Chapter 73

"Ugh... That girl is scary, isn't she?"

I couldn't help but sigh again at his first words.

"Why do you think so?"

"Well... The Pope's son hasn't been punished yet, right? And it hasn't changed that the Pope is still chosen from that family."

"Even so, no one knows what will happen. The Popes who have inherited the position have always entered the academy to study and broaden their horizons, and then after graduation, they enter the church and undergo training before becoming Pope. But now, his father has been stripped of the papacy during his training. If we wait for his training to end, the papacy will be vacant for a few years. Moreover, there are opinions from the upper echelons of the country and even the association that it's inappropriate to appoint a Pope from a family that has produced someone who has been accused of a crime."

Rudy nodded in agreement.

In other words, the possibility of Van becoming the next Pope is extremely low at this point.

"Yeah, that's right. That's right. But... When the son approached her as usual, she said, 'Do you need something?' in a very formal manner. I was surprised. I used to see him barge into her territory without being asked, but now that he's become useless, she's discarded him so quickly."

He smiled, but his words were laced with a lot of thorns.

"I think it might be premature to discard him. But, I can't help but think that his ability to quickly cut ties with someone who's no longer useful is a trait of a leader."

"So, do you like that baron's daughter?"

"Maybe? There are pros and cons, right? Besides, I've already chosen my master, so I have no intention of being unfaithful."

"I see. So, what? You can't mean that's the end of your report, right?"

At this question, Myro's expression suddenly turned serious, though he still had a smile on his face.

"Well, there are quite a few rats buzzing around that girl. What do you think we should do?"

"Guard her? Or..."

"Maybe both? Their movements were strange, not just for protection."

"I see. Are the people around her not leaking any unnecessary information?"

"There's no one around her who knows our movements. Besides, the duke's son and the captain's son are starting to distance themselves from her."

"Really? Even Dolsen?"

"Yep. It's good for him. He managed to pull back at the last moment. If he had continued to side with her, we would have had to eliminate him."

"Eliminating him, who is just a knight, wouldn't have a significant impact on the country."

Rudy's words also had a sharp edge. Given that his grandfather is a general, he's probably leaning towards the military's perspective.

"Rudy, you're scary."

"Your delivery is wonderfully flat."

Rudy's comment didn't seem to bother Myro, who continued to smile innocently.

"By the way, that duchess's maid is still snooping around."

"Tanya, huh..."

"I think she's doing a good job. I might want to recruit her."

If Myro says that, she must be doing a good job. I'd like to recruit her, but...

"There's no way she would leave Iris and come to our side, even if the world were turned upside down."

...It's absolutely impossible.

"Hehe, I think that's part of her charm. I wish I could have met her before she found her master."

"Because your master is Iris, you've put one foot in her territory."

"That's true. What a shame, what a shame."

"So, what about the baron's daughter's movements?"

"Hmm, she meets with that merchant Divan about two or three times a month. The content of their meetings is trivial... things like how her relationship with the prince is, and how her life is."

"Her relationship with the prince, huh. That's important for them. But why is Divan trying to cause trouble? If the baron's daughter continues to capture Ed, he can pull the strings behind the scenes when Ed ascends the throne."

"Who knows? Maybe he's wary of Alfred, or maybe she was just a pawn from the beginning. It's one of those two, I think."

Rudy's frown deepened, as if he wasn't convinced by Myro's answer.

"She was a pawn, that's true. But also, for them, the current situation is sweet enough that they don't need to wait for the future. The current infighting among the nobles is a better opportunity to weaken the country and then take everything."

"Hmm... I think that would be a lot of work to govern. Why do countries throughout history always aim to expand their territory..."

"The fertile land of this country is very attractive to them. According to Enarine's report, this year's harvest in his country is particularly bad."

Enarine, like Myro, is one of my shadows. She is currently staying with the Marvellous Messy baron family at the border. She serves as a liaison between me and Marvellous and as an infiltrator into the Twail kingdom.

According to her, the poor harvests have continued in recent years, but this year is especially bad. It's a northern country, and most of the year is winter, with poor soil. As a defeated country, they have had to pay substantial reparations in the past... In short, they are being pushed to the brink and can't wait any longer.

Rather than waiting for future favors, it's better to destroy and take this fragile kingdom, which could be shaken by a single stone. That's probably the case.

"Well, that's my job to think about. I got a bit tired from thinking about things that don't suit me."

"Is that all for the report?"

"Hmm? Yeah, there wasn't anything else significant."

"Understood. ...Please continue to keep an eye on things."

"As you wish."

He suddenly became serious, but then disappeared silently, just as he had appeared.