Chapter 57

After the young lady exposed her father's crimes, an oppressive silence fell. The earl, who had shown no surprise since then, crossed his arms and simply watched the young lady. The butler closed his eyes with a troubled expression, and Captain Maximus opened his mouth wide in astonishment.

Of course, it was the young lady who broke the silence.

"My father knew that the Riviere family was the mastermind behind the smuggling of the天赋珠玉, but he couldn't act. Even with the 'Judgment Magic Eye,' only my father could prove the lies of the other party. He could take strong action against lower-ranking noble families, but not against the top-ranking, one of the country's dukes. Therefore, my father first planned the attempted poisoning of Lady Kluvschlat. —Captain Maximus."

The captain, surprised by the sudden question, responded with a high-pitched voice, "Y-Yes."

"From what I heard earlier, Raze didn't know about it, but didn't you carry some kind of medicine when you went to the 'New Bud and New Moon Dinner Party'?"

"Ah, yes, 'a universal antidote for all poisons, just in case, to be given to anyone who collapses'—ah!"

It seemed he was correct, but the butler glared at Captain Maximus as if to say, "Don't say anything unnecessary," and the captain covered his mouth.

"My father must have anticipated that either Lord Ebenju or his guard would detect the poison. If Lady Kluvschlat were to ingest the poison, Captain Maximus could cure her. However, in that case, Captain Maximus's actions would become suspicious, and his subsequent actions would be restricted... Similarly, when Raze detected the poison, my father's actions were also restricted."

Detecting and curing the poison was a double-edged sword, ultimately leading to the accusation, "You must be the culprit." Therefore, the earl's next move was to wait until the situation cooled down—about a month.

"The man who served the poison was probably killed immediately, right? If his body had been preserved with a freezing magic device, it could have been kept intact. Originally, the plan was to have the Ebenju family detect the poison, and then my father would claim to have seen the man at the Riviere residence, leading to a thorough search of the Riviere residence if the man's body were found there. Since my father had the body, he could fabricate any evidence. My father was certain that the Riviere family was the mastermind behind the smuggling of the天赋珠玉 and knew that evidence would be found if investigated."

The Uroboros' rampage was a stroke of luck for the earl. He might have planned to do it after the ceremony for the granting of the天赋珠玉. The earl had to prioritize giving the天赋珠玉 to the young lady.

The earl must have other agents besides Captain Maximus. Many people were hiding outside when I talked to El at the Holy King's Palace today, but I didn't mention it.

Amid the chaos of the destroyed mansion, placing a damaged body would seem less suspicious.

"Brilliant deduction."

The earl smiled calmly, neither denying nor confirming.

"You've... become a full-fledged noble, haven't you?"

"...It's all thanks to my father's education."

"No—"

The earl glanced at me.

"...Eva must have learned to think hard, thanks to someone."

Me? No, it can't be.

"Earl, I also had a question."

"What is it? Someone."

Is it me again?

"...Well, the earl didn't know that something would happen at the ceremony for the granting of the天赋珠玉, right? But the earl wasn't present at the ceremony. Why?"

"Oh, that's simple. Many priests attend the ceremony, so it was a chance to investigate the private chambers of the priest who was involved in the smuggling of the天赋珠玉 to the Riviere family. I discovered a secret letter from the Riviere family—though it said to destroy it immediately, the priest probably wanted to keep it to avoid being betrayed by the Riviere family."

I see. Investigating the priests was the best environment for the ceremony. The earl had a reason to wait for the ceremony...

"After that, when the Dark Dome appeared, I sensed something abnormal and went with a stone I found, which was rumored to have special powers."

Well, in the end, the earl's slender arms couldn't destroy it, so I had to do it instead.

"Earl, why did that priest give the天赋珠玉 to the Riviere family? It's a grave sin, isn't it?"

"That's simple. Money. ...Eva, remember this. Most of the world can be resolved with money. And people are destroyed and their lives ruined by money."

The young lady and the earl's gazes met. I couldn't tell what the young lady was thinking. When she revealed this deduction to me—probably the truth—she was pale and looked like she was about to collapse. But now, she looked determined.

"Father. Did you also resort to wrongdoing to correct wrongdoing? Even to the point of taking a life?"

I had to ask myself many times if I should have let the young lady say such words. I had a vague sense that the earl's actions were strange and harbored some doubts. But the young lady noticed first. If I hadn't told her unnecessary things, the earl would have probably covered it up with a clean lie.

The young lady is only 12 years old. Even if she had become an "adult," did she have to be shown the dirtiness of "adults" and given such responsibilities right away?

(If I had been a bit smarter, the young lady wouldn't have noticed.)

Still, I think the young lady, after some time—months or years—would have discovered the truth and confronted the earl like this.

Honestly, I wished it had happened in a place I couldn't see, hear, or know about. That was my true feeling. This is too painful.

"...The man who served the poison was originally supposed to be executed. He was a nobleman involved in the smuggling of the天赋珠玉 who managed to escape. He understood his crimes and knew that his guilt would affect his wife and children, who had lived luxuriously on his money."

The earl paused. He must have offered a deal... If you give your life, your family will be spared.

"Father, crimes must be judged by the law."

"That's correct. The Riviere family will also be judged."

Ah... This person has decided to treat the young lady as an "adult." It's clear from his manner of speaking. And as an "adult," he must have decided never to show his true feelings, even to his only daughter.

"..."

The young lady's profile was distorted. She looked like she was trying to hold back tears. She must have expected the earl to tell her everything. That's why she confronted him directly. I felt it was a "bad bet," and unfortunately, my premonition came true.

"Eva, there is no universally recognized 'justice.' The talent agency you believed to be 'wrong' and destroyed was 'justice' for those who wanted to make money by selling themselves."

"Don't try to cover it up with mere sophistry."

"What have you discovered on your own this time? Everything you know is just information from Raze, isn't it?"

"That's..."

"Is there a possibility that Raze is lying?"

"—!?"

The young lady, startled, looked at me fearfully.

(...Earl, that can't be true.)

This was, in a sense, a "parent-child quarrel." The young lady was angry, and the earl was begging for forgiveness. How nice it would have been if it had ended that easily.

I understand the earl's position. He truly thought about the country and believed that the corruption of the "Heaven Altar," the heart of the country, must be eliminated, even if it meant getting his hands dirty.

But that has nothing to do with my relationship with the young lady. If you involve me, I have my own thoughts.

"Earl, I resign from my duties as the Series family's guard as of today. I will return all the pay for the contract period."

"!?"

The young lady's face turned to surprise this time.

"So, my involvement with the Series family is now over, and our interests no longer align. —Young lady, I haven't lied to you about anything. You know the secret I confessed to you this morning, right?"

What does the earl want with the relationship between the young lady and me? Can it be destroyed with just these words? —Or is there more to it?

"...I'm sorry, Raze. It's my fault for losing my composure. There's no way you would lie. So, don't say you're resigning as a guard."

"That's right, Raze. If you resign as a guard, you won't get what you want, will you?"

"No, Earl. I gained something today."

"...What do you mean?"

Since the earl didn't know about my conversation with El, seeing his surprised face felt a bit good.

"So, in any case... I needed to leave here sooner or later."

"...Raze, what do you mean?"

"Young lady, I'll talk about it later."

"..."

The young lady looked unconvinced, but

"Surely."

She finally agreed, but

"Perhaps, in a way, it was convenient."

The earl said something that could undermine the young lady's agreement.

"What do you mean?"

At this moment, I would truly understand what a "cold-blooded earl" is and his true nature.

"The six ducal families are quite troublesome. Even when the evidence is all there, they will resist and argue. Even if the Holy King himself intervenes, it's not easy to dissolve them. Especially in this case, since I—a mere earl—have taken a lot of action, there is strong opposition from the other ducal families."

"...What are you talking about?"

"In short, some form of 'pain sharing'—a show of force—is needed. For example, the body of a hero who has performed well."

The earl showed the most refreshing smile I had ever seen from him.

"By the way, Raze. You are hiding something from me, aren't you?"

A chill ran down my spine. So, the earl already knew my secret. That I am originally black-haired and black-eyed.

"The Ebenju ducal family is saying that we have a black-haired, black-eyed 'Child of Calamity' in our home. If you hand over this person, they will overlook our family's faults... Indeed, if you are no longer a guard, there is no reason to protect you."

At that moment, outside the window, many people were making a commotion, even though it was so late at night.

"Hmm... I told them to come tomorrow at noon, but they are quite impatient. The forces of the Ebenju ducal family must have arrived."

It seems the matter was already settled between the earl and the Ebenju ducal family. How far ahead does this person think? Did he know he would be confronted by the young lady? Or, even if he didn't know, perhaps this person—

(Did he intend to confess to the young lady himself?)

If he had that much resolve, perhaps the earl was actually—pleased that the young lady discovered the truth on her own?

"Eva, Raze. What will you do? Will you still shout 'justice'? Or will you help to achieve the 'greater good' despite knowing the 'wrongdoing'?"

In other words, the earl is asking the young lady and me to become his "allies." If we do, he will protect me.