Beyond the wall, Marquis Jules continued speaking.
“Anyway, according to what the Crown Prince said, if just one person among us steps forward and confesses that they were the organizer of the carnival, he’ll forgive our entire ‘Credit Bank Founders’ group, correct?”
“Of course. Isn’t that why we gathered here—to choose the person who will ‘confess’?”
A noblewoman spoke.
“Now then, who wants to volunteer to go to the Crown Prince and say, ‘I was the one who organized the carnival, and all the corruption involving our bank was my fault’?”
Silence passed through the room. Soon, they burst into loud laughter.
“You’re hilarious!”
“Why would we? We can pin something like that on some lowborn nobody.”
“That’s why I’m saying we should pin it on the Medina family. Their heir, the Young Lord, followed us around for quite some time trying to get in our good graces.”
“Oh, you mean the Young Lord of the Medina family, that once-prominent house that’s practically ruined now?”
“I heard that crazy granddaughter of theirs did something strange again just to attract attention. Something about a fake funeral. With her making such a scene at a time like this, it’s no wonder the family is going to ruin.”
“Ah, or we could just bring in some poor relative of ours. As long as they’re a noble, that should be enough.”
Er felt a chill run down the back of her neck when she heard that.
Dear family member whose face I don’t even know…
Apparently, the Young Lord of the Medina family had been hanging around this social circle, trying to curry favor with them.
If this goes wrong, I’m going to get dragged into a troublesome mess.
It was at that very moment.
The sound of wind blew through the room.
Bang!
The enormous balcony doors on one side of the room swung open.
Huh?
Er’s eyes widened.
A familiar figure stood between the fluttering white curtains.
That bastard… Surely not…
Someone walked out from the balcony, step by step.
The noisy room fell completely silent, and the nobles slowly backed away one by one.
As if they had seen the Grim Reaper himself.
Ah…
Er’s hand trembled once.
The Crown Prince.
Kiers.
“Why?”
Kiers looked around the room and slowly spoke.
“Keep talking. This is entertaining.”
Kiers spoke lazily, and in an instant, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Wow. I actually ran into the one person I absolutely shouldn’t meet.
A chill ran down Er’s spine.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to know that Er was spying on the room.
“C-Crown Prince!”
Shock and terror spread across the faces of those who had gathered in the secret room to plot together.
“Your Highness, how did you get here?”
“We, uh… The reason we gathered here today was to obey Your Highness’s orders…”
One by one, the nobles spouted ridiculous lies and fell to their knees.
How the hell did that crazy bastard get in here?
Er watched the scene and thought.
There’s only one entrance to this secret room, the exact place where I’m standing, and only someone who knows the structure could find it.
And yet Kiers had raided the place.
Just then, Marquis Jules staggered forward.
“Your Highness! Please give us just a little more time. We will soon relieve Your Highness of your worries!”
“Worries?”
Kiers spoke quietly.
“Yes. The carnival incident and the corruption involving the Nirn Duchy connected to this credit vault. We will definitely ‘find’ the person responsible and place them at Your Highness’s feet. Just as Your Highness ordered!”
Er had no trouble interpreting his words.
= Just wait a little. We’ll send you a scapegoat to take the blame.
They really have no shame.
Er was speechless at their shamelessness.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
Kiers tilted his head slightly and smiled.
“What order?”
“……What?”
At that moment, someone appeared behind Kiers.
“Your Highness, what nonsense are these people spouting? Ah, surely they aren’t claiming that our Crown Prince said something ridiculous like, ‘Send me one scapegoat and I’ll forgive all of you,’ are they?”
A young-looking man with a smooth, easy smile.
Er knew him.
Kiers’s hunting dog. His name was Rivil, wasn’t it?
It was said that Kiers kept two vicious dogs.
An indoor guard dog. Orun, his close attendant, who was skilled at handling various affairs and schemes.
And a hunting dog. Rivil, his retainer who was just as much of a mad dog as Kiers himself.
Orun stepped forward as well.
“My, my. Since when have you been so obedient to the Imperial family’s orders? When the former Emperor fell ill, you couldn’t even recognize your master and simply followed the Chancellor around.”
Marquis Jules’s face turned pale.
“But that’s not what you said. How could you…”
“Still, it’s good news that you’re willing to obey my words. Marquis. It must have been difficult to submit to the orders of someone as young as me.”
Kiers spoke gently.
“And you’ve even so neatly admitted to the suspicions of collusion with the Nirn Duchy that you’ve carried for so long. On top of that, you gathered everyone involved in one place for me.”
Kiers clicked his tongue.
“To repay you for such loyalty, I shall make sure you are punished according to Imperial law. All of you…”
Kiers raised his hand and pointed at him.
“Execute them immediately.”
“Geez, they really are easy to fool. Trash like Marquis Jules always seem to gather together whenever they’re doing something bad. Do they think spreading the crime among more accomplices somehow makes each person less guilty?”
Rivil chuckled.
Kiers gestured with his hand.
Rivil instantly drew his sword and charged forward.
“Aaargh!”
“Please, spare me!”
And naturally…
This place has turned into complete chaos.
A chill ran down Er’s spine as she watched the state of the room.
The sounds of people being killed began echoing from all directions.
Kiers. I salute your sheer insanity.
Immediate extermination of everyone? Wow. Impressive.
Er suddenly wanted to apologize for having just thought of him as someone who had compromised with the corrupt nobles.
To think that someone like him was my sworn enemy in my previous life.
Er stepped backward.
Yeah. I absolutely should not get involved with him. I have no intention of ending up like those people.
At that moment.
Kiers, standing in the middle of the chaos, stared directly at the slightly opened door.
Then he began walking toward the hidden door of the secret room.
What’s wrong with him? How did he even find this door?
“Your Highness?”
Orun asked from behind, while Rivil continued rampaging like a madman.
“Over there.”
Kiers’s winter-sea-colored eyes stared directly toward where Er was standing.
“Someone is spying on us.”
Er squeezed her eyes shut.
One more person is about to get killed tonight.
She had about two seconds before things got this bad.
Whatever. Screw it.
Kiers slowly pushed the door open.
“It’s a secret door.”
At that moment, Er sent a butterfly through the crack in the door.
And then…
If I get caught, I’m dead.
She started sprinting down the passage.
A tingling sensation brushed against Kiers’s eyes.
He closed them.
Just now…
A butterfly glowing gold.
It was definitely that.
The one used by only a single person in the entire world.
“Erquana?”
He couldn’t see it clearly because it soon scattered away.
But at that moment—
Marquis Jules, who had been screaming while pressed against the wall, suddenly charged toward Kiers.
“Die, Crown Prince!”
Kiers frowned and casually moved his arm.
He grabbed Marquis Jules by the neck and slammed him against the wall.
“G-Ghk!”
Marquis Jules screamed.
“Tell me. You seem to have a lot to say.”
Kiers slowly loosened his grip.
Marquis Jules, foaming at the mouth, spoke.
“E-Even if we killed a few lowlifes, how can you do this to the great noble families that have supported this Empire for generations? Guh… I’m a member of one of the Ten Great Noble Families!”
“Oh, really?”
Kiers spoke kindly.
“Are you upset that you’re being punished just for killing a few lowlifes in the Nirn Duchy?”
Kiers tightened his grip again.
“Then let me tell you something. To me, you’re nothing more than a lowlife too. So there’s no reason for you to feel wronged.”
Whoosh.
Kiers’s power as a High Master.
A pitch-black shadow surged up from behind him.
Then—
Crack.
A twisting sound came from Marquis Jules’s body as he was engulfed by the shadow.
Thud.
The shadow flowed down from Kiers’s hand.
Marquis Jules collapsed to the floor.
Er emerged outside through the secret passage of the credit vault.
She hid in a dark alley for a long while before spotting a paid carriage passing by.
Let’s take this.
Without even stopping the carriage, Er climbed onto its step.
“You crazy brat! Get off my carriage right now!”
The coachman shouted at the top of his lungs.
Er leaned toward the driver’s seat and said,
“Coachman. Double the fare, and I’ll give you double the tip.”
The coachman immediately replied, as though he could no longer bear it.
“Where would you like me to take you, customer?”
Money really did solve problems quickly and efficiently.
Er sighed.
I’m going to die.
After finally arriving home, Er practically crawled into the detached residence where she was staying.
“Young Lady, what happened?”
Hearing Er enter, Milla, who had been dozing in the corner with nothing but a blanket wrapped around her, hurriedly stood up.
“It went well.”
“Are you all right?”
Er felt a tingling sensation throughout her entire body.
Oh. Don’t tell me…
Is this body really so weak that it can’t even withstand this much stimulation?
I was tense when I almost got caught by Kiers. And on top of that, I used a butterfly.
In her previous life, she had controlled dozens of butterflies freely.
And now, was using just one enough to leave her body like this?
Er’s pride was wounded.
At this rate, it’ll look like I was frightened by that bastard Kiers.
But her vision was growing blurry, and she could no longer remain standing.
Ah, this body is useless.
That was the last thought Er had before collapsing.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince’s carriage slowly crossed the capital toward the Imperial Palace.
As though the chaos from moments ago had been nothing at all.
I think I saw that woman’s butterfly.
Kiers’s sworn enemy.
The woman with whom he had fought three grand battles.
Erquana of Chronicle Rim…
Am I going insane?
She had been his enemy, but she was an exceptional woman and an incredible swordswoman and mage.
An opponent he had genuinely coveted and someone who had provoked Kiers more than anyone else.
Perhaps I simply don’t want to believe that she’s gone.
Kiers and Erquana had fought many times.
Erquana had won once, while he had won twice.
And one day, when they encountered each other in a dungeon as usual—
Kiers made Erquana an offer.
<If you’re going to spend your life swimming in a trash can anyway, then become mine instead.>
She looked at Kiers as though she found him ridiculous.
<Why don’t you become my subordinate instead? A man as pretty as you would become the brightest jewel in this trash can.>
<Then let’s make a bet.>
Kiers said,
<If I succeed in grabbing you by the hair and forcing you to kneel before me, you’ll be mine.>
<Then, little Crown Prince, what will you give me?>
<I want your life, so I’ll wager the same thing.>
Erquana smiled as though she found his words amusing.
<Fine. I like it. Whoever wins in the end…>
She whispered,
<gets everything the other person has. Understand, pretty Prince?>
She was a woman who was exceptionally good at teasing people.
And she had not kept her promise.
He had destroyed the Nirn Duchy and emerged victorious.
Therefore, your life belongs to me.
But you went somewhere I can never reach.
Just like the butterflies you used in life.
“Perhaps I simply don’t want to believe it.”
Kiers murmured.
“Yes?”
Orun, sitting across from him in the carriage, asked.
Kiers shook his head.
“Nothing.”
Bright moonlight streamed through the carriage window.
“More importantly, you said you had something to report. Have any of the people on the blacklist been acting suspiciously?”
“Yes. Do you remember the Medina family?”
The Medina family was known for producing excellent knights and crafting high-quality swords.
But now, they were steadily falling into ruin.
“The Young Lord of the Medina family. That is, the current head’s eldest son. He spent a long time trying to curry favor with the Chancellor. So he was added to the appendix of the blacklist.”
“What else?”
“Not much else… It seems the Chancellor never really paid him much attention.”
“Hmm. In simple terms, he was a candidate for lackey.”
“Ah, Rivil. Please watch your language in front of His Highness.”
Orun sighed.
“Then should I call him a candidate for a minion?”
“No. Just stop talking altogether. If possible, don’t open your mouth except to breathe.”
Rivil shrugged.
“So. What did the Young Lord do wrong?”
“It wasn’t the Young Lord…”
Orun continued.
“I mean that famous young lady, the current head’s granddaughter.”
Rivil was silent for a moment before speaking.
“That young lady again?”
