Chapter 33

Part 8: What is Justice? (1)

The day after the city outing.

The viscount's castle began preparing for the party.

With the city outing marking the end of Simon's schedule, and the engagement between Simon and Adria finalized, our group was set to leave the castle the next day.

Tonight's party was the final farewell party before the duke's entourage departed.

I don't know why this place loves parties so much, but it seemed they were putting in extra effort for this one.

This party felt more like a celebration of the marriage alliance between the Grecia Dukedom and the Iero Viscountcy rather than a farewell for Adria's potential husband.

The castle was bustling with party preparations, and Simon and others were busy, but I sat leisurely in the guest room, waiting for someone to arrive.

Time passed.

Knock. Knock.

"It's Juan. I'm coming in."

The person I was waiting for had arrived.

He turned out to be more helpful than I expected.

I spent a lot of money, but with him working so hard, I felt I should pay more attention to him.

Juan, who entered the room, spoke with a serious expression.

"As you said, the mercenaries are gathering. The Red Bear Mercenary Group and a few others are calling back the mercenaries who are out."

A significant clue had been thrown, and it couldn't be ignored.

A secret passage leading to the castle, unknown to others.

We needed to use it before anyone else found out.

Moreover, someone had overheard their conversation, so they had to act before things went wrong.

In my previous life, Adria must have told Martin about the secret passage before she came to the dukedom.

After she left, Martin and the mercenaries used the secret passage to infiltrate the castle and set it on fire, while other mercenaries rushed to the dukedom to eliminate Adria.

Looking back, their actions were quite aggressive, but they ultimately succeeded, so it was hard to call it a poor plan.

This time, they were moving hastily as expected.

I had anticipated this based on my previous life, but even now, I couldn't understand what gave them the confidence to act this way.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Do I need to report this to the higher-ups separately?"

"No, I'll report it."

"Understood."

Juan bowed respectfully.

He looked different from when I sent him out in the morning.

He had transformed from an adult indulging a noble child's antics to a subordinate receiving orders from a superior.

After I gave him some information, his expression towards me changed.

It was better than being ignored, so I didn't mind.

Actually, it felt quite good. Maybe this is why people need recognition.

However, I soon remembered my position and regained my composure. I couldn't repeat the mistakes of my past life.

After sending Juan away, I left the room.

Now, it wasn't my job to act.

I just needed to pass the message to someone who could handle it.

I knocked on the door of a guest room a bit away.

Knock. Knock.

"It's Alex. May I come in?"

"Alex?"

"Yes, please come in."

Fortunately, both the butler and the captain of the guard were there, so I wouldn't have to repeat myself.

I opened the door and entered.

The butler, as always, was smiling, while the captain of the guard looked at me curiously.

"What is it?"

In response to the captain's blunt question, I began to speak.

"I have information about the viscount's illegitimate son, Martin, and the mercenaries with him."

As I told them about the events, including Martin's hatred for the viscount's family, the secret story I heard from Adria, and the secret conversation I overheard when Adria and I escaped through the secret passage to the mercenary district, the two men's expressions grew increasingly serious.

"Is this just a made-up story?"

When I finished, the captain asked. It was indeed hard to believe.

"There's no reason for me to lie. You can verify it easily."

"This isn't a simple matter..."

The captain sighed.

It must be a tough decision. It's hard to dismiss a story told by a child.

"The viscount should be informed. This isn't something for us to decide."

The butler spoke to the hesitant captain. He was right.

After all, this wasn't the dukedom. The captain and butler just needed to inform the viscount.

The wisdom of an elder.

"That's right. I'll inform the viscount."

The captain stood up, and the butler looked at me intently.

"Please keep everything confidential. The viscount might call you separately."

I nodded in response to the butler's words.

After the captain left, the butler also stood up.

"I should go with him to inform the viscount."

Before leaving, he said to me,

"If the information you brought is correct, our Grecia Dukedom will owe the viscount a significant debt. The duke will be pleased, thanks to you, Alex."

The old man bowed to me as usual before leaving the room.

I shook my head to clear the butler's words from my mind. It was too early to think about the aftermath; the matter wasn't over yet.

Well, my part is done. Now, it's time to see how things unfold.

After the two men left, I returned to my room.

The castle's atmosphere seemed unchanged.

The party, which had been prepared with great effort, was a great success.

Simon and Adria, who were unaware of the situation, attended the party and received congratulations, while the guests who came to celebrate their engagement were eager to build bridges with the Grecia Dukedom.

Simon, the captain of the guard, and the butler were busy greeting people.

Of course, no one approached me, an illegitimate son.

During this idle time, I could observe the surroundings from a third-person perspective.

Indeed, upon closer inspection, I could see changes.

The butler had his usual expression, but the captain and other knights looked a bit awkward, and the viscount's knights and soldiers showed signs of tension.

The guests praised the viscount's knights and soldiers for their discipline, but the viscount's expression was a bit awkward when he responded.

After the party ended and everyone was about to retire, the viscount called me.

Unlike the duke, who called me to his office late at night, the viscount called me to a private reception room.

The butler who guided me waited outside, and the viscount, who was alone in the room, looked at me with a tired, old face.

He frowned when he saw me.

"Still a child, aren't you? A child like you brought such information?"

I had expected this. I bowed to him.

"It's Alex."

"Hmph, at least you know your place, illegitimate son."

He accepted my greeting with a displeased expression.

"I don't understand why the people from the dukedom attributed this to a young illegitimate son like you. Should I ask Adria about the secret passage...?"

The captain and butler from the dukedom, who had been watching me, were skeptical, and the viscount wouldn't believe a child like me.

Instead of answering, I walked to the corner of the reception room.

I had learned from Adria how to find the entrance to the secret passage.

Fortunately, a secret passage ran beneath this room, and the mark of the secret door was easily visible.

In the corner of the reception room, I pushed the regularly cracked bricks one by one from the top.

An ordinary person wouldn't be able to move them, but a noble who could use mana could.

Crack.

When I pushed them all, the floor in the corner began to sink.

A staircase leading underground appeared.

After confirming the secret passage was open, I turned to the viscount.

"It's better not to inform Adria. She was close to Martin, and she's about to leave for our Grecia Dukedom. Leaving regrets with her family wouldn't help the relationship between the two families."

The viscount's expression had changed from the moment I turned to him.

He put aside his bored look and scrutinized me with the eyes of a cunning old fox.

A tingling sensation ran over my skin.

Indeed, a person of the viscount's status couldn't be ordinary.

"I heard you were a genius, but it wasn't a lie. To have knight-level skills at your age..."

Indeed, showing my skills once was better than talking a hundred times.

"That's true. The fewer people who know about the secret passage, the better."

His attitude towards me changed.

He asked me questions with a different attitude, and I answered, hiding a few details.

"You seem to have more experience than a genius... Do you have this kind of ability...?"

The viscount tilted his head after hearing my answer.

It was a kind of ability, but not the kind he was thinking of, so I calmly met his gaze.

After a few more suggestions and conversations, the viscount dismissed me.

Before I left the room, I heard the viscount's voice from behind.

"What a pity. If things hadn't gone wrong, Martin could have been a great help to the viscountcy..."

His voice was almost inaudible, but it carried deep sorrow.

The next afternoon.

The guests from the Grecia Dukedom left the castle, receiving farewells from the people.

Some of the hired staff, who had finished the post-party cleanup, took a leave and left the castle, making the castle much quieter than usual.

That night, the boundary between the castle and the city was more relaxed than the previous night, thanks to the departure of the viscount's guests, allowing the mercenaries to gather in front of the temple without being noticed by the soldiers.

Dozens of mercenaries in black clothes were checking their surroundings, leaning against the temple wall.

In front of them were Benjamin, the leader of the Red Bear Mercenary Group, his deputy Noah, and Martin.

"Everyone is here?"

"Yes, all the ones we agreed with initially are here."

Noah, the deputy, answered Benjamin's question.

"Did you contact the count?"

"Yes, he's waiting outside the territory. He'll come as soon as we send the success signal."

Benjamin raised an eyebrow at Noah's precise answer.

"Are you feeling well? If you're not here, we might miss someone."

"I'm sorry. The internal injuries from the last fight haven't healed well..."

There were no visible wounds, but since he said he wasn't feeling well, it was hard to force him.

"Can't be helped. Be ready to help as soon as we signal."

"Understood."

Benjamin turned to Martin. He wasn't happy about this either.

"Wouldn't it be better for you to stay with the count?"

"No, I'm going with you."

Martin shook his head firmly.

Originally, Martin was supposed to stay behind and wait, but something had changed his mind recently, and he insisted on participating.

With Noah out, he had to go, but if he died, it could disrupt the plan, which was a significant concern.

If we could have communicated with the upper ranks, it would have been less worrying...

The plan was rushed, leaving no time for communication.

But there was no problem. It was a well-prepared plan, and the instructions from the upper ranks had always been correct. We had learned about the secret passage just a few days ago.

This operation would certainly succeed.

He led the mercenaries towards the open door of the temple.

The mercenaries followed him, and Noah stepped back with a strange expression.

Just then, one of the mercenaries entering the temple spoke with a worried face.

"By the way, there's a rumor that entering this temple will make you a pariah..."

The other mercenaries' expressions darkened. They had all heard the story.

Setting fire to the viscount's castle wasn't scary, but becoming a pariah was a different matter.

"It's just a rumor."

"Is that so?"

The mercenaries nodded at Benjamin's answer, but their faces were still filled with anxiety.

The mercenaries, with serious expressions, disappeared into the temple building.