Chapter 59

After changing clothes—or rather, being made to change clothes—I found myself in a carriage with Marius and Camillo, swaying along the road. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep a sullen look off my face. The only consolation was that Semya and Rike hadn't seen me in this state.

"Don't be so angry. Don't you want to see the 'fake' too?" Camillo interceded.

"I didn't say I didn't want to see it..." It was a family treasure bestowed by the king, so it must be something extraordinary. If I were asked if it didn't concern me, it would definitely concern me.

"This is my request. I've involved the two of you, and I want you to know the outcome," Marius said. I had no objections to that.

"Then why did I have to wear this outfit?"

That was the only thing I was hung up on.

"To put it bluntly, it wouldn't do to have just a blacksmith attend such a meeting. I think it's a silly reason, but they dressed you in noble attire," Marius replied.

"Karel will be introduced as my guest from the north. He's bringing a few people too, so it won't be an issue to bring guests. For Karel, it's more convenient to declare the recovery of the treasure in the presence of a third party. The same goes for Lord Camillo. He probably hopes the news will spread through the merchant network. Otherwise, Karel wouldn't allow a mere merchant to attend."

"I see."

The phrase "mere merchant" was likely Karel's, not Marius's. Marius, the next baron, is rather progressive for a noble. Perhaps his experience as a guard in the city, where he saw all kinds of people, has influenced him. It makes sense that merchants are acceptable while blacksmiths are not, considering the spread of information.

"Could all of this backfire?"

"It could."

Being seen by a third party like me, or by a merchant with an information network like Camillo, would only spread news of Karel's failure. The same would happen if Karel brought friends and acquaintances. I couldn't help but think that it would be better if he just admitted it easily.

We eventually arrived at a large mansion. This must be the Aimur baron's residence.

"This is Lord Mensel's villa," Marius informed me, but it was a name I didn't recognize.

"Lord Mensel is a marquis in this country," Camillo added. A marquis is one rank above a baron.

"Wow, we're in a high place."

"My father and Lord Mensel were old acquaintances. Although younger than my father, they were close. Because of this connection, he was entrusted with the judgment of this matter," Marius explained. I see. A marquis would likely report directly to the king.

When we got out of the carriage, a polite young man, probably a servant, guided us to a large room. When we arrived, no one was there. Marius sat down, and we followed suit. I wasn't sure about the seating arrangement, but it didn't seem much different from the previous world. The "real" family treasure, a sword, was wrapped in cloth and placed near Marius.

After a while, three men entered. One of them had a smug smile. He somewhat resembled Marius, so he must be Karel. He didn't look particularly malicious. He must have been blinded by greed... The other two were likely of some status. Karel and his companions sat opposite us.

Until Karel arrived, Marius had been chatting with us in a low voice, but he fell silent as soon as Karel entered.

After a moment, a well-built middle-aged man in luxurious clothing entered. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and hair. This must be Lord Mensel. We all stood up. The marquis took his seat at the head of the table and gestured for us to sit as well.

"So, the Aimur family's family treasure was stolen, and Lord Karel recovered it, correct?" the marquis asked Karel in a deep, commanding voice. If he shouted, most people would probably tremble.

"Yes. It was the work of bandits near the border, but we managed to recover it yesterday," Karel replied in a calm, high-pitched voice. He produced a long, wrapped object, which turned out to be a sword. As Marius had said, it was a simple sheath with no elaborate decorations. The hilt and guard were also well-crafted, indicating the work of a skilled artisan.

"Then, what do you want me to judge? If you've recovered what was lost, there should be no problem. Once Marius here inherits the Aimur barony, everything will be resolved, won't it?" the marquis asked Karel. The marquis didn't seem to have a good impression of Karel, or perhaps he was just that kind of person. His tone was rather cold.

"No, I believe that someone who allowed the family treasure to be stolen and did nothing about it is not fit to be the head of the barony," Karel countered, glancing at Marius. The marquis seemed to be thinking about Karel's words.

I could understand Karel's point. If someone couldn't handle the theft of something important and just panicked, they might not be suitable to lead a family of high status. The more prestigious the family, the more people they affect. The lives of the people in their territory depend on the head of the family. The head needs the ability to resolve such difficulties, and Marius, it seemed, had failed to demonstrate that.

Of course, this would only be true if the family treasure had really been stolen and nothing had been done about it. But that wasn't the case here. However, we couldn't prove otherwise. It was also possible that Karel had dealt with the bandits he had brought in. In that case, Karel's story—that he had tracked down the bandits, eliminated them, and recovered the treasure—would be consistent and, most importantly, not a lie.

But we had a trump card. It was a risky move, but one Karel wouldn't expect.

Marius spoke up.

"May I say something?"

"Go ahead," the marquis encouraged.

"I appeared to be slow because the family treasure was a fake. I had the real one in my possession, so I planned to gradually corner the bandits. I deeply regret that it may have seemed like I was doing nothing, but I hope you understand that the difference was between a quick resolution and a gradual one."

"Hmm?"

The marquis raised an eyebrow at Marius's counter. There was a thud, and I saw that Karel had stood up involuntarily.

"Here is the 'real' one."

Marius unwrapped the cloth beside him and revealed the sword in its sheath—the "real" sword I had provided.