Chapter 122
How a Beginner in High Society Makes Allies
Ferda hung a black bandana from the highest point of the castle.
It was somewhere an ordinary person would struggle to see with the naked eye—an insignificant detail that no one would normally notice.
To certain people, however, it was an unmistakable signal.
Black Bandana’s arrival proved that.
Only three hours had passed since he hung it up.
“It is a pleasure to see you, Regent. This is our first meeting since the affair involving the Dandolo Company.”
Garnet Swallow, who had introduced herself as the organization’s leader, had once again come in person.
“Should the leader of an organization really be moving around so openly?”
“I may be called its leader, but I am no different from the other executives. Besides, I am personally keeping an eye on Valdrova Castle for the time being... On that note, allow me to offer my sincere congratulations on the completion of Hestia Village’s first phase.”
“My thanks.”
Ferda and Garnet moved on to business.
After hearing about Ferda’s situation, Garnet tilted her head.
“At this level, it is nothing more than ordinary gossip... Do you truly need us to find the culprit?”
“I do.”
“Given the circumstances, we may have to probe the imperial palace. That will make the investigation rather expensive.”
“I do not care.”
Garnet let out a thoughtful hum before nodding.
The matter was undeniably trivial, but what counted as important differed from person to person.
“Understood. We will do everything possible to uncover the source of the rumor.”
“Thank you. How much do you require as an advance?”
Garnet raised her palm.
“No advance is necessary. Petty offenders like this are actually quite difficult to catch, so you may pay us after we succeed.”
They could not guarantee they would catch a mere gossipmonger.
Ferda took that as proof of how frightening rumors could be.
After all, the culprit could be anyone.
“Then I will pay the fee once the investigation is complete. There is one more thing I would like to ask.”
“Information requires an advance payment.”
Thorough as ever.
Ferda handed her the money.
After confirming that the amount was appropriate, Garnet signaled her approval.
“I discussed a countermeasure to the scandal with the princess. Could you assess whether it will work?”
Ferda repeated everything Olivia had told him.
As the leader of a secret organization, Garnet’s opinion would serve as useful verification.
“It is a good idea.”
Garnet responded positively.
“The common people will soon return to their livelihoods and forget about it, while the nobles will inevitably become swept up in some new trend. Leaving a small inconsistency in the narrative and allowing the matter to quietly fade away is a distinctly aristocratic way of handling it.”
“Is that so?”
“Moreover, although it may not be immediately apparent, you could use this as a trap. If someone is determined to destroy both you and the princess, they will embellish the story further. Once they do, it will become much easier for us to catch them. Either way, it is an effective method.”
So there had been that much nuance behind it.
Ferda had thought Olivia was merely looking at the broader picture, but her plan went far beyond his expectations.
Had Olivia calculated all of this?
“Thank you for confirming it.”
“Think nothing of it. Please tell me if you have any other requests or commissions.”
“I have no further requests. But take this.”
Ferda handed her an envelope.
“What is this?”
“An invitation to the Beginning of Spring Festival.”
“You mean the banquet that has become the talk of the aristocracy? Am I permitted to attend?”
“You intend to infiltrate it regardless, don’t you? Rather than attracting suspicion with a forged invitation, wouldn’t it be better to present a genuine one?”
Garnet looked as though Ferda had caught her completely off guard.
“I will make sure not to draw attention during the banquet.”
She tucked the invitation inside her clothes.
“Since you have given me admission to an event that every noble is watching, I suppose I should provide you with an additional service.”
“A service?”
“From what I can see, you appear to be a newcomer to high society. Am I wrong?”
Ferda gave a small nod.
A faint smile appeared on Garnet’s lips.
“Then I will teach you how a beginner in high society can make allies.”
Black Bandana was the greatest secret organization on the Cerdes Continent, making its living by selling information.
Accordingly, Garnet revealed something quite intriguing.
After completing his usual work for the day, Ferda summoned a man.
“You are a good dancer, aren’t you?”
It was Zed Swallow, the handsome man with brown hair tied into a short ponytail.
“Of course. A gigolo who can’t dance wouldn’t last long in the profession.”
“Then can you teach someone else to dance?”
“That is a slightly different skill. Being good at something doesn’t necessarily mean you can teach it—”
“I will pay you for the lessons, of course.”
“I shall transform you into the emperor of the dance floor, Regent.”
Zed raised his thumb confidently.
The sight made Ferda wonder whether he could truly trust him.
“Why do you want to dance, though? Are you planning to dance at the Beginning of Spring Festival?”
Ferda nodded.
Zed tilted his head.
“The host rarely needs to dance. Most hosts sit for a while and then leave. Besides, the hostess probably won’t be attending...”
“I am preparing for the possibility of dancing with Her Highness the Princeps.”
“Ooh. Has she said she will attend? I’m curious—I’ve never seen her before.”
“We do not know yet.”
Wasn’t he getting ahead of himself, then?
Zed could not bring himself to say it aloud.
The expectation swelling in Ferda’s eyes was far too obvious.
Ferda began learning to dance for Valdrova’s sake.
Luri had told him that Valdrova was making various preparations for the Beginning of Spring Festival. However, even Luri was uncertain whether she would actually attend.
It did not matter.
Just as Zed had a duty to perform the work for which he was paid, Ferda had a duty to prepare for Valdrova’s arrival.
Sitting in the chair across from Ferda, Zed asked,
“Have you ever seen Her Highness the Princeps’s face?”
“Only once.”
“What was she like? Naturally, she must have been beautiful, but what expression was she making?”
Her expression.
It was unlikely to make for a pleasant story, but Ferda answered honestly.
“She was crying.”
“Ooh.”
Ferda raised his head and glared at Zed.
Flustered, Zed hurriedly explained himself.
“Why are you looking at me like that? This is a good thing.”
“How?”
“You said the first time you saw her face, she was crying. There’s a superstition that if your future spouse is crying the first time you see her face, good fortune will come to you. And if she is smiling the next time you see her, the two of you will live happily together for a hundred years.”
“You spout lies that would not fool a child.”
“But it’s true...”
Zed muttered awkwardly before discreetly unfolding one of the letters on the desk and reading it.
“Who would have thought so many people would be desperate to attend a newly elevated noble’s Beginning of Spring Festival? Princess Arken’s involvement must be having quite an effect.”
“So this truly is an extraordinary situation.”
“Extraordinary? It is astonishing. Most people would count themselves lucky to receive even one letter of greeting, yet these people are practically weeping and begging you to send them invitations.”
Having witnessed countless social events, Zed could only marvel at how unprecedented this situation was.
“Let’s see who’s coming... Ack.”
“Do you know someone?”
“I do. There are some young ladies I slipped away from during previous balls...”
“Some?”
Just how many women had he abandoned?
When Ferda glared at him, Zed forced confidence into his eyes and declared,
“Do not worry. I’m already collaborating with a specialist, so even if I encounter them, we’ll resolve everything amicably.”
Speak of the tiger, and it shall appear.
The specialist with whom he was collaborating burst into the room.
“Paaartyyyy!”
The person who entered Ferda’s office with that frivolous cry was Penelope.
Whatever had excited her so much, she bounced up and down as she approached them.
“I heard you’re holding a party!”
“I am.”
“And that princess is coming too?”
“She is.”
“Heh heh heh...”
Ferda added,
“If you touch her, I will break all four of your limbs. Are you confident you can restrain yourself?”
“Uwaah...! I may be obsessed with women, but I’m not such an idiot that I can’t tell shit from soybean paste! Right, Zeddy?”
Penelope sidled up to Zed with exaggerated affection.
Zed placed a hand on her shoulder and gazed deeply into her eyes.
“You absolutely are that kind of woman.”
“Haha, my Zeddy is such a tease. Always saying things he doesn’t mean.”
“I would sooner trust Malcolm than you.”
“You damned pretty boy! You might as well curse me to my face!”
The moment Malcolm was mentioned, Penelope flew into a rage and began bickering with him.
“Get out of here, you lunatic. Do you even know what kind of place you’ve crawled into?! Ugh, what rotten luck. Where’s the salt? Bring me salt!”
“What are you talking about?! I was summoned here too!”
“The Regent summoned you? Say something believable. If that’s true, I’ll change my surname.”
“I did summon her.”
Ferda firmly settled the matter before their pointless squabble could continue.
“I do not care what the two of you do in private, but you will not be enjoying the party.”
“What? Does that mean I can’t seduce any women?”
Penelope drooped like a depressed puppy.
Ignoring her, Zed asked Ferda,
“What do you need us to do?”
This was the method Garnet Swallow had taught him for a newcomer to high society to create allies.
“Find the weaknesses of the young nobles visiting Valdrova Castle.”
“Their weaknesses?”
“What kind of weaknesses?”
Ferda gave them a single keyword.
“Affairs.”
The Beginning of Spring Festival would bring young men and women together.
Flowers brimming with youthful vitality would entice bees, and the bees would be drawn to them. Countless couples would inevitably indulge in a single night of passion.
Such affairs were often dismissed as youthful indiscretions and protected by an unspoken rule.
That was why Garnet had made this suggestion.
—If you become involved in such a scandal, people will perceive you as merely human too. Those with guilty consciences will assume that someone with his own indiscretions would overlook violations of this particular unspoken rule.
To Ferda, however, that unspoken rule was nothing more than a cowardly and repulsive excuse.
Garnet knew how unwaveringly devoted Ferda was to Valdrova. That was precisely why she had proposed this rather sordid method.
—Those who refuse to become your allies must be given a reason why they have no choice but to do so.
What nobles valued most was their reputation.
To protect it, they would comply with Ferda’s wishes.
That was how he needed to bind them to him.
Garnet had emphasized that the most important thing was simply to establish a connection, regardless of its nature.
“Assume the Beginning of Spring Festival is underway and identify every location where someone might hold a secret rendezvous. Then use recording crystal orbs to document every affair that takes place there.”
“Even ten of me wouldn’t be enough for a job like that. Still, understood.”
Zed and Penelope would be the hidden agents carrying out the plan.
Unlike ordinary people, they could move discreetly, and both possessed experience in seducing others. They were perfectly suited to the task.
“I’ll do it if you order me to, but...”
Penelope hesitated.
Ferda instinctively grew irritated, thinking she was talking back, but that was not her intention.
“If there’s nothing we can use to blackmail someone, may I create something myself?”
Penelope’s eyes sparkled as she asked.
Ferda realized that he had overlooked one thing.
She was the daughter of Sitri, the Great Demon of Lust.
She might be a troublemaker and an idiot, but demonic blood still flowed through her veins.
“Do it. You have my permission.”
Ferda had entered the vicious political world of the nobility.
Therefore, he needed to become even more vicious than them.
***
The cold spring wind melted beneath the warm sunlight, becoming a pleasantly cool breeze.
The flowers that had blossomed in late winter now bore fruit, decorating the forest in patches of color.
Monsters were the only threat in this land. With no starving predators prowling the forest, the village women could gather its bounty with ease.
“Spring...”
The season of new life that arrived at the end of death.
For Valdrova, it was a season that inevitably stirred sentimental feelings.
She disliked sentimentality.
It always ended in melancholy.
That was why she kept her body moving without rest.
On this beautiful spring day, perfect for young noblewomen to enjoy an outing, Valdrova devoted herself to carrying and stacking stones for the city walls.
She preferred the satisfaction of physical labor to wistful contemplation.
It was lunchtime during another ordinary workday.
She sat among the workers as they gathered together and shared their meal.
“You know that building we left unfinished? I heard it’s going to be used as a church of Alte.”
To strengthen unity among the common people, Ferda had requested that the Alte faith send priests to Hestia. A priest had arrived two weeks ago.
“Is that new priest going to take it over?”
“Probably.”
“I don’t much like that priest...”
“Who does? We were just insulting that desert false god, and he had to come over and start lecturing us.”
“Didn’t he tell you not to call him that? You’re supposed to call him Set! Set!”
“Set, my ass. You’ve become the priest’s loyal dog!”
The recently arrived priests belonged to the moderate faction, which had been pushed aside by the radicals currently holding power.
In other words, they did not look down upon Set as some false god of the southern desert. They wanted the two faiths to coexist.
Valdrova could not understand the workers’ resistance.
Peace should be a good thing. Why are they so determined to fight?
Did people find life dull unless they were in conflict with one another?
As always, Valdrova silently listened to their conversation.
“Why don’t we give it a chance? Didn’t they say the southerners would participate in this Beginning of Spring Festival too? They’re making an effort to interact with us, so stop provoking them for no reason.”
“I can already imagine what a disaster it’ll become.”
The worker scoffed, plainly displeased.
No one knew what would happen at an event intended to promote interaction and harmony.
Valdrova found herself curious about the commoners’ festivities.
What kind of events would they hold during the Beginning of Spring Festival?
Would there be anything besides drinking, laughing, and making noise?
I am curious, but...
She would not be able to watch.
That day, she had to attend the nobles’ Beginning of Spring Festival rather than the commoners’ celebration.
She had been told that preparations would begin early in the morning, leaving her no time to look around.
It is only a week away...
Time had passed remarkably quickly.
She had begun practicing how to control her strength and learning to dance for the festival, yet only one week remained.
I will dance with Ferda in a magnificent ballroom.
The thought filled her with excitement, and strength unconsciously surged into her hand again.
Thanks to her training, however, she managed to restrain herself to something approaching the limits of an ordinary person.
The stone is still intact.
The fragile pebble remained in her hand.
She might squeeze Ferda’s hand hard enough to cause him a little pain, but she was now confident that she would not unconsciously crush it.
“Come to think of it, there’s quite an uproar in the Empire! I heard our lord and the princess are in that kind of relationship.”
The atmosphere among the workers instantly turned cold.
Valdrova pricked up her ears and listened.
“What utter nonsense.”
“That’s what my wife in the Empire told me. Apparently, there were already sparks between them at the Grand Council during his first visit. Counting Princess Arken’s recent visit, they’ve met three times now. When has the princess ever met a man her own age more than three times? And during her latest procession, they looked just like a married—”
Another worker hurriedly covered his mouth.
“Good grief! You really are determined to shorten your life! Don’t go around saying things like that.”
“Why not? Everyone in Hestia already knows.”
“You fool! Do you think the rest of us don’t know? Why do you think everyone in Hestia is keeping quiet about it? What do you think will happen if the Regent’s wife hears that story? Our Regent will end up a corpse!”
Valdrova’s pupils trembled as though an earthquake had struck them.
The pebble in her hand had vanished.
In its place was a mound of sand ground into fine particles.