Chapter 76 : Chapter 76
Chapter 076
“Every time you make that face, I get a chill down my spine. Unlike the others, you’re impossible to read.”
That was what Young Master Hamel said, but I did not wipe the smile from my lips. I was not trying to tease him. I was expressing confidence.
The plan I was about to explain was, in a sense, rather grand. That meant I would need not only Young Master Hamel’s cooperation, but also Young Lady Sapiela’s consent afterward.
That was why it was far better to appear certain than to put on a modest front.
“Hah. Then let me hear what this brilliant method of yours is.”
“To give you the conclusion first, we should have Young Lady Sapiela enroll in a short-term program at the Academy in the Royal Capital.”
“A short-term program?”
Young Master Hamel’s eyes gleamed.
That was a good sign. It meant I had piqued his curiosity.
No matter how sharp Young Master Hamel was, it seemed this method had never occurred to him. He scowled deeply, though that was simply one of his habits and not something worth dwelling on. In any case, after falling into thought for a moment, he crossed his arms.
A few low groans escaped him before he glared at me and asked,
“By short-term program, you mean that three-month course, right? The one where you get a certificate at the end?”
“That is correct. From what I heard, it is a course the children of noble houses formally enroll in when they visit the Royal Capital for leisure. We can make use of that.”
“Hmm.”
The Academy in the Royal Capital was the largest institution in the kingdom and boasted the longest history. Since so many talented people gathered there, its curriculum was correspondingly varied.
Unexpectedly, it was open even to commoners, so there were no special admission qualifications.
That said, unless one was selected as a scholarship student, the tuition was enormous, and the cost of living in the Royal Capital was no joke either, so ordinary people could not even dream of attending.
The subjects taught there were broadly divided into scholarship and martial arts. In other words, the regular program was split into a martial division and a scholarly division. It was much like how, in the world I used to live in, people were divided into humanities and sciences.
What I had just proposed, however, was a special program. It required no entrance examination, and anyone could attend so long as they paid the required tuition. It consisted mainly of general education subjects, though students could also sit in on lectures from the main program if they wished.
Because I had always done my work so well, Stewart had once explained the Academy to me back when I worked in the library. I had not expected to make use of that information like this, but here we were.
“I think I understand now how this would be good for you and that bastard Arthas, but I still don’t quite see how it would be good for Ella.”
“To put it in more detail, it concerns the family’s honor and the Young Lady’s pride.”
“Honor and pride.”
“I do not know whether you are aware of it, but some time ago, when Chef Irene of Primera suffered a Burn Injury, His Excellency the Marquis dined at Rosetta.”
Hamel nodded as though he knew.
The chefs of the Adeline Marquis House were not positions that came with noble titles, but the story was somewhat different when it came to Primera’s head chef. It was still a hired position, yes, but it was also one that served many high-ranking nobles, which meant it was a post that could wield tremendous influence.
If one set one’s mind to it, earning a title would be no difficult feat at all. If someone made a dish so delicious that even Marquis Chronos let out a sound of admiration, then in a burst of good humor he might hand over a Baronet title without hesitation.
“At that time, I happened to overhear His Excellency speaking with another noble.”
“You insolent bastard! You dared eavesdrop on Father’s conversation?”
“I was not eavesdropping. I merely happened to hear a conversation in the corridor. It is not as though I can cover my ears while attending on His Excellency.”
Young Master Hamel looked displeased, but he waved a hand and told me to continue.
“His Excellency asked whether there had been any word from the House of Count Astria, and the noble speaking with him reported that there had been no news at all. His Excellency found that strange.”
“I know that already. He even hosted a banquet and invited them in order to move the marriage talks along, yet those ungrateful bastards wiped their mouths clean and vanished.”
“Would that not be a good thing for the Young Lady instead?”
Resting his chin on his hand, the Young Master stared at me before replying in a flat voice,
“In one sense, yes. But governing a Territory is not so simple. We need the strength of those Astria bastards, which is why the talk of a political marriage came up in the first place. Whatever else may be true, there is no doubt they would be of use to our Territory.”
“There must be a reason they are delaying the marriage talks.”
“Of course there is. Because they’re black-hearted bastards.”
“In any case, His Excellency is also deeply displeased that there has been no word from Young Master Otto. He said it had gone a bit too far.”
The Young Master’s fingers tapped lightly against the armrest. That was the signal that he had sunk into serious thought. I gave him the final piece of information.
“However, since we cannot make the first move, he ordered that we wait until they contact us.”
“Because it would look bad for us, a marquis house of the kingdom, to make the first move. Hmm. In any case, Father really said that?”
“Yes, he did. Therefore, even if Astria brings up the marriage talks later, I do not think we should answer too easily. But in order to do that, we need a justification.”
In noble society, justification was especially important. Whether one was forging a friendship or waging a war, the first thing to be raised was always one’s justification.
“For the sake of the Young Lady’s refinement and rest, she will receive education at the Academy for a time. Would that not be sufficient? Since it is not the regular program, it will only be for a short period, and even if Astria contacts us in the meantime, we can delay our answer for about three months. If that happens, they may find themselves unexpectedly anxious instead.”
“Heh. Interesting. I never imagined it could be turned back on them that way. You really do have a flexible mind. With reasoning like that, convincing Father should not be difficult at all.”
“May I entrust that persuasion to you, Young Master?”
“I will handle it.”
Young Master Hamel fixed me with a burdensome stare. His eyes seemed to be shouting that he absolutely needed me for his grand ambition. I merely smiled modestly in return.
“If Ella goes to the Royal Capital, then as her Attending Butler, you’ll have to go with her. And that bastard Arthas will have to be requisitioned separately?”
“I believe that falls well within Your Young Master’s authority.”
“Sending a single apprentice away is not difficult. But if that happens, would it not put him at a disadvantage when it comes to his knightly appointment? He would be absent from his post during the period of service.”
“The opposite, I would say. He will have been entrusted with the important duty of guarding the Young Lady, so there is no reason he would not be appointed as a knight. And in any case, his outstanding ability has already been proven. Whether one is an apprentice or a knight, if an order is given, one follows it. That is the natural order of things.”
“So you mean it’s not a situation where he can complain.”
“You understand perfectly.”
“Very well. Then let us proceed that way. Do you intend to tell Ella yourself?”
“I think that would be best.”
Young Master Hamel nodded. It was fortunate that persuading him had been easier than expected.
But I soon understood why.
His mind was occupied elsewhere.
He reached toward the secret ledger lying on the bed. When his hand almost but did not quite reach it, he kicked his legs about and let out a grunt. Watching that, I found myself thinking that if Young Master Hamel did become the heir, he might turn out to be a more unpretentious lord than one would expect.
Young Master Hamel picked up the secret ledger and sat upright again.
“This ledger. What do you think should be done with it?”
“That is entirely for you to decide, Young Master.”
“If I had my way, I’d expose the fact that he’s taking Protection Money from the Underworld and disgrace him completely.”
The Young Master seemed conflicted. His heart and his mind were at odds. In his heart, he had already made a decision, but his head was telling him that it was not the best course.
I supposed I had better help him along.
“But that would be the worst move. It would amount to nothing more than emotional revenge.”
“That’s exactly why it irritates me even more.”
“Young Master, do you hate the Underworld?”
Before getting to my real point, I first probed his thoughts. Earlier, when he had seen the ledger, he had cursed Prah as a filthy bastard and spoken of the family’s honor.
The anger and emotion he had shown then had not seemed false.
That was precisely why I kept growing closer to Young Master Hamel. The Hamel I had come to understand was someone who acted like a villain on the outside, but was different within. He valued principles and had a fair-minded streak.
Because of that, I had begun to think that it might not be such a bad outcome if Hamel, the third son, became the heir of the Adeline Marquis House.
Of course, whether I would still think that way after meeting the first and second sons, I could not say.
“They’re parasites who suck the lifeblood out of our poor people of the Territory. Do you think I’d like them?”
“But Young Master Prah is taking Protection Money from them and using it to build his own power. If your goal is to become the heir, is this not an extremely important matter?”
“Hmm.”
As the Young Master pondered, I made my suggestion carefully.
“Even in the Underworld, there are a few decent fellows.”
“What kind of fresh nonsense is that?”
“The group called the Avengers, the ones who wiped out the Black Pig Gang this time, are quite useful. They do not take Protection Money from merchants, and instead build up their funds through legitimate business.”
“Ah, that organization you said you had a line to. The same one that handed over this secret ledger. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“I heard they’re new. How long do you think it’ll take them to get properly established?”
“Not long. They cleanly erased the Black Pig Gang this time, so their influence should grow quickly.”
After thinking for a moment, Young Master Hamel nodded. Had he made up his mind?
“So then, your proposal is that I should take Protection Money from them?”
“It would not be Protection Money. It would be Sponsorship Funds.”
“You really do know how to dress something up.”
The Young Master seemed pleased by the term Sponsorship Funds. I continued,
“If it pleases you, Young Master, I can sound them out and see whether they would be willing to send monthly Sponsorship Funds.”
“But would they really bet on me? If they used their heads, they’d probably think it more profitable to bet on my elder brothers than on me.”
“If they thought that, they would not have sent the ledger to you, nor would they have investigated the Delfino Merchant Company and the House of Count Astria.”
“True enough.”
“They are definitely interested in you, Young Master. If the conversation is handled well, there should be no problem.”
There would not even be much of a conversation to handle. The boss of the Avengers was me, after all.
If the Young Master would grant permission, I stood to gain in two ways. First, I could support him unofficially and place him in my debt. Second, I could plainly succeed in persuading him and thereby earn merit in his eyes.
Those two benefits alone made it more than worth doing.
“Very well. Then I will leave that matter to you.”
“Understood. I will make contact at once.”
“By the way, what exactly is your relationship with those Avengers? If they trust you enough to hand over a secret ledger, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary connection.”
“There is a small connection between us. Please do not trouble yourself too much over it.”
Young Master Hamel swept that distinctive suspicious gaze of his over me. But before long, he lost interest. It seemed he had judged that gathering Sponsorship Funds was a higher priority than pressing me for answers right now.
He really was a clever one.
I left Young Master Hamel’s room.
At that moment, Sir Paramela spoke to me.
“Did it end well? Fortunately, it seems your head is still attached.”
“Thanks to your concern, it ended well. I feel rather sorry, as though I keep asking too much of you.”
“It cannot be helped. It is for the Young Master’s sake. How goes the mission?”
“At the moment, I would say half and half. There is still more that needs to be done.”
“I leave him in your hands, then. For the Young Master’s sake.”
I silently nodded.
I could feel the sincerity of Sir Paramela’s loyalty, but I had no intention of devoting my own loyalty to Young Master Hamel.
Ours was merely a relationship forged by mutual need.
At least for now.