I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

Chapter 146:

Tomorrow, the Investigation Team's activities will officially end.

They must have been running around doing important work, but honestly, I wasn't interested.

The only thing I cared about now was how Johann Geller would move.

It was certain he had already arrived in Gellihau.

This was because the scattered Three Blades had gathered in Gellihain, the capital.

From my perspective, the Three Blades who had been stirring up Gellihau gathering in one place had its pros and cons.

The advantage, of course, was that I could move much more freely in the remaining areas.

Thanks to that, it became much easier to pursue the Ravens' movements.

The disadvantage was that there was no way to approach Johann Geller covertly.

With the usual increase in guards, the Imperial Army on escort duty, and even the Three Blades swarming the place, there was no way I could just slip in.

“What about the sewers?”

“The Black Hand used to favor that place, so security is even tighter. I heard patrols go around every few hours.”

“How about waiting in a building on the outskirts and looking for a chance to enter….”

“It's not a walled city, so that's the most plausible method. The problem is, it's so plausible that the Three Blades know all about it and have unleashed their Dagger unit.”

The discussion with Ede was going nowhere.

Most of the routes I had been eyeing were blocked.

There were countless places the Three Blades had smashed themselves.

“To sum it up, there’s no usable method, is there?”

“…Right?”

“A few days ago, didn’t you say getting in wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Well, it just turned out that….”

Ede answered hesitantly.

Considering how confidently he had answered before, he needed to be taken down a peg.

“Well, if a big shot right under His Majesty the Emperor is visiting and there aren’t even this level of security measures, that would be the real problem. Isn't this proof that the Empire is still healthy.”

In a way, it was to be expected from the moment I leaked the Duke's intentions to the Three Blades.

In the original novel, they were bastards who wouldn't hesitate at diplomatic disputes or even treason to protect the Duke.

Just a few days ago, Semia said the Duke must be protected even if all of the Three Blades died.

That's the kind of organization they were.

Thanks to the Three Blades strengthening security to the point of a fit, even the Ravens couldn't enter the city and were just hovering around the perimeter.

Of course, not everything went as I thought.

Honestly, I thought at least one loophole would be left.

“At this rate, won’t the Black Hand bastards be unable to do anything either.”

“I doubt it. We and the Ravens are outsiders, but the Black Hand are locals, after all.”

The well-known ones obviously won't be able to get close, but it would be difficult to perfectly block them from mixing in with the locals one or two at a time and entering the city.

“Then, should we just wait for something to happen and then react?”

“If it ends with just Victor or Ragion dying, that would be best. It’s not like we’re close with them anyway.”

Rather, if the Three Blades' strength waned, the Eight Council or Blaiher will be able to press the First Duke even harder, and then this tug-of-war could end easily.

But if the First Duke were to die, no, even if he just suffers a life-threatening injury, the situation changes 180 degrees.

“What kind of reaction do you think there would be if a Duke was killed by locals in the frontier region.”

“They’d burn all of Gellihau to catch and kill all the culprits, right?”

Ede answered in a bright voice without a moment's hesitation.

A thought truly befitting the Avenger Ede everyone freaked out about in the original novel.

“Of course they will. There might not even be a trace left that the Black Hand ever existed. It’s a sad affair where many people will die, but it’s not very important to us.”

“Uh, is there something more important than that?”

“Let’s think from the perspective of our esteemed Dukes. First, they’ll be angry. After tearing each other apart over who, why, and how things went wrong, once their heads cool….”

“Do they calm down?”

“As if. Fear will set in. They’ll be afraid they might end up like that too.”

Why did the Grand Duke of Leitche have to borrow the hands of an outdated organization like the Black Hand?

I thought about this and that, but in the end, the answer was simple.

Because it’s the thing the Dukes hate and fear the most.

“If the First Duke, who has managed the frontier region without major issues, is taken down by locals, it means the other Dukes, who left their frontier regions in a state that can't even be called management, could be next.”

“Isn’t that because the Dukes made a mess of things? They didn't even take proper care of it.”

“That doesn't matter at all. Whether they exploited it, neglected it, or closed their eyes and ears, that land is still the Duke's land. There is nothing more terrifying than not being able to control what is yours.”

Ede tilted his head as if he didn't understand.

I didn't understand it at first either.

If that's the case, they should have managed it properly.

But as I lived, I learned that many people throw a fit if someone touches their belongings, even if it's something they normally don't even care about.

Well, I can't say it's entirely wrong.

“The reason the other Dukes have been passively agreeing with the First Duke's reform plan until now was because they were afraid their own land's shame would be exposed. But if they think some riffraff might threaten their land, they will react completely differently.”

“That seems like an extreme assumption….”

“Hoh, quite sharp, aren't you. That's right. Everything I just said was assuming the worst-case scenario. But what if someone gives it a push toward the worst.”

The Grand Duke of Leitche is involved; there's no way he'd just let things flow naturally.

He'll obviously pull some tricks to worsen the situation somehow.

Perhaps the reason he shamelessly showed his face, claiming to cooperate with Johann Geller, was also for such preparatory work.

“Of course, all of this might just be my worry. Nothing might happen even if the First Duke is blown up. No, on second thought, that would be difficult... In any case, it’s better to prevent a situation that could become the worst.”

“Hmm, I don’t really get it, but if you say so, Count. But how?”

That problem remained.

I now knew who, when, and how they would target Johann Geller, but I was still in the dark about how I should respond.

Well, I have to get into the city first.

Let's think about the rest after that.

“If all the loopholes are blocked, we have no choice but to walk through the main gate.”

“Oh, a frontal assault?”

“Is suicide a hobby of yours? How do you break through a place guarded by the Imperial Army and the Three Blades with a frontal assault.”

“Aww….”

Seeing him get strangely excited at the talk of a frontal assault and then be disappointed, I resolved never to entrust this grinning avenger with anything important.

“We will walk gracefully through the main gate.”

“What? They’ll swarm us to arrest you the moment they see your face, won't they?”

“That would be the case if we went by ourselves.”

If an uninvited guest cannot enter, then the problem is solved by receiving an invitation.

“Did you think I brought the Three Blades’ Silver Dagger for nothing?”

* * *

“You’ve got some nerve, thinking of walking right into the middle of the enemy camp.”

“You flatter me.”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

At my reply, Victor shook his head as if exasperated.

Ragion, standing next to him, didn't even show such emotion and just glared at me.

“Setting that aside, this is a nice place. It wouldn’t lose out even compared to a decent mansion in the Imperial Capital.”

“You were coming, Count, so we had to provide at least this much.”

As soon as I sent word that I wanted to negotiate regarding Semia, the Three Blades immediately invited me to a mansion on the outskirts of Gellihau.

It was an 'invitation' to put it nicely, but it probably meant they would confine me in a place as far as possible from the area where the First Duke and the Investigation Team were staying, telling me to come if I dared.

The Three Blades probably didn't think I would accept this ridiculous invitation.

Well, what could I do?

There was no other way.

“I hope this will be a productive discussion.”

“Unfortunately, we'll have to postpone that until after the Duke's schedule is finished. Until then, you can rest comfortably. I hear you’ve been busy sightseeing in Gellihau recently.”

“To think you'd even look after my health. This is quite an honor.”

“Aigo, what are you saying. Please rest comfortably. The Three Blades, no, Ragion here will guard you securely.”

Victor left the room with a light laugh.

Ragion stayed a bit longer, staring at me as if he'd kill me... but eventually followed Victor out.

“Hooah. I thought I was going to suffocate.” Thıs content belongs to novelfire(.)net

Ede, who had been standing stiffly beside me, let out a long breath and shook his head.

“I know what you mean.”

“Ragion sir is still as intense as ever.”

“Have you met him before?”

“He visited once during an exchange meeting between Chartra and Geller. Oof, that was the first time I felt I could die just from standing in the same training hall with him.”

Thinking back on the pressure I felt when I saw him at the port, I could see why.

I had felt his powerful mana even from quite a distance.

“It’s good that we got into the city, but if Ragion sir is guarding us, we won’t be able to get out of here….”

“You don't need to worry about that. He won't be around here anyway.”

“But just now….”

“In a situation where the First Duke's life is in danger, do you really think they'd waste the strongest human in the Three Blades on guarding Valheit, who is cooped up?”

I may have walked right into captivity, but the Ravens are still roaming around.

There's no way the Three Blades have the luxury of leaving Ragion behind just to watch me.

He was just bluffing to keep me from moving freely.

“Then, should we make a move when we see an opening?”

“That's another story.”

When I gathered my mana and activated the detection, I felt the presence of enemies throughout the mansion.

Among them, a few had presences stronger than the others.

“Even so, it seems they left a few Short blade unit behind. Excluding them, there are nearly 40 people positioned around the room.”

“Did you just search the entire mansion with detection? Aren't you tired?”

“This much is nothing.”

In that it could find nearby enemies with mana, the detection spell performed well for its tier, but its efficiency dropped exponentially as the range increased.

Just scanning an entire mansion was a task that took a lot of effort for an average mage.

“Then what do we do? We need to at least grasp the basic situation….”

“Did you do what I asked you to do before we came?”

“Huh? Ah, you mean posting the notice that Count Valheit was gathering information on the Black Hand? I did it, but what’s the meaning….”

“Well done.”

I didn't post the notice to gather information.

It wasn't as if hearing something now would change the situation.

The important thing was to make the Black Hand think of me as an enemy.

Only then would the detection be meaningful.

I slowly gathered my mana and gradually expanded the range of the detection.

If I rushed, the massive amount of mana going into the detection spell could scatter and go out of control.

Near the mansion, one street, one district....

Little by little, the range continued to widen, and the mana required increased accordingly.

When the spell finally covered the entire city, it was at a level that even Valheit's endless mana could barely handle.

No matter how subtle the spell was, at this level, those inside the mansion must have noticed something was happening.

Even if not for that reason, I was exhausted and found it difficult to maintain for long.

The mana slowly dispersed, and Ede's bewildered face came into view.

“Just now, what….”

“I found the location of the Black Hand bastards. There aren't as many as I thought.”

“Don't tell me you expanded the detection to cover the entire city?!”

Before I could even answer, the door burst open and menacing-looking people rushed in.

Even at a glance, they were Short blade unit.

“What's going on!”

“No, no. It's nothing to worry about….”

While Ede frantically waved his hands and made excuses, I wiped away my sweat and bent over.

‘About 30 people… The number isn't too different from what I expected.’

There was one thing that was different from my expectations.

‘Why do these bastards hate me so much?’