Chapter 49

Fudo dropped his sake cup and stared intently at Enraku's face. In the world of nobles where demons and monsters roamed, he showed a rare sign of surprise and confusion.

It wasn't the act of anger he had just put on; he was genuinely surprised, and his attitude reflected that too honestly.

"What did you just say?"

He had heard it, the words had entered his ears. However, he dismissed it as a lie, a mere joke, and asked again. Rationally, he knew that this man was trying his best to shock Fudo, and that the words were true, but he still asked.

Enraku's face twisted into a predatory grin, like a carnivore about to pounce on its prey. It seemed to revel in Fudo's shock, which was repulsive.

"I said what I said. Your granddaughter held a charity event at an orphanage."

"That's not the issue. The problem is what happened after that."

Narrowing his eyes, Fudo took a deep breath, tucking his shock deep inside, and asked for an explanation again. Miharu, his granddaughter, was kind. Raised by the good and virtuous Hōretsus, it was only natural, and he knew this from his investigations.

At school, she was popular with many children, regardless of gender. The girl with silver-gray hair smiled innocently and showed a cute appearance. However, she also displayed a charisma that could pull people along, and when she saw bullying, she immediately went to help.

So, when she held a charity event, he didn't worry much. If it was that granddaughter, she would do it. He thought. There was no surprise. The problem was the next words.

"Miharu held the charity event with the help of the Teisei family. Well, after all, she's just a child. She said she wanted to help the people in the slums, but the orphanage turned it into a charity event, and she quickly organized it."

"Wasn't it a small orphanage?"

"Yes, a small privately-run orphanage. Just the right size to indulge a child's whim."

Smirking, Enraku grabbed the spare ribs placed on the table by the maid, not caring about getting his hands dirty, and took a big bite.

Chewing the meat like a carnivore, Enraku continued his story. Even among nobles, the Japanese nobility didn't have the strict etiquette found in the West. Enraku's mannerisms perfectly matched his outward personality.

"Miharu thought that if the orphans sang, they might get some donations. But ōga had a different idea. He gathered the sick nobles, hoping to strengthen his power base."

"Hmph, calling dozens of people to cure one person. Then giving a few recovery spells and calling it a day. The participants will wag their tails for the Teisei family, hoping to get healing at the next charity event."

Fudo took a deep drink, finding it repulsive. This was supposed to be the job of the Takano family, to expand their power base and revive their declining house.

For the elderly or sick, maintaining health with 100 million yen is better than earning 100 billion yen. Especially for nobles, once they feel old, they aim for health over wealth.

It was easy to imagine how good a deal the charity event was for the Teisei family.

"Your granddaughter's recovery magic was said to be weak. So, they probably didn't expect much. But something unexpected happened."

"… Is this really the truth?"

Fudo involuntarily gasped. He understood it wasn't a joke, but the content was hard to believe. Enraku nodded, understanding Fudo's disbelief. He had been shocked when he first heard the story and had his men verify it multiple times.

"It's the truth. Miharu cast 'Heal' on all the participants. All 30 of them. A few didn't recover, but she used area recovery spells multiple times afterward."

"Impossible! Recovery magic to heal diseases and poisons shouldn't be used so easily! Even the current Holy Maiden would need a few days of rest after using it once to heal a disease!"

Fudo slammed his hand on the table and shouted at Enraku, his words harsh. It was that unbelievable.

'Status Recovery.' It wasn't that simple. Magic wasn't omnipotent. Especially recovery magic.

With attack magic, you could just say the 'powerful words' with a vague image in mind, and if you had the aptitude, you could cast it.

But recovery magic was different. Poison was relatively easy to heal by negating the image of the poison. For diseases, you needed to scan the body with mana to determine what was wrong and how to approach the healing, requiring extreme concentration. It wasn't about the amount of mana but mental strength.

After healing a disease, you would usually feel tired and your body would be sluggish. That was common knowledge.

Until now.

"Your granddaughter apparently didn't need extreme concentration. Our researchers think she simply didn't consider it as 'status recovery.' She seemed completely fine even after using so much recovery magic."

"… Such a thing… That's practically 'magic.' A real Holy Maiden, then? But to let her use such magic, what was Hōretsu thinking… Ah! She didn't go to the Magic Academy."

Fudo realized why Hōretsu hadn't stopped Miharu from using so much magic. The common knowledge about recovery magic was limited to the nobility. Since it was a rare magic with little connection to their lives, it wasn't taught outside the Magic Academy. The content taught was that recovery magic healers heal others' bodies. That was all.

So, the commoners were mistaken. Recovery magic healers were rare, and the number of times they could use their magic depended on the amount of mana. Since there were so few recovery magic healers, it was assumed that only nobles used recovery magic.

Hōretsu probably thought the number of times one could use magic depended on the amount of mana. But he didn't know that recovery magic healers were an exception. The nobles knew this, but it was a topic that rarely came up. The only rumors were about who was a recovery magic healer. Even working in the Magic Ministry, it was understandable that it wasn't a topic of conversation.

"The Teisei family must have turned pale. They probably had a list of who to heal, but she unexpectedly used it on everyone."

"… That's right. They couldn't keep it quiet. They must have invited nobles from other factions to show off."

Otherwise, Enraku wouldn't have known so quickly. Fudo also understood why Enraku came to see him so soon. The cunning nobles. The earlier they planned, the better they could outmaneuver others.

"This is an opportunity, Lord Enraku. My granddaughter is far beyond the norm. We can no longer overlook her being under another house."

"Agreed. Even as a viscount, Hōretsu has no money or power. He's just a minor official in the Magic Ministry. This is abnormal."

In the Japanese Magic Empire, ruled by the emperor and nobles, the commoners were given the right to vote to reflect their opinions, but in reality, it was still a noble-dominated society. A minor official in the Magic Ministry was far below the nobility. The law wasn't applied equally to everyone.

Nobles, except for the fallen ones, always had a company, large or small. The title of noble was necessary for tax purposes, as they were given significant tax benefits.

Thus, Hōretsu was abnormal. Since the Teisei family was supporting him, they should have given him a company. But they were exploiting the talents of Miharu.

At least, that's what it looked like on the surface. Even if the reality was different, it was easy to imagine that the kind and virtuous Hōretsu wouldn't accept a company even if offered.

But that was only Fudo's understanding. What others would think was important.

"What would happen if I tearfully诉诉 the Teisei family's exploitation of Miharu?"

"Of course, I understand your difficult situation, Lord Fudo. To see your only granddaughter being exploited and not being able to meet her must be painful. I should offer to mediate and reconcile. The other dukes, marquises, and viscounts would agree."

In this powerful Japanese family, the 36 houses—3 dukes, 3 marquises, and 30 viscounts—were the most influential. There were other viscount families, but these 36 were the ancient, wealthy, and powerful ones. There were exceptions, with some fallen families being replaced by new viscount families.

Among them, the dukes and marquises were the most powerful, each leading their own factions. But if the Teisei family gained more power, other factions would become wary. It wasn't hard to imagine that they were already wary.

Even the neutral families, some of which formed alliances among themselves to counter the factions, would not tolerate the Teisei family gaining more power.

The Takano family was neutral. Recently, they had been closer to the Awaguni family, but they were an independent house with limited power.

That's why they were a target. Even if the Takano family obtained Miharu, they wouldn't be able to expand their influence much. At least, the other houses would think it was better than having her under the Teisei family.

"The royal party for the debut of the new noble children. Many houses will attend, including Hōretsu. I plan to have a conversation with him. This time, I'll be friendly."

"By chance, I'll overhear the conversation. Given my personality, I'll mediate and push for reconciliation."

Enraku, being straightforward and passionate, wouldn't tolerate trivial arguments. He would grab both of them by the shoulders and laugh heartily, urging them to reconcile.

"Hehe, I'll count on you then. As a reward for reconciliation, I plan to make Hōretsu the next head of the family."

"You're bold, Lord Fudo."

"Well, I'm still young. I can help Hōretsu."

Fudo grinned, mirroring Enraku's sly smile.

There, the two cunning men, skilled in plotting, were planning their scheme. The target was the royal party. The Teisei family couldn't cause a commotion at a royal party. They planned to have a brief conversation in a corner of the party.

And so, Fudo planned to bring Miharu into his own family.

...

Fudo had made one mistake.

It was about his son, Arashi. The heir, who was about to be disinherited, was a spendthrift but had one virtue: he was generous to his subordinates, giving large sums to those who brought valuable information.

The maid standing by the wall, unnoticed by Fudo and Enraku, quietly went to Arashi afterward.

Various schemes would converge at the royal party. The outcome was unknown, even to the gods.