Chapter 94. Usurpation

Dive's residence was not far from the mansion. The butler, who accompanied them by the lady's order, stared blankly outside the carriage, as if in a daze. It must have been quite a shock for him to lose his master.

"…Lord Ian."

Ian turned his head as a response.

"Since we are alone, I would like to know the truth."

"What truth?"

"Surely, you have no relation to the lady?"

"Ah, come on."

"It's a serious matter to me."

"To me, it's a pointless question."

The butler was puzzled. If Ian had no such relationship with the lady, why did she refuse to return to her bedroom in such fear? Her fearful reaction clearly indicated that a secret had been exposed.

"If it's really not the case, I feel as if all the tragedies began because of my misjudgment."

If he had ignored the servants' gossip, it might not have been a tragic night for the viscount, the lady, or Clark.

Ian chuckled and muttered.

"Samen, right?"

"Yes."

"Samen, who said it was a tragedy?"

"…Pardon?"

"To someone, a death might be a tragedy, but to those who wished for it, where else could there be such a blessing? I believe you understand this well."

There were many servants who had been mutilated and the lady had suffered watching their pain.

Samen covered his eyes and sighed deeply. He couldn't figure out what was right.

"And even if it is a tragedy, it's not because of your misjudgment but because of the viscount's insane personality."

Ian drew a firm line. Meanwhile, the carriage gradually slowed down, indicating they had arrived at Dive's residence. There were few houses around, as they were far out in the outskirts.

"Hmm. It's more charming and pleasant than I thought."

A three-story mansion with a low roof. Compared to the homes of commoners, it could be called a palace, but for a noble, it was quite simple. Only a single willow tree was planted in the small garden.

"Isn't that Butler Samen?"

The servant who came out at the sound of footsteps bowed deeply upon recognizing Samen. He was surprised to see Samen here, especially with a stranger.

"Is Lord Dive inside?"

"Yes, but he is in the middle of a prayer."

"Bring me some news. Lead the way."

"Ah, yes. This way……"

The servant led them inside, moved by the mention of news. The interior of the mansion didn't seem particularly special, except for the dark paintings on the walls.

'Prayer, huh?'

It was unexpected. It was hard to find devout people in the borderlands. In the central region, there was the Vatican and a closer connection to magic, so reverence for the gods was more common.

But here, the lord's power was almost equal to that of the emperor. Everything revolved around the viscount, so there was no place to flaunt power under the name of religion.

"Please wait here for a moment."

Creak.

The servant led Ian and Samen to the reception room. It seemed there were no other servants in the mansion, as there was no sound or movement. Ian, rubbing his neck, asked Samen.

"By the way, what kind of person is Lord Dive?"

"Lord Dive? You didn't know?"

"How could I know if he's not my brother?"

Samen seemed to be pondering how to describe him. While waiting for his answer, Ian looked around the reception room more closely.

A red-painted birchwood cross, a geometric-patterned tablecloth, dry leaves, colorful beads strung together as decorations, and books piled up to the ceiling without a bookshelf……

"Lord Dive's aesthetic is quite unique, but I can't understand it."

Samen glanced at the tightly closed door and cleared his throat.

"Actually, I don't know much about his childhood, but I heard that Lord Dive was a very studious person."

"Studious?"

Samen, being a settler and not from Merelop, didn't know much about their childhood. He only knew bits and pieces from rumors.

"The viscount seemed to have no interest in anything other than money, but in studies."

Samen wanted to argue but couldn't, as it wasn't entirely wrong. He shrugged it off.

"The viscount thought his studiousness was a blessing, but later it turned out to be a curse. He read a banned book from a foreign country."

"What kind of banned book?"

"It was about the underground god."

"Ah, the underground god."

"Do you know about it?"

Ian let out a small exclamation. Despite the grand name, the essence was simple. A new religion created among the lower classes in a foreign country. At the time, it was just one of many heresies, but over time, it grew in scale and influence.

'Varyel is outside its influence, but other countries have suffered a lot. Religious wars often broke out.'

Since Merelop handled the trade of new items coming into Varyel, they naturally had more opportunities to encounter such things. Ian stroked his chin with his arms crossed.

'Good grief, the state of this estate is a mess……'

It was a complete mess, and it was hard to imagine how it had managed to survive until now. The viscount was a severely jealous and mentally unstable person, and his only heir was a heretic. It was a farce.

'In this case, it would be better to replace the head of the household as the lady suggested.'

If power were given to a heretic, no one could predict the consequences. In the long run, it could threaten not only Ian's estate but Varyel itself.

Creak.

"Samen."

"Ah, Lord Dive."

At that moment, the reception room door opened, and Dive entered. Ian had expected him to be around the viscount's age, but he looked much younger, probably in his late thirties. His facial features were similar to the viscount's, but his overall demeanor was quite different.

He seemed to exude a scholarly air, as if he had been in seclusion, praying all the time.

"I received a response from the underground god."

"There's some bad news."

"Who has died?"

Samen was startled by Dive's supernatural ability and only nodded, but Ian snorted in disbelief. Of course, bad news meant someone had died. It was ridiculous to act as if he had made a great prediction.

"Last night, the viscount was killed by a servant. The doctor is currently stitching the wounds for the funeral."

"Hmm."

Dive let out a sigh that was hard to interpret. It seemed both sorrowful and relieved. He pressed his fingertips to his forehead and muttered something.

'Serious, very serious.'

"By the way, who is this gentleman?"

"Oh, this is Lord Ian, the new viscount of the neighboring estate."

Samen introduced Ian, who extended his hand for a handshake.

"Ian. Since I haven't received a family name from the emperor yet, you can call me by my first name. Currently, a palace advisor is with us, and Lady Rien Merelop requested help, so I came here."

Dive glanced at his hand and reluctantly shook it. He seemed to have heard about Ian. A commoner-born bastard who overthrew his father and became the new viscount.

"What kind of help?"

"Starting with delivering this news to you, and handling various matters at the mansion. Lady Rien is in a state of shock, so she needs someone to look after things."

"Interesting. To bring an outsider when there are family members. I'll get ready quickly. Let's return to the mansion."

Ian smiled and nodded. However, there were several points that bothered him even in this short conversation. Despite Ian's young age and humble origins, he had a title, while Dive did not. There was an underlying condescension in Dive's attitude, just because he was of noble birth.

'And he says he's going back?'

It might be an overreaction, but Dive's attitude made it seem as if the mansion was his by right. Dive left the reception room to change his clothes, and Ian turned to Samen.

"Butler, do you hope that Dive becomes the new head of the household?"

Samen hesitated. The sudden question made it hard for him to answer immediately. The viscount wasn't a good master, but he was decent in business.

But Dive? He had never handled any business since adulthood and spent half his day praying to a cult.

"If he enters the mansion, you might lose your place. You're not a lifelong servant, are you?"

A butler is someone the head of the household trusts to manage the estate. Currently, Dive had only one servant, so he would naturally appoint that person as the butler if he returned to the mansion.

"I have no say. I served the viscount, so I only wish for Merelop's glory."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

Really? Ian raised an eyebrow and asked again, but he didn't get an answer.

They returned to the mansion, led by Dive. On the way to the mansion entrance, Ian noticed a familiar carriage.

"Isn't that your carriage, Lord Ian?"

"Yes. Beric seems to have moved quickly."

Beric, who had gone to fetch Romandor, had arrived. The knights, seeing the officials gathering in front of the mansion, frowned and took a defensive stance.

"Lord Ian, what's going on here?"

"Let's go inside first. This is Lord Dive, the viscount's only blood relative."

"He's an advisor from the palace?"

"Yes. Please accept my condolences."

"Thank you, but it's fine."

Dive walked ahead with a straight back, already acting like the master of the mansion. Ian nodded to Romandor, signaling him to wait a moment.

"Ian, I don't understand what's happening."

"It's a case of a slave stabbing and killing his master. But the mansion's knights seem suspicious. They plan to occupy the mansion and likely remove Lady Rien and deal with Dive as well."

"Occupy the mansion? Does that mean they are after the viscount's position?"

Ian briefly explained the morning's events and the situation. Lady Rien would be overthrown using the affair as a pretext, and Dive would also be eliminated.

"Moreover, Dive believes in the underground god."

"What? What kind of day is this? One thing after another, it's a mess."

"What's the underground god?"

"Beric, I'll explain later. Just listen for now."

"Heh. Good grief, the borderlands really… exceed expectations."

Romandor grumbled in disgust. Of all things, the underground god! It was the religion that Varyel despised and found most troublesome. Even a central noble would know about it.

"So, in my opinion, Lady Rien becoming the new head of the household is the best choice. We can negotiate with her, even if we leave the rest to fate."

"I agree. The knights are aggressive, and the underground god is absurd. I might as well tell them to eat their own shit. That guy, looking so normal… tsk tsk."

Romandor's words made Ian nod in agreement.

"Then, let's intervene."

"Any good plan?"

"There are many, but I can't spend too much time since I need to return to the central region soon."

Beric, who had been listening quietly, suddenly perked up, his eyes sparkling like a dog sensing something.

"…I haven't said anything yet."

"Killing him, right?"

"You're quite perceptive."

However, they couldn't just eliminate him outright. There was no justification, and Lady Rien should be the one to take the lead in this matter.

"Killing him, but with some effort."