Chapter 22 : Chapter 22
Chapter 022
The moment I returned to my quarters, I locked the door and shoved the bed aside. The hidden compartment appeared at once, and I took out the box I had stored inside.
It was still light. If I shook it, I could tell something was inside, but it did not feel like anything heavy. It seemed more like paper documents.
All right, then.
Let us begin.
The plan was simple.
“I am going to smash this thing open in one blow.”
If it had contained something heavy or something large enough to rattle around violently, I would have hesitated to break it. But whatever was inside seemed to be made of some other material.
“Hooooo.”
I set the box down on the floor, closed my eyes, and raised my concentration.
At the same time, the mana in my heart began to surge. Soon, it raced through the Mana Circuit I had honed day after day. A mysterious force began boiling through my entire body.
But I focused even harder and gathered that inexhaustible power into my right hand.
Crackle!
Sparks snapped, and blue energy swelled and surged.
The more I continued training, the more it felt as though I could gather power faster and in greater quantity. I did not know how far the achievements of self-study could take me, but for the time being, I would keep training.
“Hah!”
Without waiting another moment, I brought my fist down.
CRACK!
With the sound of wood collapsing, a crack split through the box. It seemed it was not made of ordinary material after all.
It worked, so one more time.
I raised my fist again and brought it down hard.
Craaack!
Success.
The box split in half and disgorged what had been inside. I had expected something important to be hidden there, but what came out were only a few folded sheets of paper.
“What is this? Some kind of property deed?”
For a moment, I thought it might be far less significant than I had expected.
I drew the mana back from my hand, picked up the papers, and began reading. How far had I gotten? The instant I realized the plan those papers contained, a chill ran through me.
“This... is no ordinary matter.”
I read through the documents again to make sure I had missed nothing. Then I read them again to confirm I had understood them correctly. Soon, a sigh escaped me.
“That bastard Cornel. He was plotting something enormous.”
What was written there was a record of Young Lady Sapiela’s range of activity and routes of movement. It detailed where she spent her days, when and how she moved about, and where she went when she went out.
And on the last page, the purpose of the document was revealed.
We?
Who were “we”?
The reason I identified Cornel first was simple. To prepare a document like this, one had to know the internal circumstances of the mansion thoroughly.
It was written in such detail that it felt like a report prepared by a spy.
Of course, there might be other accomplices. But given his collusion with the Arkain Merchant Company, the first and most obvious person to consider was Cornel.
“What should I do? I feel like I need to report this as quickly as possible.”
It felt as though I had opened Pandora’s box.
The first person who came to mind was Knight Commander Varian. Fortunately, I had made his acquaintance while working at Rosetta, so making contact with him would not have been difficult at all.
The second person who came to mind was Sapiela herself.
Watching how she handled the matter of Training Officer Cornel, I had no choice but to admit it. She was an intelligent woman.
She had not blown the matter out of proportion. Instead, she had selected the appropriate man and dealt with him. It was proof enough that the blood of the Adeline Marquis House was no ordinary thing.
Resting my chin on one hand, I continued thinking.
“Knight Commander Varian may be a little risky after all. We still have not identified everyone who worked with Training Officer Cornel.”
If I thought about it simply, a scheme bold enough to kidnap the daughter of a marquis house would not be backed merely by a merchant company or some underworld gang.
It was highly likely that another noble house was involved behind the scenes.
For example, a house that bore a grudge against the Adeline family.
If that was the case, then some people in the Knight Order might also have been bought.
The Arkain Merchant Company had caused that much chaos, and yet the punishment had ended only at the level of practical officials. That meant there had to be someone protecting them from behind the scenes.
“Reporting it to Lord Yanrof does not seem like a very good idea either. In that case...”
A little later, after reaching my conclusion, I tucked the documents inside my clothes and rose from my seat.
***
The people coming and going through the banquet hall were all moving in haste. Even so, they maintained an air of grace. The regular butlers had been assigned to the banquet hall and were carrying out their respective duties.
The tailcoats and white gloves they wore suited such an elegant gathering perfectly. For that reason, apprentices were not assigned to the banquet hall. They would only lower the dignity of the occasion.
Thus, the work given to them was limited to carrying heavy things like liquor and to cleaning and tidying up.
I went looking for Rohan, who was arranging wine casks in the storeroom. Since he had not been in the quarters, I had guessed he had been drafted into this assignment.
“Are you not working?”
“I am off duty.”
“This is discrimination. I am already dying from working on the garden as it is.”
“There are so many apprentices. They were never going to mobilize all of them for the party.”
Rohan, letting out a groan as he hoisted a wine cask onto his shoulder, waved his hand at me.
“Stop blocking the way and disappear. Unless you came just to make me miserable.”
“I have something to ask. Is Young Lady Sapiela in the banquet hall right now?”
“Of course she is. By now she is probably drinking wine and dancing or something. It seems not only the Count came, but his son as well.”
“His son?”
That was more than possible. Sapiela was of marriageable age. And Count Astria, from what Rohan told me, was one of the Adeline Marquis House’s firm allies, so it was highly likely they might strengthen the relationship further through marriage.
“Is there any way to get inside the banquet hall?”
“Why?”
“I need to meet the Young Lady.”
“To dance with her?”
Ordinarily, I might have laughed a little. But this was not the time. Reading the seriousness on my face, Rohan lowered the wine cask he had been carrying.
“Something is going on, is it not?”
“It seems Training Officer Cornel was planning something even bigger.”
I whispered it to Rohan so that no one else could hear. He flinched and his eyes widened.
“What?”
“I will tell you later. Right now, I need to let the Young Lady know this as quickly as possible.”
Because we did not have much time.
According to the document outlining the plan to kidnap Young Lady Sapiela, the crime would take place one week from now. It named the time of the crime as the moment when she went out to participate in the village festival.
So the simplest solution was to prevent her from going out at all.
Of course, another plan would probably be drawn up after that. But once they learned that a kidnapping scheme had been uncovered, they would not be able to act so easily.
“You are not going to be able to get into the banquet hall dressed like that.”
“So it really is the clothes that are the problem.”
“You stand out too much. First, take this wine cask to the kitchen. Since the kitchen is connected to the banquet hall, you might find some sort of opening there.”
“Thank you.”
I took the wine cask from him and left the storeroom.
The weight was no problem. I solved that simply by stirring up mana and reinforcing the muscles in my shoulder.
These days, I had been using mana to help with nearly everything, so my efficiency had risen dramatically. As a result, the evaluations from the Training Officer and the senior butlers had been improving day by day.
But that did not matter right now.
First, I needed to move the wine as quickly as possible.
The kitchen was connected to the back of the banquet hall. When I stepped inside, I saw a familiar face.
It was Ramsay, the Head Chef of Rosetta.
“You idiot! The eggs are so undercooked they are practically about to hatch into chicks! Do it again!”
His cutting remarks had not changed a bit.
I quietly set the cask down with the others and looked around. I saw the passage leading to the main hall, and butlers and maids were moving in and out through it.
They let the maids go in but kept the apprentice butlers out. What an unfair world.
Still, there was no helping it. Just as one followed Roman law in Rome, if one belonged to the Adeline family, then one had to respect their etiquette.
“Hm? You are...”
It paid to wait. Ramsay recognized me and called out.
“You seem very busy, Chef. I was waiting because I thought I should at least come greet you.”
“Hahaha. So you carried a wine cask over from the storeroom?”
“Yes. But it seems I will have to fetch a few more.”
Quite a few of the casks had already been emptied. That was proof enough that the mood in the banquet hall had ripened considerably.
If one listened closely, the sweet sound of a string quartet drifted through from inside. The scene came to mind all on its own. People wandering about with wineglasses in hand, while others paired off and danced.
What easy lives they had.
Now was not the time to lose myself in such thoughts. I decided to make the best possible use of this unexpected opportunity.
“Chef, could I perhaps ask you for some help?”
“What is it? Your face is full of worry.”
“I ran into a rather awkward situation while carrying out an assignment.”
Ramsay knew that I had been investigating the Arkain Merchant Company. And not long ago, Training Officer Cornel had been thrown out because of the related affair. Naturally, he could not help recalling that.
“You helped me greatly, so naturally I should help you in turn. If it is something I can do.”
“Thank you, Chef. Might it be possible... to obtain a butler’s uniform? One that fits me well.”
I spoke in a very small voice, one meant only for him. Naturally, Chef Ramsay looked startled.
“A butler’s uniform? You mean a tailcoat?”
“Yes. And if possible, I would like a pair of gloves as well.”
“What are you going to use them for?”
“I believe I need to enter the banquet hall for a little while. It is a somewhat dangerous matter, but it is also quite urgent.”
“Hmm....”
Ramsay sank into thought. He stared carefully at the passage leading into the banquet hall.
“I can get one, but what will you do if you are caught?”
“Please do not worry about that. I will act as inconspicuously as possible, and I have a justification for being there. Even if I am discovered, I will not mention your name.”
“Very well. Then I will get it for you right away.”
Chef Ramsay issued a flurry of orders inside the kitchen and went out. A little later, he came back in carrying a large box.
He opened it slightly and showed me what was inside.
“A butler’s uniform, a necktie, and a set of gloves. I borrowed Stewart’s spare, so keep that in mind.”
“Ah, thank you so much.”
“I wish you luck.”
I dipped my head in gratitude and left the dining hall to find an empty room nearby. Fortunately, there was a suitable one, and I was able to change quickly.
At last, I stood before the mirror.
“Oh, this suits me better than I expected. A butler’s attire is not bad at all.”
I struck a pose or two.
Dilen’s original body had been thin and lacked much muscle. But after I learned the mana cultivation method, my muscles and frame had begun changing at a rapid pace.
For now, the people who saw me every day only thought, His body has gotten better. But anyone seeing me again after a long time would be stunned at the difference.
In a word, I had become far more pleasing to the eye.
That naturally meant clothes looked much better on me too.
At this level, even if someone looked at me, they would not be especially suspicious. There were a great many butlers in the mansion already, and since Count Astria had brought butlers of his own as well, I ought to be able to blend in well enough.
The truth was, if Count Astria had not come, I would never even have considered doing something like this. It was only because there were so many outsiders that I had the chance to slip unnoticed among them.
After checking my outfit carefully, I left the room.
Successfully kidnap Young Lady Sapiela and accomplish our first objective.