Chapter 67

Episode 67

“Well, well, if it isn’t Inspector O’Brien. What brings you here at this late hour?”

Darius looked genuinely surprised. But upon seeing the bottle of wine in my hand, a grin spread across his face.

“Come in, come in. I was just about to have a drink myself.”

The first hurdle was cleared.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed Darius if he had turned me away. After all, Selendis had dueled with the Azure Dragon Knights.

She had faced three of them simultaneously and overwhelmed them with her superior skills.

Tales of her prowess must have already reached the Kalisto Dukedom, not to mention the capital. Sir Romero, the captain, would surely be reprimanded.

But the decisive factor wasn’t their defeat in the duel.

After the duel, Darius challenged me to a one-on-one match. He wanted to restore his subordinates’ wounded pride.

I declined his challenge.

To be honest, I was confident I would win, and I didn’t want to insult him by intentionally losing.

Since then, there had been a slight awkwardness between us.

“Thank you for welcoming me, even though I came unannounced.”

“What are you talking about? I thought we became quite close during this mission. Hahaha.”

“I felt bad about refusing your duel request.”

“Ah, that? I’m actually relieved you declined. I was letting my emotions get the better of me. It wouldn’t have ended well.”

He was surprisingly self-aware.

If we hadn’t been attacked by monsters in Caribe, and if I hadn’t proven my strength in that battle, he wouldn’t be so humble.

After all, I had showcased my skills during the monster attack.

Moreover, I had proven in the duel against Prince Arthur that I could easily defeat a high-ranking knight.

Prince Arthur was a skilled swordsman, trained in the Bellatrix swordsmanship as a direct descendant of the Emperor.

And what was the Bellatrix swordsmanship?

It was one of the most powerful swordsmanship styles in the continent. Although he only used the first and third forms, I had blocked them.

So, he had no choice but to back down.

“I felt it would be a waste to drink this alone. It’s a precious wine gifted to me by Prince Karma.”

“P-Prince Karma?”

His eyes widened in surprise.

His reaction was so good that I added a bit more embellishment.

“I received it right after my duel with Prince Arthur. It seems the prince took a liking to me. It’s quite meaningful, considering the circumstances.”

“That duel was incredible! We have much to discuss. Please, have a seat!”

My bluff about the prince’s gift worked wonders.

Darius, known for his pride, offered me the seat of honor.

I accepted without hesitation.

“Speaking of which, didn’t the prince see us off when we left the capital? My subordinates said Prince Karma seemed interested in you.”

“I consider it an honor for my family. As I said before, I want to focus on my work with the Inspection Unit for now.”

“Will you still say that after Prince Karma becomes Emperor?”

The wine tasted sweet.

I finished my glass and poured myself another. Darius, perhaps impatient with my silence, also emptied his glass.

“I’m not interested in climbing the social ladder. My goal in life is to live an ordinary life and die an ordinary death. I could enjoy wealth and glory as the prince’s subordinate, but who knows when a bloodbath might erupt in the capital?”

“I think this duel settled the matter. Prince Arthur is crippled. How can he challenge the throne now? Even if his limbs are reattached, he’ll never be able to wield a sword again.”

“That’s where the problem begins.”

“What do you mean?”

“Prince Arthur might not be able to wield a sword, but he’s still alive. We can’t let our guard down.”

Darius groaned and nodded in agreement.

“As expected, you’re thinking several steps ahead, Inspector. You’re truly impressive. I’m even more curious now. What did you do before joining the family?”

“I grew up in an ordinary village. I learned swordsmanship at a local academy.”

“An academy in a village? I doubt they had qualified instructors.”

“That’s the nature of the Inspection Unit. We have secrets we can’t reveal. Not just me, but Lady Selendis and Sir Jericho as well.”

“Confidential matters, I see.”

“It’s a secret known only to Lady Lucia. Even I don’t know much about them.”

I drew a clear line, and Darius respected it. He had good self-control. He wasn’t the vice-captain of the Azure Dragon Knights for nothing.

Our glasses were empty again. I refilled Darius’s glass and asked, “Did you tell Sir Romero about me?”

Was it a sudden question?

Darius hesitated.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, what you said to me before we arrived in the capital.”

“Ah, that… “

Darius smiled wryly.

“I reported it. But I haven’t given up. I haven’t received a reply from Sir Romero, but I’m waiting for an opportunity. Even now.”

“I declined the prince’s offer. Wouldn’t it look bad if I accepted the second young master’s offer in this situation?”

“Hmm, I suppose so…”

But I couldn’t completely shut him down. I needed to appease him to some extent.

“But the capital is far away, and the second young master is close by. I’m always willing to help the family, so feel free to ask.”

“Oh! That’s reassuring! I’ll be sure to tell the young master.”

“Have a drink.”

We raised our glasses and toasted. Our drinking session continued until late into the night.

***

*Knock, knock*

*Knock, knock, knock, knock*

The repeated knocking woke me up. I had a splitting headache from drinking too much, even though it was good wine.

“…Come in.”

The door opened, and Selendis rushed in.

“Master, are you alright? I was worried because you didn’t answer my calls.”

“I had a few drinks with Sir Darius last night. I guess I overslept. What time is it?”

“It’s a little past nine.”

It was the first time I had slept in since I possessed this body. If this were the Duke’s mansion, I would have been scolded.

“The Lady is looking for you. You should hurry.”

“Did something happen?”

“I’m not sure. But Eloan visited the Lady early this morning.”

Eloan was the eldest son of House Caribe. The man who was smitten with the Lady at first sight.

He must have done something.

“Alright, don’t worry. You can go.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Oh, do you have any perfume?”

“…Excuse me?”

Was it a strange question? Selendis blushed slightly.

Nobles usually wore perfume.

But Selendis, despite being a knight, didn’t care about her appearance. She wouldn’t have been able to wear a dress recently if it weren’t for Jericho’s help.

I vaguely remembered hearing that he had also chosen a perfume for her.

“I need to get rid of the alcohol smell. Could you lend me some?”

“I’ll bring it right away.”

I quickly got dressed and sprayed the perfume Selendis had lent me. It smelled wonderful.

“I’ll repay you later.”

“It’s fine, Master. Please go.”

I found the Lady meditating peacefully in her room, with incense burning. She opened her eyes as I entered.

“You’re late. You usually come right away when I call.”

“I apologize. I had a bit too much to drink last night and overslept. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Who did you drink with? Sir Jericho? Or…”

“Sir Darius.”

The setup was perfect.

Now, if she asked me what we talked about, I would tell her that Sir Romero had approached me with another offer.

It had happened before, so it was natural for her to be suspicious.

“I see.”

But things didn’t go as planned.

Instead of asking the question I wanted, the mastermind brought up something else.

“Eloan visited me this morning. I called you to discuss it.”

“I see. What happened?”

“He’s holding a banquet at the Caribe main castle tomorrow. He said it’s in my honor, but…”

She didn’t want to attend.

“It’s not difficult to decline, my Lady.”

“Is there a way to decline without offending him?”

“Eloan is planning this banquet because he knows the engagement between you and Prince Arthur has been broken off. He sees this as an opportunity to win your heart.”

The Lady nodded slightly.

“But the timing is bad. It wouldn’t look good to attend a banquet hosted by an eligible bachelor, especially after breaking off an engagement with the Imperial Family. It would fuel the rumor mill.”

“You’re right.”

“I’ll handle this. Don’t worry.”

I waited for her to mention my drinking session with Sir Darius. But she kept talking about other things.

“Where did you go last night? You weren’t in your room.”

“I went on patrol with Jericho. We were attacked before, so I wanted to scout the area beforehand. I was just checking things out.”

“We missed our dance practice yesterday, so we’ll do double today.”

Dance practice?

Wasn’t that over?

“Why are you so surprised? You have potential, but you’re not good enough to stand out in social circles. You need more practice.”

“I’ve already achieved my goal of learning to dance. There’s no need to waste your precious time.”

“I don’t think it’s a waste of time.”

“But… It could lead to misunderstandings. Perhaps you should be more careful for a while.”

“Rumors about a lady and her guardian knight are common. It happened with Lady Amel and Lady Sapiella. So, don’t worry about it.”

I was speechless. It seemed like I had no choice but to continue the private lessons.

I changed the subject, as it seemed like we were going off-topic.

“Actually, Sir Darius asked me about my intentions again last night. He asked if I would work for Sir Romero.”

“You’ll keep hearing those offers. You’re a sought-after individual, even by Prince Karma.”

Her reaction was lukewarm, as if my setup hadn’t worked.

I had to stop pushing it it could raise suspicions.

“Enjoy it. It’s a good thing to be recognized for your worth.”

“Yes, my Lady. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

The conversation ended without any significant progress. I called Jericho and instructed him to send a letter to the Caribe main castle.

Then, I summoned Selendis.

“Mobilize all the investigators and investigate the monster activity in this area. Report to me immediately if you find anything unusual.”

“As you command.”

Selendis saluted and left, her cloak billowing behind her.

The game had begun.