Chapter 65

Insurance is not a very old culture. Most common people, who struggled to make ends meet, could not understand why it was necessary, but the wealthy nobles in the capital enjoyed being the first to embrace such new trends. In a sense, it was a kind of fashion. Even Altear, who was not particularly interested in trends, had heard stories about various types of insurance through rumors, making it a rather novel and intriguing trend. Therefore, it was not strange that the Viscount and Viscountess, who were at the center of the capital's social scene, had taken out insurance. However, the fact that the beneficiary was not the previous Viscount's only daughter but his younger brother... anyone would find that unusual.

"Clearly a suspicious situation, yet why wasn't this an issue?"

"The previous Viscount had a direct contract with the insurance company, leaving no room for doubt."

"The previous Viscount himself?"

"Yes. The insurance company, determined to find any loophole to refuse payment, had no choice but to pay out, suggesting that the procedures were sound."

"The process was legal, but the situation is suspicious... I see."

Since the other party was a high-ranking noble, it would not have been possible to escalate the issue based solely on suspicious circumstances.

"The more I hear, the more curious I become. Given that he had a massive debt, it seems he wasn't particularly clever, so did he just get lucky and avoid a difficult situation this way?"

"Indeed, it smells fishy."

Blan asked cautiously, and Altear nodded slightly.

"The current Viscount of Bain gained a tremendous advantage when the previous Viscount and Viscountess passed away. It's an unusually large stroke of luck, considering it's a series of coincidences."

"And..."

Blan cautiously added important information as Altear calmly analyzed the situation.

"That insurance was also taken out in Lady Nadia's name."

"What? Nadia too?"

"Yes. The same insurance as the previous Viscount and Viscountess. The beneficiary is also... the current Viscount of Bain."

A loud thud echoed as Altear, whose body moved before his mind, slammed his fist on the table.

"...Nadia was also in the carriage when the previous Viscount and Viscountess had their accident."

"Yes. She was the only survivor."

Blan's suspicions about the carriage accident, which he believed was not a simple accident, became clearer. He couldn't leave the capital because of these suspicions. Altear, while having some doubts about Blan's skills—though anyone would be considered suspicious by Altear's standards—gave him high marks for his intelligence. The intuition of a knight skilled in intelligence could not be ignored.

"If you give the order, I will investigate the accident further."

"Is an order necessary?"

Altear's eyes seemed to speak more than his words, and Blan smiled slightly.

"No. I understand what you want to say."

"If you had asked directly, it would have been difficult to reveal."

"That's the scary part of power."

That's why dealing with high-ranking nobles is exhausting. But Blan was not one to be intimidated.

"But we can uncover the truth. The knights of Eilsford never give up until they get what they want."

***

As soon as Blan finished his report to Altear and stepped outside, he encountered Pavel, who was waiting in the corridor for the office to open. Despite being brothers who hadn't seen each other in a while, they did not exchange warm greetings.

"You can go in. I'm done with my business."

Blan moved slightly to the side to let him pass, but Pavel's purpose was not to meet Altear.

"I don't have business with the lord."

"Huh? Then with me?"

Blan pointed to himself with a puzzled look.

"Surely... you didn't come to ask about my well-being after so long? Please say no. I might die from the chills."

Pavel clicked his tongue while pulling on Blan's clothes, despite Blan's visibly disgusted face as he rubbed his arm.

"People don't die from chills."

"I might be the first case."

"Ridiculous. Did you think I came for such a reason?"

"Just in case."

"Of course not. Don't be so dramatic. Lady Nadia wants to see you for a moment."

"Huh? Lady Nadia?"

Blan's shoulders twitched, having just discussed Altear and Nadia. Pavel narrowed his eyes.

"...Your reaction is strange."

Even a skilled knight in intelligence couldn't escape the insight of family. However, since the matter was not yet certain, Blan couldn't reveal it easily, even though he knew Pavel would find it suspicious.

"You're just feeling it because we haven't seen each other in a while."

"There's a story you can't share yet."

Pavel adjusted his glasses calmly and assessed the situation. Since that was the correct answer, Blan cleared his throat loudly, and Pavel clicked his tongue again, looking Blan up and down.

"How do you manage to do your job without it showing?"

"I do fine outside."

"Oh. So you admit you're stupid inside."

"Hey!"

Blan, who had burst out in a pointless argument, soon regained his composure and gently poked Pavel's side.

"Why does Lady Nadia suddenly want to see me?"

"Let's not talk about it here."

Pavel glanced around and spoke cautiously.

"It's better to hear it directly from Lady Nadia. It's not something I can easily discuss."

"Hmm. I have a bad feeling it's a serious matter."

"..."

Pavel, who had partly joked, did not deny it, and Blan's face turned serious.

"Is it really a serious matter?"

Pavel, as if it was too troublesome to repeat, tapped his lips with his finger, indicating that he couldn't talk about it here. Blan's face hardened, sensing the gravity of the situation from Pavel's firm attitude. ***

'By now, the report should be finished.'

I waited for Blan to come and organized the conversation I had with Pavel on paper to pass it on to Altear. It wasn't just a summary of the conversation with Pavel; I also added a plan to classify and manage the grades of magic stones, which made the content longer than expected.

'I'm definitely good at writing.'

Words, once spoken, are final, but writing can be revised, which is perfect for someone like me who always worries about making mistakes. Organizing my thoughts in writing also helps clear my mind, which is an added benefit.

'Come to think of it, there was more to the story about magic stones in the novel.'

In the novel, Altear found a different way to make magic stones profitable. His approach was to stimulate 'vanity,' but it was a bit different from the grading system I thought of. Magic stones are like batteries; when installed in magical devices, they are not visible. No matter how good the magic stone, it doesn't show that 'I'm using such a good magic stone!'

'So, Altear developed magical devices that could display the quality of the magic stone.'

The rapid wealth of the border nobles was not just due to the discovery of magic stone mines.

'Without such a strategy, it would have been difficult to sell magic stones in the solid noble society of the capital.'

The important point is that, at the time of the novel, there were several craftsmen who could make such magical devices, and they all belonged to the Eilsford workshop, earning significant profits from both magic stones and magical devices.

'Since I have artificially advanced the discovery and sale of magic stones, I haven't tried to find such craftsmen yet...'

This is a business that the villain Altear in the novel directly pursued, so if I give a hint, he can quickly advance the business. Developing magical devices that can display the quality of magic stones would create even more synergy with the grading system.

'I can feel it. The scent of great success!'

I added the item 'Cultivation of Magical Device Craftsmen' to the paper, hoping Altear would quickly advance this business. As I enthusiastically wrote, I heard a knock on the door.

"Lady. Um... outside..."

"Sure. Bring them in!"

Assuming it was Pavel and Blan, I didn't check who it was. When the door opened, Melissa appeared, accompanied by her personal maid from the Bain Viscount's household.

"Uh..."

Melissa, looking at me with a derisive smile, got up, clearly taken aback by the unexpected visitor.

"What kind of lady is this?"

Her sarcastic mutter was loud enough for Anna, who opened the door, to cautiously observe my reaction.

"Move out of the way."

Melissa's personal maid, who had come from the Bain Viscount's household, pushed Anna aside somewhat irritably. If Mari had been there, she could have handled the situation better, but she had left the castle for a while, citing an urgent matter.

'She said a friend from the capital was visiting.'

It was rare for Mari to ask if she could leave, so I assumed it was important and allowed it. I didn't expect Melissa to show up.

'For Anna to handle... this is too much.'

I signaled Anna to leave before she got into trouble, and she nodded resolutely and left. After Anna left, I noticed that the maid Melissa had brought was someone I knew well. In other words, she was a long-time maid of the Bain Viscount's household and knew very well how I was treated there. Perhaps for that reason, her eyes were full of disdain as she looked at me. I didn't want to cause a commotion, so I ignored the maid's rude gaze and turned to Melissa.

"What's up, Melissa?"

"Do you really not know? Don't you realize you're interfering with me?"

"Interfering?"

"Yes! Is it so hard for you to let me meet my husband?"

"Melissa. I don't understand what you're saying. I've only been preparing things to your taste and treating you with respect."

Since Melissa's arrival in Eilsford, I had treated her according to her preferences, which was an undeniable fact. Melissa, embarrassed by this truth, cleared her throat a couple of times. Of course, Melissa was not the type to be swayed by such truths.

"Always having a maid follow me and watch me is suffocating."

"It's not to watch you, but to guide you properly. You don't know the castle well. Yesterday, you said you would explore on your own and got lost."

"That, that was..."

When a disadvantageous story about herself came up, Melissa became angry.

"Miss."

Melissa, about to explode in anger, was gently restrained by her maid. Normally, Melissa would have shouted at the maid first, but this time she obediently shut her mouth. It seemed she had a more important matter to discuss.

"Anyway, I need to meet my husband. Set up a meeting for me."

"Sure. I'll pass on the message, but he's very busy, so it might be difficult to find time."

"He must make time. My father entrusted me with a letter for the viscount, saying it must be delivered directly."

"If that's the case, why didn't you mention it on the first day?"

"That, that was... I just forgot for a moment!"

It was an excuse. A lie. It was obvious to anyone. But there was no clear way to confirm the truth and refuse.

"Since I have the letter with me, you can guide me directly. It's such an important letter that the viscount will surely make time."

Melissa, confident that I couldn't refuse, lifted her chin proudly, and her maid sneered at me. At that moment, the corridor became strangely noisy.