Chapter 313
Three days have passed since I requested the personnel acquisition.
It seems they have means of communication for emergencies even in this world, and I received a progress report from Kon saying that negotiations have become possible.
Furthermore, I also heard from His Grace Duke Edelgard that Ms. Lotus is steadily cracking down on the corrupt nobles, piling up mountains of evidence, and that it's only a matter of time before Duke Boldorinde loses his title.
"Liberta, you've been making scary faces a lot lately. Are you okay?"
I keep my information network constantly active so as not to be left behind by sudden developments. Because of this, my vigilance is high, thinking Duke Boldorinde will probably make his move soon.
Perhaps that emotion occasionally showed on my face. During lunch, when all party members were gathered, Nel, who was sitting next to me, peered into my face with a worried expression.
"Hmm... I should say I don't know if it's okay or not."
Since it's not confirmed information, I hesitated for a moment about whether to tell them, but considering that *not* telling them might cause trouble later, I decided it was better to share the information.
"It's just a guess, but Duke Boldorinde will likely move soon. And in a way that sows confusion around him.""...... Is Father aware of this?"
This is a judgment based on my in-game knowledge and the current situation.I won't say it's absolute, but I think there's a pretty high probability it's correct.
From Duke Boldorinde's perspective, if he has a body double and isn't personally detained, he can move freely.He probably has many things he wants to prove regarding the body double situation, but Duke Marchias is interfering, preventing him from doing so.
"I think he knows – more precisely, I believe he's acting based on my speculative information, which is being relayed to him in detail."
Noble relations are truly troublesome.That said, neglecting them and picking a fight with a noble would make the nation an enemy, so I can't act carelessly.No matter how much evil they've committed, they are, on the surface, the powers running the state.
Unlike some champions of justice who boldly challenge and defeat villains with a "You've done evil, I'll punish you!!", if I did that, the nation would react angrily, like, "What are you doing!?"
Noble play in FBO basically involves spending a lot of time on groundwork.It's often said that battles are decided before they're fought, and noble dealings are similar.
Because I understand that, I'm handling it this way.
"In that case, nothing strange should happen suddenly, right?""Who knows? From the opponent's perspective, acting outside our predictions would be more effective."
Since I was asserting that trouble *would* happen, I was prepared for the mood to sour, but I feel bad that everyone stopped eating.Amina asks anxiously if things are okay now, but I can only shake my head at that too.
If he were the type to move according to our convenience, he wouldn't be called the Duke of Castle Snakes.Unconventional strategies and covert operations are his specialty.
Even when he was just an NPC set by the game system, countless players fell into his traps.
"Thinking about it won't help. Ms. Ingrid's food will get cold.""That's right! Let's end the gloomy talk here!"
Talking about it here won't produce a solution.In that case, enjoying Ingrid's cooking would be many times more beneficial.
Ingrid's cooking is specially made with fatigue recovery effects.Good taste, good recovery effects – it's literally food that makes you feel better just by eating it.
Claudia and Lady Esmeralda took the lead in changing the atmosphere, saying it would be a waste to let such food get cold. Just as I was about to go along with it and bring a bite to my mouth...
A loud knocking sound was heard at the door.
"Speak of the devil.""I'll get it.""Please."
My hand, about to bring food to my mouth, stopped dead. I looked around with a wry smile and could see everyone's faces were tense, showing their nervousness.
Ingrid went to the entrance and went to handle it.
"Lord Liberta.""...... I see. Has Duke Boldorinde made his move?""Yeah, that's about it. Just now, Duke Boldorinde disappeared from the room where he was under house arrest."
The one who returned and brought with him was Duke Edelgard.He visited with his guards in tow.
The meaning behind that was roughly apparent.Duke Boldorinde had finally moved.
"He was slower than I expected.""You anticipated this?""I thought it was about time. I'd made preparations for it too.""Preparations?"
In response, I wasn't flustered.In fact, I saw it as a chance to locate the opponent.
"Amina, can you contact Dark-san?""Of course!"
His Grace looked at me with a suspicious expression, surprised by my lack of panic and calm response, but I ignored that and asked Amina to summon a certain spirit to demonstrate our countermeasure.
"Hello, Dark-san? Liberta is calling for you, can you come?"
In a manner reminiscent of making a phone call to the spirit world, Amina put her hand to her right ear and spoke into the void.It wasn't an act; Amina was holding a small communication magic tool created by Dark-san.It was something Dark-san made so fan club members could contact each other, and Amina's was a special version.
By contracting with a spirit, one can communicate with spirits in the spirit world via the contracted spirit corridor.
The list of contacts is limited, but I suppose it's inevitable that the creator would put their own contact info first.
"Your Grace! Step back!!"
Let's ignore the privileges of fan club members for now. In response to Amina's call, darkness began to spill into one corner of the living room.Alarmed by its ominous nature, the Duke's guards shielded him, but we paid no mind.
"You called, President?""The Great Dark Spirit!?"
He appeared in his usual military uniform. His Grace's eyes widened at the being who had appeared.
"Yeah, I called. Do you know where the person you were watching is now?""Ah, that magic tool. Hmm, I've had an associate dark spirit track it without issue. It's currently moving north through the underground sewers."
Setting aside the Duke's reaction for now, I asked Dark-san to confirm the current location to locate the magic tool's destination. He contacted the dark spirit cooperating with him and checked for me.
"Li-Liberta. Is that Great Dark Spirit your contracted spirit?""No, he's a friend.""And he's also the president of our fan club who hypes up Amina-chan's songs!!""......"
Normally, a being like a Great Spirit is sometimes revered by humans.When such a being appears and starts talking casually with me, it's understandable that the Duke's mind might momentarily forget about Boldorinde's disappearance and become curious about our relationship.
"For now, you can just remember him as Dark-san, a spirit I'm on good terms with.""Hmm! Human! You may call me Dark-san!!""...... Understood."
And that expression on his face was one of acceptance, as if he'd somehow managed to come to terms with it, thinking, 'Well, I suppose this is to be expected with you.'
"So, the Boldorinde double is trying to return to his territory through the sewers?"
Collecting himself, the Duke confirmed that the double posing as Boldorinde was escaping through the sewers.The other party is the Great Dark Spirit, who has lived far longer than him, so he seemed somewhat intimidated, but perhaps thinking there was no point in holding back here, he carried himself confidently.
"Correct. He has turned his body into a slime-like viscous form, entering various crevices to avoid pursuit.""Wouldn't even a spirit find it difficult to track under those conditions?""We dark spirits can infiltrate anywhere darkness exists. He shouldn't be able to shake us off with that level of escape."
The magic tool user who can physically go anywhere like a slime, versus the dark spirits who can infiltrate anywhere the concept of darkness exists.The victory in this contest between fugitive and pursuer goes to Dark-san and his kin.
"Originally, I didn't think human surveillance alone could fully monitor Duke Boldorinde, so I asked the spirits to keep an eye on him like this.""Incidentally, I am also in the process of conquering the dungeon that was being deployed in the sewers.""A dungeon in the sewers!?""While Duke Boldorinde escaped and people's attention was directed towards the pursuit, he probably intended to create a dungeon underground, draw public attention to it, and then use the resulting stampede to destroy the royal capital, or at least throw it into chaos."
Furthermore, the sabotage aspect is also thoroughly handled.I promised Amina's live performance as a reward, and also promised to have a BBQ with Dark-san and the others, and they gladly agreed to help.
"Hmm. Numerous Class 4 dungeons, three Class 5 dungeons meant to seem like the main event, and a Class 6 dungeon set up in a place unlikely to be found.""It's fine. I already know the dungeon conquering methods from Liberta beforehand, and dungeon conquering has recently become a trend among us. Rest assured, leave it to me.""I-I see. If the spirits are lending their power, it's immensely reassuring... but a *trend*?"
Thanks to this, it's really good that the capital didn't fall or anything.Even I couldn't protect all the capital's residents if multiple stampedes occurred simultaneously.
I had anticipated he would attempt this kind of sabotage, which is why I took countermeasures in advance.
Duke Edelgard's expression resembled a Tibetan fox, but since the trouble was dealt with, I'd prefer he not dwell on it.
"Thank you.""Hmm, you can repay me with the live, so it's fine. Also, Liberta, the Lightning guy was grumbling that you should visit him sometime. I know you're busy on your end, but go see him when you check the progress of that thing.""Ah, yes.""Hmm. Then I shall return to the pursuit. I'll report back when we know his destination. Wait for the good news."
And so, after cramming an excessive amount of information into Duke Edelgard's brain, Dark-san opened a spirit corridor and departed, seeming to melt into the darkness.
"And so, even if Duke Boldorinde escapes, it's not a problem, right?"
Then, like a storm, Dark-san, who had completely shattered the room's atmosphere, left. I turned to Duke Edelgard and told him with a smile that everything was fine.
"Ah, it seems so indeed."
Applying extra care is key to avoiding trouble.
"However, I think we can assume Duke Boldorinde is now completely hostile, right?""He was already going to be stripped of his title by His Majesty tomorrow. He likely sensed that and acted."
The tension had somewhat drained from his expression compared to when he entered the room.
"For now, I shall report this to His Majesty. Liberta, is there anything else you need to convey?""Ah, please tell them to put pressure on Duke Marchias, as he's making suspicious moves, and to block his actions. If you tell him it's more profitable to back the winning horse, I think he'll stop.""...... Just how much can you see?""Liberta-san is going all out, so his field of vision is quite wide."
The countermeasure I had envisioned hit Duke Edelgard right on target. I saw him off with my best smile, and then...
"Alright then, it's gotten cold, but shall we eat?"
Saying so, we resumed our lunch.