The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family

Chapter 118

I was just a third-rate Mage who could not even cast Fireball, but from Mannheim’s perspective, things were different. The moment he saw the blazing fireball, all color drained from his face.

The Fire spell I had learned might have been ill-suited for use as an offensive spell, but it was more than enough to threaten an ordinary person. That was why I had practiced it so diligently.

The Twilight of Mana.

After that, magical civilization vanished, and the age of swords and knights opened across the Continent once more. A few Mages had survived, but they were exceedingly rare.

They built Mage Towers, shut themselves away, and devoted their lives to uncovering the mysteries of the world.

Because of that, seeing a Mage was far more difficult than seeking an audience with His Majesty the King.

And yet it was unfolding right before his eyes.

“A, a Mage......”

“I did not want to take it this far either. But it looked like you would not understand if I spoke politely. So let us be reasonable about this. And since I am mentioning it, you would do well to carry the fact that I am a Mage with you all the way to the grave. Otherwise......”

Whoosh!

The flames in my hand surged higher. The brilliant blaze lit my face, and I grinned.

“You’re going to have a very unpleasant time.”

“Y-yes, sir! I’ll take it to the grave with me!”

Judging by the way he kept nodding, he seemed properly terrified.

Even if rumors spread that I was a Mage, there would be no way to prove it. This was not the world I used to live in, with smartphones and camcorders everywhere. As long as I did not openly use magic, no one would notice.

Besides, I was already known as an Aura User, so if it ever came up, I could simply dismiss it as nonsense from someone who had seen things wrong.

Still, there was always that phrase, what if. I had no idea what unexpected trouble might arise, so it was better to prepare thoroughly in advance.

“You look ready to talk. Shall we begin?”

I clenched my hand, scattered the mana, and extinguished the blazing flame.

“I know more than you think I do. You saw what kind of power I possess, so you should have some idea.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“I won’t ask twice, so answer properly.”

With a sigh, I poured mana into my eyes. They glowed faintly blue. I was not actually activating any function. It was just for visual effect. Something like making it look as though I could see straight through his thoughts.

“You were behind it, weren’t you? The attack on my life. The ambush.”

“T-that can’t be! Absolutely not!”

I grinned and leaned my face closer to his.

“I’m fairly certain I told you. I know more than you think I do.”

“It’s true! It truly isn’t so! I swear to God, I never once had the slightest intention of harming Sir Dilen!”

“I’m not saying this without reason.”

“I-if you mean your reason......”

“You found me loathsome, didn’t you?”

“Pardon?”

Silence fell in an instant. Mannheim’s eyes widened, and he could not continue speaking.

His reaction was strange. If it was an act, it was too natural. And it was not as though he even had an Acting trait. Was this simply the bearing he had developed as a merchant?

“There are many ways to sense a person’s feelings. I have no reason to explain them to you, but when I first met you, you were definitely feeling loathing.”

“No! That’s not it! That was......”

With a sigh, Mannheim bowed his head. As though he had given up on everything, he began to tell me the truth.

“It is true that I was feeling loathing at the time. But that feeling was not directed at you, Sir Dilen.”

“What are you talking about? Not directed at me?”

“Right before I met you, I had gone to apologize personally to His Excellency the Duke. I all but wore my knees through on the floor. But I could not save the driver’s life. In the end, he was executed.”

Wait. This was starting to feel......

“He had a four-year-old daughter and a son who had only just been born. I understand that Her Grace nearly came to harm, but was it truly enough to warrant taking a man’s life?”

“So that was the reason for the feeling you had?”

“Yes.”

I was left speechless.

This had never happened before. My interpretation had been wrong. Pulling myself together, I asked him about the Areas of Interest I had seen earlier.

“You had recently been obstructed in some plan of yours, hadn’t you? You wanted revenge. And that plan involved harming the duchess.”

“T-that is absurd! How could I dare...... Her Grace has shown me many kindnesses. How could I possibly harm her?”

“Then what was it that I saw?”

I had already revealed myself as a Mage. In other words, it was not difficult to make him believe I possessed the power to read something within him.

Terrified, Mannheim trembled as he answered.

“A rival merchant company had been interfering with our business recently. They sent men to cause trouble and inflicted losses on us. I did think about how to repay them, but......”

“Is that the truth?”

“I-it is! I even discussed that part with the Vice Company Master, so you can ask him as well. To say I would try to harm the duchess...... the thought alone is terrifying.”

Damn it.

I had completely chased the wrong trail.

The status message had definitely meant Loathing. But that feeling had not been directed at me. Combined with the Areas of Interest, I had spun it into something entirely different.

“I admit it. This one is entirely my mistake. I was taking the Status Window too lightly.”

I shook my head.

The Status Window contained thoroughly objective information. It did not describe feelings directed toward me. It simply displayed that person’s current state of mind.

Which meant that he had met me while feeling loathing over the duke’s decision, and so it had shown up as Loathing. Then the Areas of Interest had tangled themselves into it and led me into a neat misunderstanding.

“Fine. Then this time, you’re saying you didn’t arrange any of it? That’s the truth?”

“Th-that’s right! Please, just spare my life!”

For one final confirmation, I placed my hand on Mannheim’s head. He seemed to take it as his end, because he squeezed his eyes shut.

In that instant, the Status Window appeared.

The status, which had first shown Loathing, had now changed to Despair. And in the Areas of Interest, a new line had been added: clearing up the misunderstanding.

It seemed Mannheim had been telling the truth.

If that was the case, then who had attacked me?

It was possible that the Delfino Merchant Company had guessed at my identity. They had said they were moving on to the main course, so perhaps they had started making moves to eliminate me.

But then how had they identified me so precisely?

Only Eluna knew exactly who I was, and there had been no sign whatsoever that she would betray me. Simon had seen my face once, perhaps, but that was all. He did not know my name, nor where I worked.

If so, then it became difficult to support the theory that the Delfino Merchant Company was behind this.

“There is one other possibility.”

A hidden faction that truly was targeting the duchess. They might have moved to eliminate me because I had interfered with their plans. On top of that, I had even received a scouting offer afterward.

In any case, there was now one more reason for me to be cautious while moving around the Royal Capital. I only hoped none of this would spill over and affect the Young Lady.

I straightened my posture once more and resumed a respectful manner.

“My apologies for my grave discourtesy, Sir Mannheim.”

“Ah......”

A breath of relief escaped him.

I held out my hand. Tears welled in his eyes. Perhaps some flood of regret over life itself was washing over him. I felt bad for having burdened him with such a misunderstanding.

I helped Mannheim to his feet, seated him in the chair, and let him recover.

“It seems I misunderstood something. I hope you will forgive me. I was attacked on the way here, and the men who came for my neck were highly skilled.”

“It’s all right. I’m fine. Thank you. For sparing my life......”

“There is nothing to thank me for. I’m the one who was in the wrong. For now, at least have a drink of water.”

I offered him the water on the table, and Mannheim drained the cup in one go.

“Kh...... But is the driver really dead? You clearly said so earlier.”

I nodded.

“He was killed by the men who were after me. He didn’t even get the chance to scream. If the driver had run away or disappeared, I would have suspected you even more.”

“H-how terrible......”

Mannheim covered his face with both hands, as though trying to hold back tears.

“Was he someone close to you?”

“We weren’t blood, but he was a hardworking fellow. To think he got swept up in something like this...... it’s tragic. He was a diligent young man, even though his family had a hard life.”

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

If I had not accepted his invitation to some nice place, perhaps that young man would have been resting peacefully in his own home at this very moment.

At the same time, my mood darkened.

I had grown rather numb to dealing with the people who came for my neck. But seeing innocent people suffer because of me was difficult.

“It’s only a small amount, but......”

I took a small pouch from my pocket and handed it to Mannheim.

“Please give this to his family.”

“Our merchant company will compensate them. It’s all right.”

“Please take it.”

I forced it into his hand, then turned away. Before leaving, I offered him one piece of advice.

“Some kind of faction is targeting me. The Blackstone Merchant Company may also be in danger, so it would be best to refrain from going out for a while.”

“Yes. I will do exactly that.”

“And erase today’s events from your mind. It would be best to remain silent about the duchess as well. For now, we do not know who stands behind this.”

He nodded heavily. I looked at him once more, then turned and left the office.

“I’m going to have to upgrade this Status Window.”

I returned straight to the mansion.

***

It seemed an Investigator had already come and gone, because the moment I returned to the mansion, Brituang summoned me. He asked for the whole story, and I brushed it aside by saying that the carriage had been ambushed in a secluded area.

“To think something like that happened in the Royal Capital. It’s absurd. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. The only problem is that they chose the wrong target.”

“Even so, just in case, make sure you’re examined by a Doctor.”

“Thank you for your concern. Then I’ll take my leave.”

There was no need to make the matter bigger than it already was. It was something I needed to resolve on my own.

After leaving the office, I took Arthas with me back to my room.

As if he had been waiting for it, the moment we entered, he began firing questions at me.

“What in the world happened? An Investigator came earlier, and the whole mansion was in chaos. I got scolded too. They asked why I hadn’t been guarding you.”

“How was someone weaker than me supposed to protect anyone?”

“Hah......”

I struck the mark with a joke and dropped into a chair. I gestured for him to sit as well.

“It seems some troublesome bastards have attached themselves to me.”

“Troublesome bastards?”

“It’s still only a theory, but I think there are people who didn’t like the fact that I saved the duchess. There also seemed to be some kind of internal conflict within the ducal house.”

“If they didn’t like it, then they didn’t like it. But enough to send assassins after you? All you did was calm down a rampaging horse. It feels excessive.”

“I said it was only a theory.”

When I thought about it, Arthas had a point.

If things had gone wrong because of me, then whoever was behind it could simply have cursed me out and drawn up a different plan. There was no real need to come for my life. In many ways, it felt wasteful.

In the end, I spent the night weighing two possibilities in my mind.

The Delfino Merchant Company.

And the Bahamut Ducal House.