial Palace and the Mage Tower are highly secretive.”

“I’ll help you. I can at least provide accurate information about what’s happening inside the Imperial Palace.”

“I don’t want to drag you into this dangerous situation.”

“It’s not just your problem, Aubrey. If Arthur is really plotting revenge against you, it’ll damage the Imperial Family’s reputation. It’ll also weaken their justification for regulating magic.”

Beatrice’s expression was serious.

It was indeed a problem that he had learned magic for personal revenge. It would be a different story if he had registered as a mage and joined the Mage Tower. But his whereabouts were unknown.

A thought crossed my mind.

‘He might be watching me from somewhere nearby.’

But the negative thought didn’t linger. A more positive idea struck me.

‘No, this could be an opportunity. I should hope that Arthur attacks me.’

I suppressed a smile.

As I had mentioned to Duke Kalisto before, I was planning a “magic revolution.” I wanted to create an environment where magic could be used freely, without the current strict regulations.

The reason why such absurd regulations were possible was because of the Empire’s overwhelming power.

More specifically, the power of the Emperor and the Imperial Family.

‘But if Arthur, a member of the Imperial Family, causes trouble with magic…’

The nobles, who were already dissatisfied with the regulations, would start voicing their opinions. They would demand that the restrictions on magic be eased.

If influential figures like Duke Kalisto joined the movement, they could pressure the Imperial Family to make the Mage Tower a neutral organization and grant freedom to mages.

Of course, if magic were just a tool for combat, I would have thought differently.

But magic had limitless potential.

Just like ancient civilizations, we could use magic to create golems and servants, accelerating the development of our territory.

And that wasn’t all. We could use magic to illuminate the night like day.

The conveniences that were only available in the capital could spread throughout the Empire.

It might seem like a good thing for everyone, but for me, it was an opportunity to introduce more advanced technology.

‘I’m the only transmigrator and modern person in this world.’

As long as I had the knowledge of all the technological advancements since the Industrial Revolution, my family and I could be several times, or even dozens of times, ahead of other families.

‘This is a good opportunity to accelerate my plans.’

I reached the same conclusion once again. I decided not to miss this chance.

“Alright. What’s your plan?”

“I’m going back to the capital. I’m going to expose the imposter in my brother’s residence. That way, Arthur will find out.”

“There’s no need to do that.”

“Why?”

It was better for me if he remained in the dark. But Beatrice wouldn’t understand.

“It’s more important to investigate the people behind this. As I said before, my information network has limitations when it comes to the Imperial Palace and the Mage Tower. Focus on Count Apellai, Arthur’s guardian, and Muon, the court mage.”

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

Beatrice blew a whistle. A hawk circled in the sky, then slowly descended and landed on her arm.

“This is my new messenger hawk. I’ll let it smell you for a bit.”

“Go ahead.”

The hawk flapped its wings and circled around me. Then, it landed back on the princess’s arm.

“I’ll send you information through this hawk. It’s too risky to use messengers. If you have anything to tell me, just send a reply through this bird.”

“I have a more reliable method.”

I blew my whistle.

Thunder swiftly flew down and landed on my arm. He was much faster and more agile than Beatrice’s hawk.

“Use my messenger hawk if you need to send a message first. He’s smart and will remember you.”

I extended my arm, and Thunder flew over to Beatrice, sniffing her. He quickly returned to my arm, seemingly satisfied.

Beatrice’s hawk and Thunder stared at each other.

Then, Thunder flew onto the princess’s arm. They nudged each other with their beaks a few times, then settled down.

“It seems like they’ve become friends.”

Beatrice smiled brightly. I didn’t deny it.

“Beatrice, one last favor. I need you to find out how Arthur learned magic. If he used a dangerous method, like a ritual or an experiment, there might be other victims.”

“Do you really think… something like that happened?”

“As far as I know, Arthur never showed any talent for magic. I’ve reviewed all the records from his childhood to the present. Doesn’t it seem strange that he suddenly learned magic, and so quickly? I don’t think so.”

I had been able to learn magic easily because of my transmigrator perk. As Jericho had said, magic wasn’t something anyone could learn.

“Find out what Muon and his followers are researching. There must be something going on. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Alright. I’ll do my best.”

“Be careful.”

We said our goodbyes and galloped towards our respective destinations.

***

I returned to the Walker territory.

Something was different. A group of merchants, led by Hassale, had gathered in the outer castle courtyard.

The knights recognized me and were about to salute, but I gestured for them to be silent. I wanted to observe the situation.

“This is outrageous! We didn’t come all the way here to spend a measly two hundred thousand gold!”

“Release more gold!”

“Don’t you know that gold is extremely scarce in the eastern continent right now? If you don’t sell it now, the price might drop later!”

Merchants from various regions were urging Hassale. But his expression remained unchanged.

“A measly two hundred thousand gold,” they said.

It was an amount that would make ordinary people faint. They were dressed in fine silk, so they seemed to be from wealthy trading companies.

Balzac, my loyal head butler and administrator, approached me and reported, “The man on the left is the manager of the Alterac Trading Company. The one in the middle is the manager of the Smith Trading Company. And the man on the right is the head of the Neville Trading Company.”

“They’re all eager, aren’t they?”

“Manager Hassale is quite skilled. He’s been keeping them on edge for days.”

I smiled with satisfaction and continued to observe.

Hassale, after listening to their complaints, cleared his throat and interrupted them.

“We’re looking for reliable trading partners who can do business with us in the long term. Increasing the quantity isn’t our priority. We’ll be observing how you utilize our gold.”

“You’re saying you’ll just watch even if the price of gold drops? This is frustrating!”

“Didn’t I tell you? Securing trustworthy partners is our priority. Gold trading is just a part of our business. House Walker has many other projects in the works, so please return for now.”

The merchants finally left. The courtyard was filled with boxes of gold coins they had brought.

“Good work.”

“Welcome back, my lord.”

I touched the gold coins in the boxes. It was an amount that would make ordinary people go crazy, but Hassale treated it like stones.

I filled an empty pouch that Balzac had given me with gold coins and handed it to Hassale.

“Take this.”

“You want me to put it in the vault?”

“No, this is for you.”

Hassale took the pouch with a puzzled expression. I explained, “You’ll need funds. To reclaim the trading company that your uncle stole from you. I hope this helps.”

“But… that’s a personal matter.”

“It’s my job to create a comfortable working environment for you.”

I had spoken to Selendis on the terrace a while ago. She was also thinking about revenge.

If even the loyal Selendis had such thoughts, I imagined Hassale’s desire for revenge would be even stronger.

And my assumption was correct.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

“Of course, this isn’t a privilege exclusive to you. Everyone who serves me faithfully will receive the same treatment. Let me know if you need my help.”

It might seem like I was just giving away money.

But it was ultimately for my own benefit. You couldn’t reap what you didn’t sow.

Still, I needed more talent.