“Hendrick the Chancellor… you say.”
Joseph’s usually stony face twisted.
“Is there something you’re dissatisfied with?”
I asked as gently as I could while skimming through the Status Window that popped up beside me.
[Relationships]
▶ Chartra Family (-55)
(+) Kept promise to stay distant from the other Dukes!
(-) Trying to use Blaiher Kruber!
Joseph didn’t have a separate entry—he was lumped under the Chartra Family.
That probably meant he was a character who acted according to his family’s interests.
“I understand why His Highness was summoned to Novosibir. But I don’t understand why we must rescue Chancellor Hendrick in the first place.”
“…Because His Majesty the Emperor exiled him?”
Joseph replied with silence.
Honestly, that level of loyalty was a sickness.
Right now, the Emperor was probably panicking over what to do about the Chartra Family storming into the capital.
“I understand how you feel, but does that really matter?”
“……”
“Your father entered the capital and I didn’t do anything. Isn’t it your side’s turn to uphold the agreement now?”
The deal I had made with Werner Chartra was: don’t interfere with each other.
While his loyalist coup happened, I’d stay out of it—and in return, I’d prepare to replace the Emperor on my own terms.
Under normal circumstances, he would’ve had a fit, but Werner Chartra just wrinkled his nose and accepted the deal.
“You’re not saying you’ll break the agreement now, are you? Not that Chartra.”
“Of course not. I just wanted to hear your reason.”
“I’d like to hear the explanation too…”
Blaiher chimed in timidly.
There was no place for Joseph in the plan I had drawn up.
He hadn’t come to help me—more like to keep an eye on things—and I had no idea how to use a watchdog like him.
As I was preparing a polite way to reject him, Til placed a hand on my shoulder.
Wearing a rare smile.
“So what? He’s an annoying brother, but he’s definitely competent.”
“It’s not a matter of competence.”
Naturally, being a Chartra meant he had skills.
The important thing was whether he had a fitting role.
Til nudged me in the ribs and dropped her voice low.
“Just lose once, will you?”
“…If you’re saying so.”
I decided to consider this as owing Til a small favor.
I clapped once and smiled brightly.
“This inn will be our new operations base. A very kind person handed it over completely, so there’s no need to worry about security.”
I glanced around the room, then added as if I’d just remembered something.
“Which means—if anyone wants out, leave now. Don’t come complaining later.”
None of the three left.
Blaiher glanced toward the exit like he wanted to, but in the end, he didn’t.
“Excellent. Welcome aboard, everyone. Let’s continue in the basement.”
No one moved at first. A few seconds of silence passed.
Unable to stand it, Joseph cleared his throat.
“Aren’t you going to guide us?”
“I’d love to, but this is my first time here too. That kind fellow I mentioned will guide you directly.”
Right on cue, the old door creaked open with an unpleasant noise.
A man in a fedora swaggered in.
“Cesare?”
“Oh, yes. Long time no see, Til.”
Despite his roguish appearance, Cesare greeted her politely.
The tattoos covering his arms made it look even more out of place.
“Hrm, hrm. I’m Cesare. I’ll be handling the messy backend stuff for this job.”
“…May I ask what it is you do?”
“I’m a businessman.”
Joseph raised an eyebrow at that.
Understandably so—Cesare didn’t look the part.
“I won’t be able to stick around and help all the time because of business, but for small things, you can count on me.”
“Such as?”
“Stuff you need. People you can boss around. Whatever it is, I’ll make sure it’s delivered on time.”
With a subtle emphasis on “whatever it is,” Cesare wrapped up his self-introduction.
Joseph still looked skeptical but asked no further questions.
“The basement’s this way.”
As Blaiher and I followed first, I heard the Chartra siblings bantering behind us.
“I didn’t know you had friends like that.”
“Better than being like Dad or you—completely friendless.”
“Just don’t disgrace the family name.”
…Is it really okay to let these people into the plan?
***
The basement of the inn was more cave than cellar.
Aside from some old boxes, a table, and a few chairs, the massive space felt eerie and hollow.
“We haven’t used it in a while,” Cesare said, brushing dust off a chair like it was no big deal.
I considered asking what it used to be for, then decided not to.
“The plan is simple. His Highness Blaiher will rescue Chancellor Hendrick.”
“You still haven’t told us why, Count.”
“There are two objectives. One is to supplement His Highness’s birth background.”
Even if he’s more competent than the current Emperor, being illegitimate is a massive liability in a monarchy.
In a monarchy, legitimacy outweighs ability by far.
In the original work, it wasn’t an issue because the Dukes had propped him up as a puppet.
But now that First Duke Johann Geller had stepped back, we couldn’t gloss over the issue.
It could very well become the spark for another civil war.
Hence, the need for backing from Hendrick—former Emperor’s brother, elder of the Imperial Family.
To be precise, the Imperial Family’s support was needed.
“But support from the Imperial Family doesn’t have to come from Hendrick specifically, does it?”
“Excellent point. Hendrick isn’t the only elder of the Imperial Family. That brings us to the second reason.”
“…You’re planning to use Chancellor Hendrick as bait?”
Blaiher, who had been silently pondering, finally spoke up.
Sharp kid.
“Most people won’t think the Count rescued Hendrick. They’ll think Hendrick is pushing a royal bastard to usurp his nephew’s throne. Either way, public attention will fall on Hendrick.”
“If we leverage the press, the narrative shift will be easy. It’ll buy Your Highness time to settle into the role.”
The point wasn’t whether the Emperor could be ousted.
Even Werner Chartra had half-heartedly switched sides—that Emperor was already as good as gone.
The issue was whether Blaiher would be recognized as the next Emperor.
Hence, the optics had to be convincing. A story everyone could accept.
“But then what happens to Chancellor Hendrick?”
“Once he’s served his purpose, we discard him. From his perspective, it’s better than lifelong exile.”
“…May I make a request, sir?”
“?”
“I’d like to meet Chancellor Hendrick myself before deciding.”
I was speechless for a moment.
Was that necessary? The man was just a discardable piece anyway.
“I understand this is your method, but I’d like to do it my way. Wouldn’t that be… more emperor-like?”
Blaiher scratched his head, embarrassed to have said the word emperor out loud.
He had started as a puppet and crawled close to being a real Emperor.
I had forgotten he wasn’t someone I could control at will.
And I realized—I’d become fully entrenched in Valheit’s way of thinking.
Use and discard.
“…I trust His Highness’s judgment. It’s a conviction I earned from teaching and training him. So I hope you’ll trust him too, Count.”
Joseph said firmly.
Only now did I understand why Werner had sent his second son.
Not to watch over me—but to support Blaiher.
I forced a faint smile.
I was glad my eyes were closed.
“Very well, then. I trust in Your Highness’s judgment. Now, let’s move on to the detailed plan…”
Even as I explained the strategy I’d prepared, a part of my mind throbbed.
I thought I was going down a different path than Valheit—but maybe I wasn’t so different.
“We’ll execute in three days. If you need anything, direct your requests to Cesare.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and stood up.
I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the drab ceiling.
“What are you doing?”
Holy—!
Til suddenly shoved her face into mine.
I twisted my head away and slipped past.
“You don’t look so good.”
“You’re mistaken. I’m perfectly fine.”
“I saw your face when Blaiher said he wanted to do it his own way. You were totally caught off guard.”
Damn. Was it that obvious? I need to keep it together…
“Don’t worry. The others probably didn’t notice. Only someone like me could tell.”
“What’s your point?”
“Can I take it to mean you’ve really changed?”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’s unheard of for the arrogant Count Valheit to go along with someone else’s plan. You always did things your own way—even when you worked with the Commander.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t know that story.
Til fell into thought for a moment, then locked eyes with me—figuratively, anyway.
“Our old snake’s changed a little, huh?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it does. It’s a matter of whether I can trust you.”
She really threw out cheesy lines without hesitation.
A quiet laugh escaped me.
“I’m always just me.”
“I’m sure you are. Anyway, I’ve got something else I want to discuss.”
Gone was the serious tone—Til was back to her usual snarky self.
“I’ve got a pretty fun plan.”
“A plan? From Til Chartra?”
“Don’t be sarcastic and just listen. What do you think about using the Demons I’ve been hanging with?”
I tilted my head, caught off guard by the sudden mention of Noah’s group.
What did they have to do with rescuing Hendrick?
“Wouldn’t it be more dramatic? A royal bastard saving the Chancellor from a Demon attack—sounds good, right?”
“…That’s your plan? Stage a Demon attack on the Chancellor?”
“I haven’t thought out the details. Manipulating people isn’t really my thing.”
“So you’re dumping the details on me? Tell me the real reason and I’ll consider it.”
Til clicked her tongue with an annoyed face.
I had a rough guess.
She probably just liked Noah and his crew. In the original, they were half-allies, half-rivals anyway.
“There’s someone in the group I want to pit against my brother.”
…Huh. That was unexpected.
***
“So you’re saying some big shot from the Empire is in Novosibir.”
“That’s right.”
“And what’s that got to do with us?”
Karl kept sharpening his dagger, half-listening to the mercenary.
The guy had barged in claiming big news—just to say some VIP was in town?
“Isn’t it a great opportunity?”
“What, you want to kidnap them for ransom? Count me out.”
“No, not that kind of opportunity. It’s a great chance for the thing you guys wanted to do.”
As he checked the blade’s edge, Karl thought over what Til might mean.
Was she talking about that idea Noah had—forming a force by gathering Demons?
He had scoffed at the time—how would you unite races that didn’t even share customs, language, or homeland?
“Aren’t you curious where those trafficked Demons were being sourced from?”
The hand sharpening the blade froze.
He looked up. Til grinned.
“Well? You in?”
“…Depends on the details.”
“Decide fast. Noah and Hillia are already in.”
Honestly. Being nice is one thing, but you should really think things through.
Grumbling to himself, Karl got up.
“This better not be a waste of time.”