***
Late at night.
Lights came on throughout the back alleys of the Capital.
Unlike the daytime, when everything was clean and elegant, the night in the back alleys was dangerous.
It was a place where unsavory people gathered; alcohol and gambling were a given, and from time to time, illegally manufactured magic tools circulated as well.
In high society, nobles who frequented this place were regarded as human trash.
Divorce demands were even recognized in Court regardless of whether the person was a woman or a man.
Because of that, most people in the back alleys went around with their faces covered.
Among the back alleys stood a particularly wide, tall wooden building.
Despite the late hour, a fair number of patrons inside were enjoying card games.
“All in.”
At the raised stakes, onlookers let out murmurs of awe.
“You little punk, looks like you’ve got money and know how to make a game interesting.”
“This is a place people come to spend money. Would it make sense to bet small?”
A man in a robe chuckled.
Because he wore a mask, his appearance was unknown, but everyone there shared the same thought.
‘So some rich idiot has wandered in from somewhere.’
From a secluded corner, Anix, who had been nursing his drink, looked toward the game table in the distance and thought the same.
To him, seated alone, a bartender wearing a mask that covered the eyes politely lifted a bottle of strong vodka.
“Please let me pour you a drink.”
The bartender poured liquor into the glass that held only ice.
Watching this, Anix clicked his tongue.
“Uncultured trash. Even the way they pour is pathetic.”
To begin with, most of those who came here were people whose status as nobles or anything else couldn’t be identified.
Seeing such people clumsily imitate nobles was deeply unpleasant.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
Due to the Merchants’ Association statement, he had been placed under a six-month disciplinary confinement, barred not only from banquets but from even leaving his estate.
As a result, the only option left to Anix was the back alleys, where one could enter while concealing one’s identity.
‘I cannot live like this. It is suffocating.’
Ever since Miro had left for the Capital to attend the trial, sitting alone in the estate made his insides boil with irritation.
‘All day long, it’s Magic Tower, Magic Tower, Magic Tower. Nothing but letters asking how things are going with the Magic Tower!’
Even the three Houses that had written statements of fact seemed uneasy and kept demanding answers from him.
Daring to question him, of all people.
‘In the past, they would wait months just to get a single reply… This is all because the Princess seduced the Tower Master.’
Crunch. Clenching the glass tightly, Anix hurled it away in a fit of irritation.
Crash. Despite the sound of shattering glass, neither the bartender nor the patrons paid any attention.
It was an everyday occurrence.
Sometimes, a place like this was necessary.
A place where he could hide his identity and didn’t need to put on a pleasant smile for others.
As the bartender brought over a new glass, a rough, careless voice rang out from the poker table.
“Wow, look at these cards. This round is ruined. I’m out. I’ll just fold the table.”
“Way to kill the mood.”
“Somehow I knew today was bad luck ever since I saw that mess in the Capital. They say House Gloria and the Magic Tower have fallen out?”
It was the same table that had drawn attention earlier by raising the stakes.
A man in a robe who looked immature asked,
“Is that so?”
“They say a Northern lackey was strutting all over the Capital carrying a criminal complaint.”
As if it were already common talk, the masked figures nearby snickered and joined the conversation.
“What, then doesn’t that mean House Gloria is completely finished?”
“They might still be one of the Four Great Houses for now, but if it is true they have fallen out with the Magic Tower, they must have gotten smacked around by the Employment Department too. Who would bow their head to them then?”
“Why not? They have a pretty young lady. Just sell her off and make her the Crown Princess.”
“They only keep her around now because she has backing. Do you really think His Highness the Crown Prince would keep a scrawny little girl like that?”
Listening quietly, Anix ground his teeth hard.
While he was drinking in the back alleys, it seemed the Princess had pulled another scheme.
This time, it was practically as if she had held a ritual just to make the rumors spread far and wide.
‘A criminal complaint? Are they saying there is something more than just this trial?’
The men, unaware of his presence, continued their conversation calmly.
“I hear House Gloria is a complete mess too. Rumor has it they didn’t even properly pay the Tower Master for producing magic tools.”
“And until recently they were recruiting a ton of subjugation mercenaries. Damn, if I had gone, I would have been bled dry.”
House Gloria’s reputation was plunging uncontrollably into the gutter.
He couldn’t tolerate the fact that his name was being tossed around so casually in the mouths of street trash.
Bang. Rising from his seat, Anix strode straight toward them.
“Hey, the rumor is wrong, you idiots.”
“What?”
Everyone around the table turned their gaze toward Anix at once.
Displeasure seemed to seep out from behind their masks.
Anix flicked the scattered cards on the table roughly with his hand and spoke.
“Can’t you tell just by looking? The Magic Tower is picking on the blameless Eastern Region because it wants to run off to the North.”
“You’re an interesting one, pal. Go on, tell us more.”
With alcohol in his system and a sense of liberation thanks to the mask, Anix grew bolder.
“Do you have any idea how many favors House Gloria extended to the Magic Tower? Those bastards didn’t even act according to the contract, and now they are pulling this. Just like the Northern bastards. Trash, the lot of them.”
At his words, the men exchanged glances behind their masks.
When someone gestured toward Anix with a nod, another asked in a confident tone,
“How do you know whether the Magic Tower followed the contract? Are you someone from House Gloria?”
In an instant, he sobered up as if splashed with cold water.
Anix realized he had misspoken.
If his identity were exposed here, things would spiral out of control.
Setting aside the fact that this was the back alleys, he absolutely couldn’t let it be known that he had violated the Employment Department’s confinement order.
Since the Senate was a department directly under the Emperor, the matter would inevitably grow serious.
Even the robed man who had looked like an easy mark asked with open curiosity,
“Then does that mean all the rumors are false?”
“I-If you’re curious, go ask House Gloria yourselves. I’m sure the Duke will kindly explain it in a way everyone can understand.”
Dodging the question with a vague reply, he hurriedly left the spot.
But by then, many had already taken notice of his presence.
“I want to ask Duke Gloria. So did the Magic Tower fall out with you or not?”
“Hey, at least tell us this before you go!”
This was bad.
Anix hurriedly rushed out of the establishment and headed for his estate.
No sooner had he arrived than he went straight to Miro’s office.
“Miro, Miro!”
“Ah, Your Grace. Where have you been?”
Miro rose from his seat and greeted him.
“I was just about to report to you now that the trial has concluded.”
“No, that is not what matters. I, I think I made a mistake in the back alleys.”
Gasping for breath, Anix hurriedly and frankly recounted what had happened.
At first, Miro listened with a relaxed expression, but his face gradually stiffened.
“Have you forgotten the Employment Department’s disciplinary order? What would you have done if you had been discovered doing something like this…”
“Will the problem… grow larger?”
Letting out a long sigh, Miro removed his glasses and rubbed around his eyes.
“You did not take off your mask, did you?”
“Of course. I never exposed my face.”
“Then it is fine. We can simply deny it. What can they do if we say it was not us?”
“I-Is that so?”
Only then did Anix’s expression finally ease in relief.
Putting his glasses back on, Miro soothed him gently.
“As it happens, many people have been asking about the recent situation anyway, so we can take this opportunity to send out an explanation.”
At that, Anix could only nod vigorously.
***
“Eren, may I host a tea party?”
Keilos Estate.
After the trial ended, Liselotte followed Eren all the way to his office and asked abruptly.
Eren, who had been taking off his coat and placing it on the sofa, paused for a moment.
Raising one hand as if to preempt his reply, Liselotte spoke first.
“Outsiders coming to the North might be unwelcome. I will share the guest list, and I will only use the annex.”
The North couldn’t remain isolated forever.
Especially now, when rumors were rampant because of the Magic Tower and House Gloria.
There would be many who would accept the invitation out of sheer curiosity.
With such high attention, everyone would be wondering what kind of conversations would take place.
‘This is the perfect set of conditions to let things about the trial slip out.’
