116. ★☆ Investment News Update §§ Delivered to You ☜☜
At that very moment, inside the Imperial Palace’s audience chamber.
While Perwyn was ignoring the Emperor’s summons, Marquis Balton had come to pay a visit.
Listening with perfect posture to the Emperor’s lament, the Marquis put on a suitably shocked expression.
“Baron Garet has been imprisoned for involvement in human experimentation? Truly dreadful.”
“It gives me quite a headache as well. I’ve ordered magicians and reserve personnel to be dispatched in order to restore the mana stone mine, but it doesn’t look like it will be easily resolved.”
The Emperor let out a heavy sigh.
The damage was vast, stretching over a long period of time, and no one could say how long it would take just to get to the bottom of the truth.
Finding skilled magicians and laborers to immediately put into the mine was itself a daunting task.
Most of all…
“If this matter is made public, it will cause great unrest. I would prefer to deal with it quietly, even if it takes time.”
The problem was that most of the victims were immigrants. If the truth came to light, outrage among the immigrant communities would be inevitable.
Marquis Balton nodded.
“This incident will be all the excuse the insurgents scattered throughout the Empire need to rise up.”
“And with the Duchy of Heinssen expanding its power so aggressively, now we must also quell internal unrest…”
“Your Majesty must be greatly burdened. Yet, crises can also turn into opportunities. I believe I may have a solution.”
“You, Marquis?”
A faint smile tugged at Balton’s lips.
After returning from Garet territory to the capital, I shut myself inside the ducal residence, trying to shake off the fatigue of travel.
That was when Countess Gothe came to visit.
“Have you been well, Countess?”
“Of course, thanks to you. Ah, it’s nothing much, but I brought some flowers…”
Though she had been badly shaken by recent events, she recovered her energy faster than expected.
Partly thanks to Icart’s extensive support in rebuilding her family, and partly because she was a remarkably resilient woman by nature.
Perhaps she’s just hiding her pain well.
She had no time to wallow in grief, throwing herself fully into business instead.
I even heard she was already considering her return to high society.
“Oh, have you heard, Lady?”
“What is it?”
Our light conversation about recent events soon shifted toward politics and society.
“Marquis Balton has been visiting the palace frequently.”
“Yes, I heard from an acquaintance in the palace. Supposedly, everyone in the know already knows.”
The Countess’s eyes gleamed.
“And not just ordinary visits either—apparently every time he meets His Majesty in private.”
“But wasn’t Marquis Balton originally on poor terms with the Imperial family?”
I feigned ignorance.
“Not poor terms, exactly—more that he fell out of favor. About twenty years ago, because of that incident…”
She trailed off, as though reluctant even to mention it.
“You mean the incident where his rank was demoted, from Duke to Marquis.”
I supplied the words for her, and she nodded.
“So you do know. Yes, after that, Marquis Balton withdrew not only from politics but also from society for quite a while.”
A disastrous mistake by the Marquis.
The scandal shook the entire Empire.
He completely lost the Emperor’s favor, and his family—once one of the most powerful—was driven from key positions overnight.
“Since then, the Marquis has been very careful to regain His Majesty’s trust, and he did achieve some remarkable accomplishments.”
Though his family’s prestige had plummeted, Balton himself rose again quickly.
He poured enormous sums into the study of healing magic and contributed to the development of mana-based medical treatments.
Yet, instead of monopolizing the results, he ceded all rights to the Emperor, declaring himself a loyal supporter of imperial authority.
In other words, he knew how to play the game well.
“Even if the family’s ostracism faded quickly, His Majesty never openly met with him alone before, right?”
“Twenty years is a long time. Memories gather dust. His Majesty must have decided the time was right.”
As we continued speaking of Marquis Balton, the Countess leaned in closer.
“In truth, there’s something else I wanted to tell you. This is strictly confidential…”
“Oh? What is it?”
And of course, secrets always piqued my interest.
“There are rumors the Imperial family will soon take the lead in establishing relations with the Kingdom of Phyron.”
“With Phyron?”
“Yes. It was expected the formal alliance wouldn’t begin until next year, but it seems it’s being advanced sooner. If you’re looking to invest in merchant ships, now is the perfect opportunity. I’m telling you this only because it’s you.”
The Countess winked at me.
Ahh, so that’s why she came—bearing a ‘golden investment tip.’
[Quest Reward Unlocked: Benefactor of the House of Vermon]
After the “Who’s the Real Culprit?” mission was cleared, the Countess had her own way of repaying the favor. Usually, that meant passing along hot investment leads or juicy society gossip.
Having such a reliable source of information was a great advantage for me.
But…
“Have you already invested in ships, Countess?”
“Not yet. I only just heard, and I rushed straight here to tell you.”
“Then, I’d advise you to be very cautious with that investment.”
“…Pardon?”
Relations with the Kingdom of Phyron…
I remembered seeing this mentioned in the original storyline.
The Imperial family opened diplomatic ties with Phyron ahead of the Founding Festival in autumn.
The trade launched ambitiously by both nations—but the merchant fleet encountered a violent storm and was completely wrecked.
The Imperial family suffered enormous losses, and the disaster led to Phyron sending envoys to the Founding Festival…
“Do you know what items are supposed to be in this trade agreement?”
“Not exactly. But I’d wager mana stones will be among them. With all the chaos lately, they’re in extremely high demand.”
“That makes sense.”
With the Garet mines temporarily shut down, all industries reliant on mana stones would inevitably be affected.
“Speaking of which, are you faring alright? Surely your arms trade must be taking heavy losses.”
“The situation isn’t good, but… we’ll take measures on our side.”
“Did you find what I asked for?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Perwyn’s men returned in haste to the Crown Prince’s residence, carrying a thick bundle of files.
He flipped through them one by one—it was a report detailing all of Serteia’s household staff.
The servant added a thinner document on top.
“As you ordered, we investigated in detail a man with black hair and red eyes.”
Perwyn, who had been skimming without much interest, suddenly froze.
“…Cayenne? That’s his name?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“A peculiar name.”
Far too grand for a mere servant.
Perwyn’s eyes scanned over the man’s background.
“This servant is recorded as an orphan from a poorhouse, personally brought in by the Lady as part of her charitable work.”
“An orphan?”
“Yes. We traced his background but found nothing unusual. His family ties are unclear, and he had no close relatives at the poorhouse.”
“Hmph…”
“At the time of discovery, he was reportedly severely malnourished and injured. Perhaps that is why the Lady took special care of him. After joining the ducal household, however, he was involved in violent incidents with fellow servants.”
“And why would she pick up such a wretch…”
Perwyn clicked his tongue.
At first, he thought the man simply lacked discipline, but it seemed he was far lower in character than expected.
“Continue.”
“Notably, he always wears a specially crafted necklace and ring. After appraisal, the necklace was found to be a magical artifact—imbued with a compulsion spell.”
Such items were commonly used to enforce master-servant relationships.
But something else caught his attention.
“And the ring?”
“The ring does not appear to be a common product. However, since the Lady recently acquired an arms business, it is presumed to be another custom-made magical artifact.”
“A magical artifact…”
Perwyn muttered darkly.
Once born, suspicion rarely dies easily.
“And there’s another conjecture—”
“What is it?”
“There are reports that this servant possesses unusual mana.”
“A mere servant with mana?”
“Yes. Verification is still needed, but…”
The subordinate glanced at Perwyn cautiously.
An orphan of unknown origin, taken from a poorhouse.
At first, Perwyn only suspected he might have an improper relationship with Roselia. But now, far greater doubts had taken root.
“Send a letter to the Lady. I want to hear directly from her.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Continue the investigation.”
He’s her hidden bodyguard. The rings help him perform his work. More or less true, and honestly understandable.