Chapter 33

The expressions of the two men, who had been exchanging light-hearted jokes, became subtle.

"…You don’t mean to ask if I’m suitable as a marriage partner, do you?"

I shrugged and replied.

"With that level of skill, isn’t he a sure bet? The newspaper will go to your brother, so unless you want to work under him, you’ll have to find another path. Being the Duke’s husband would be perfect for a life of ease."

Yegushi burst out laughing.

"Funny kid! Jin Berkeleygrayton has no chance. The next Duke of Berkeleygrayton is already decided. He’s so overwhelmingly superior that it’s unimaginable for any other successor to challenge him."

This was quite a surprising story.

"A genius capable of using sword qi has no chance?"

Volkwin answered nonchalantly.

"Yeah. There’s an even greater genius standing in his way."

"An even greater genius?"

"Garosh Berkeleygrayton. As long as he’s alive, Jin Berkeleygrayton will never become Duke."

Garosh, huh. I’d like to see how great a genius he is.

"…Ah, by the way, I remember that woman showed interest in you yesterday?"

"No."

"Hmm. You do look good, but Jin, that woman only knows about swords. She wouldn’t approach someone just because of their looks. She wouldn’t even speak to someone unless they were an excellent swordsman."

Yegushi, who had been looking at me suspiciously, whispered and asked.

"Gray, are you a swordsman?"

Scary guy. His intuition is too good, and I almost burst out laughing.

'So, Jin was really just curious about me because of a competitive spirit.'

But that’s unlikely.

According to the testimony of the butler assassin, Jin was the guild master of <Clone>. He was the one who, on the client's request, sent assassins to the Weatherwood family multiple times.

There must be some other intention.

'If I use him… I can get information about the client through Jin.'

I must find out who the client is, no matter what.

According to Yegushi’s information, the client was not only stirring up trouble with the Weatherwoods but also in many other places. His obsession with the relics of Dean Ket was evident.

'No one who is obsessed with something is ever sane. I need to find out who he is before he causes even bigger trouble.'

There’s an old saying that to catch a dragon, you must enter its nest.

I was starting to see how I could use Jin.

"Hey, look at this. Gray, you have quite a physique, don’t you? I heard that the previous Viscount Weatherwood was an excellent warrior. Did you learn from him?"

"No way. I’m not good at physical work. I have muscles, but no substance. Swords… are just a romantic interest for me?"

As I said this, I showed my palm, which had no calluses. Volkwin shook his head after inspecting my hand.

"Definitely not a warrior’s hand. It’s so smooth, I can’t even imagine you holding a sword."

We chatted for a while and returned to our cabins at 11 PM.

It probably started from that day.

Me, Yegushi, and Volkwin. The number of people in our group gradually increased.

In just two days, the group of three grew to six, and then to fifteen.

"Wow. I thought everyone had disappeared, but you were digging a hole and gathering here? Where’s my seat?"

Look at this. We rented another large cabin, but it’s already full with the new arrivals.

"Wait a moment. The order is wrong. If you go to the table by the window, Viscount Weatherwood is sitting there. He’s a tall, blonde handsome man, so you should be able to find him easily. Since we are all sitting with him, it’s only right to greet him first."

"Ah, that’s the story? Thanks, Etley. He’s even taller."

You didn’t gather, did you? I was just sitting here, and you gathered.

"Hello, Viscount Weatherwood. I am Henry Fort from Fortsa. It’s a great honor to meet you…"

After that, the usual pleasantries followed, but as always, I would forget them in ten minutes.

I nodded and promised to recognize him later, then turned my attention back to the cards.

Thanks to the kind explanation of a certain Mr. whose name I can’t remember, we had a sixteenth uninvited guest in our cabin.

'Troublesome people.'

The reasons for these unknown faces and names to attach themselves to us varied widely.

"I see some familiar faces. Is it okay to join you?"

"Hello, Mr. Volkwin. How long has it been? We’re planning a team card game, and the numbers seem to match. Would you like to join us?"

"Yegushi, Volkwin? Oh, it’s been a while. How have you been?"

Still, the biggest reason was probably Yegushi’s presence.

"Yegushi, you haven’t been showing your face lately. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, Yegushi! Who is this new handsome man? If you’ve made a new friend, you should introduce him to me too?"

Yegushi… has many friends.

'An unnecessarily social guy.'

A guy with many friends and good social skills is inconvenient.

Like a magnet, new people stick to him, and I have to acknowledge them too.

In that sense, Raphaelo was a good match for me.

Despite his striking appearance, he was quite shy and had a demeanor that made it hard for others to approach him. Neither did Raphaelo take the initiative to approach others.

Everyone had to go through me to get to Raphaelo.

"Should we raise the stakes a bit?"

At such times, Yegushi, who is usually perceptive, threatened me with capital.

"Don’t raise it. My family is poor. We don’t have money."

"You’re the first noble I’ve met who says that outright, Gray. You’re a unique guy."

"Are you just a Pied Piper of Hamelin? Who are you to criticize someone who can gather people just by breathing?"

"…You don’t really think all these people are here because of you, do you?"

When I looked at him with a ‘So what?’ expression, Volkwin, who was seriously looking at his cards, smiled slightly.

"Gray, you’re sometimes really innocent."

"Is that an insult?"

"Gray, I often find it strange that you fit in with us. You don’t seem to care about your surroundings at all. …Anyway, all these people are here because of you, friend."

When I stared at him silently, Yegushi looked a bit surprised.

"Oh, you really didn’t know?"

"Ha ha. Think about it, Gray. Weren’t the methods all similar? Using Yegushi or me as an excuse. Using card games as an excuse. If it was just for socializing, other large cabins should be full too… I wonder if they are."

I looked around with a renewed sense of awareness.

Everyone seemed to be freely drinking and enjoying various games, from card games to board games.

However, the occasional glances that met mine were filled with secret curiosity.

My intuition tells me.

They are all focused on me.

'I had a vague idea, but…'

I thought it was just curiosity. A noble who had been inactive for four years had started to move again, so it was natural to be curious.

"Alright, then here’s a question. Why is everyone curious about our Gray Weatherwood?"

But it seems it wasn’t just curiosity.

"Because he’s handsome."

When I answered boldly, the two of them paused for a moment.

"I like your confidence, Gray."

"Thanks, Volkwin. I like myself too."

Yegushi, who laughed in exasperation, took a card and asked.

"Do you remember what I said the first day we met, Volkwin?"

Volkwin answered as if reciting a line from a poem.

"What you said then was, 'People who follow you like a shadow, even if you pretend not to notice them, they only stick together among themselves. It will be hard to join in if you’re new.'"

Thinking back, I remember getting such advice during our first meeting. I didn’t expect him to repeat it word for word.

"Your memory is impressive, Volkwin?"

Sincerely complimenting him, Volkwin smiled shyly.

"Thanks. I… don’t forget what I see or hear. Hmm. Yegushi’s expression is a bit raw, but it’s not wrong. I think most people on this Blackrager would agree."

"Nobles with nobles, upper class without titles with the upper class. But that’s just a broad classification."

After some thought, Volkwin raised the stakes by half.

"Yeah, that’s right. If you look closely, there’s a wall between noble families in the Noble Council and those not in it, and a wall between upper-class people with noble connections and those without."

"Hmm. If we divide it a bit differently, we could split it into those who participated in the Magic War and those who didn’t, those who benefited and those who didn’t. Within the Noble Council, we could split it into pro-Emperor and pro-Jenail factions."

The pro-Jenail faction seemed to refer to Raphaelo’s side.

Then I understood what these two were trying to say. I took a card from the table and said.

"That sounds like you’re saying my position is quite ambiguous?"

And, I went all in.