Chapter 50

## Episode 50:

Finally, the moment had arrived.

I asked, “Who has come?”

“Baron Moros, the Foreign Affairs Officer.”

Jericho had mentioned someone was supposed to come in the afternoon. It seemed this Moros was the one.

But a Foreign Affairs Officer, not the Foreign Minister?

A Foreign Affairs Officer was a position that assisted the Foreign Minister and other diplomats. It was similar to my former role as an assistant in the butler department of House Kalisto.

Sending an assistant instead of the department head suggested that Count Apellai was trying to assert his power.

‘Gaining the upper hand’ wasn’t just a saying. This was likely a power play.

If the internal affairs of the Imperial Family were stable, such a breach of etiquette wouldn’t have occurred. It seemed the situation was more chaotic than we had heard.

‘Count Apellai. You’re more ambitious than I thought.’

Either way, I couldn’t remain passive.

My meeting with Foreign Affairs Officer Moros would be my debut in the capital.

“My Lady, if it’s not too presumptuous, may I meet with him first?”

The Lady gave her permission, and I followed the head butler to the reception room where Baron Moros was waiting.

“What kind of person is Baron Moros?”

“He’s Count Apellai’s assistant. He’s known for being a gentleman, but he’s also very strict. You should be careful not to give him any openings.”

Strong with the weak, weak with the strong. Typical of a central bureaucrat.

When I met him, Baron Moros turned out to be a thin man in his 40s. He had a very sensitive-looking face.

His sharply curved mustache looked like it could draw blood if you touched it.

“Pleased to meet you. I am O’Brien Walker of the Lucius Inspection Unit.”

“O’Brien Walker?”

Moros’s expression changed when he saw me, perhaps expecting to see the beautiful Lady.

I immediately activated ‘Mind’s Eye’.

*Flash!*

I could clearly sense his unwillingness to speak with a mere honorary knight, but with Count Apellai behind him, I needed to be certain.

“Hmm. I am Moros of the Foreign Affairs Department. I heard the Lady had arrived. Why hasn’t she come out?”

His voice was imperious. My prediction was correct.

Personally, I enjoyed dealing with this type. The look on their faces when they realized they had met their match was exhilarating.

I had experienced this many times during my time as an assistant in the butler department.

Of course, it was that attitude that had caught the Lady’s eye, but that didn’t matter now.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the Lady has never left the Kalisto Dukedom before. It was a long journey, and there were some unfortunate incidents along the way. She’s resting due to fatigue.”

“Ah, I heard about the monster attack. But still, shouldn’t she greet a representative from the Foreign Affairs Department? It’s only polite.”

“The Foreign Affairs Department, you say. That’s an interesting point about etiquette.”

“What?”

His expression soured. The head butler looked shocked, but I continued calmly.

“An esteemed guest from House Kalisto has arrived. The Lady, who has never set foot outside the Dukedom, volunteered to come here to meet Prince Arthur. Yet, when we arrived at the checkpoint, there was no one from the Imperial Family or even the Foreign Affairs Department to greet us. This is a clear breach of etiquette.”

“Ahem…”

As expected, he couldn’t respond to my logical argument. He could only stroke his sharp mustache.

“I haven’t reported this breach of etiquette to the Duke yet. Do you know why I, as a loyal servant,I haven’t done so?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“It’s because the Lady understood and forgave it. I was about to send a messenger, but Lady Lucia personally instructed me to only inform the Duke that we had arrived safely.”

I wondered if I had activated ‘Mind’s Eye’ unnecessarily.

Without a response from him, it was difficult to determine the truth.

“If you truly welcome our visit, please inform the head of the Foreign Affairs Department. Tell him to follow proper protocol.”

“There’s a misunderstanding. The Foreign Minister has recently fallen ill and is recuperating. That’s why I came instead.”

His eyes turned black. Even without ‘Mind’s Eye’, I almost laughed at such an unimaginative excuse.

“So, am I to understand that you, Baron Moros, are second in command after the Foreign Minister?”

“No, that’s not… I’m just Count Apellai’s assistant-“

“House Kalisto has been loyal to the Empire since its founding. I’m concerned about how the Duke might react if he hears about this.”

He should understand by now.

As expected, Moros, looking uncomfortable, bowed his head slightly.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding. I seem to have created a situation ripe for misinterpretation. I will report this to the Foreign Minister immediately.”

Another lie.

It seemed that politicians everywhere had lying as a passive skill.

“If you have nothing more to say, perhaps it’s time for you to leave?”

“I understand. I apologize for the intrusion.”

I had easily dismissed the notoriously arrogant Baron Moros.

The head butler, who had seen me off, was sweating profusely.

“Inspector, wasn’t that a bit too harsh? My heart nearly stopped…”

“We must remember that we serve the Duke. Even for a central bureaucrat, this was too much.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“I won’t tolerate anything that damages the family’s honor. If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”

Putting on this righteous act made the head butler wave his hands in panic.

Ah, I hadn’t turned off ‘Mind’s Eye’ yet.

But seeing the head butler’s eyes shining white, it seemed he was genuinely impressed.

“Not at all! To be honest, it was quite satisfying. I wouldn’t have had the courage to say that… Well done.”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

As I left the reception room, I found someone waiting for me. It was three familiar faces, knights from the Azure Dragon Order.

I remembered them fighting bravely during the monster attack.

“Do you need something from me?”

“Inspector, we’ve been waiting to speak with you. We’d like your permission to duel with Lady Selendis.”

Why were they asking me for permission?

“Shouldn’t you be asking Selendis herself?”

“Actually, we’ve been requesting a duel since we were at the Caribe villa, but she’s been refusing, citing Inspection Unit duties. Now that the mission is over, we asked again, but she said she would only do it with your permission.”

“I see.”

I couldn’t help but smile. She was too strict about separating work and personal matters.

“Let me ask you this: why do you want to duel with Selendis?”

“Please don’t misunderstand. We’ve heard that Lady Selendis is at least an intermediate-level knight, with a unique fighting style. We wanted to confirm if that’s true.”

“So, you’re saying you’re intermediate-level knights yourselves?”

“That’s correct.”

Knights’ competitive spirit was admirable, especially in elite groups. It was a form of friendly rivalry.

“If you have any ulterior motives towards Selendis, I’ll refuse. But if you genuinely want to test your skills, I’ll allow it.”

“We have no such intentions. Thank you for your permission, Inspector!”

“I’ll inform Selendis. Be ready at the training ground tomorrow morning.”

After dismissing the knights, I entered the office assigned to the Inspection Unit members. Jericho and Selendis were sorting through documents.

Various types of paper were scattered about.

Different regions used different types of paper. This meant that the documents they were sorting had come from all over the continent.

I was once again impressed by Jericho’s information network.

“You’re all working already? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“There’s no time to rest. Information is pouring in from everywhere. This is our busiest time.”

“I suppose so. We are in the capital, after all.”

“If only we could find something useful. So far, it’s been a wild goose chase.”

“Don’t be too impatient. We still have time.”

I felt a sense of dissonance and looked around. My eyes fell on Selendis. The source of the dissonance was her attire. She was wearing a neat dress instead of her armor.

Come to think of it, she had been wearing dresses more often since we started dance practice.

As an Inspection Unit member first and a knight second, there were no strict dress codes. If anything, we were supposed to blend in.

“Did someone tell you it suits you?”

“Pardon?”

“The dress.”

Selendis looked slightly surprised and averted her gaze. Jericho chuckled and added,

“Didn’t you hear? The maids at the Caribe villa were going crazy over it. They said the dress suited her much better than armor. They even called her a noblewoman. That’s why I suggested she wear dresses in the capital. It’s better for Inspection Unit activities. Information gathering is our priority right now.”

“Is that so? No wonder. The Lady mentioned something about you teaching me to dance.”

Selendis’s expression stiffened at my words. She looked tense.

“Don’t worry, she didn’t say anything negative. Instead, she said she’d teach me herself from now on. You won’t have to struggle anymore.”

“I didn’t consider it a struggle.”

“You look disappointed. Is that it?”

“Not at all.”

Selendis replied formally. She did seem disappointed.

“That’s great news. Since the goal is to dance with the Lady at the Imperial banquet, it’s even better if she’s your practice partner. But I’m surprised. I didn’t expect the Lady to offer this herself.”

“I was a bit surprised too.”

“Do you think she knows about our plan?”

“I didn’t tell her, but she might have guessed. I should remind you of your duties as an adjutant. An adjutant’s mission is to understand their superior’s intentions and act discreetly. Remember that.”

I almost forgot why I had come here. I closed the door again and turned back.

“Selendis, the Azure Dragon Knights asked me earlier. They want to duel with you.”

“I didn’t think they’d actually ask for your permission. I was going to refuse them outright. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

“I think it’s important to interact with other knights. The Inspection Unit’s duties are vast, and we never know when we might need their help. I’ve given permission, so prepare yourself.”

“Understood.”

The evening sun was setting.

I returned to my room and sat down to rest, but someone knocked on the door, interrupting me.

The person who entered was none other than Lady Lucia.

“It’s time to dance, Sir Aubrey.”

She was wearing a dazzlingly beautiful dress.