I was curious what the offer could be. The closer we got to Radensdorf, the hotter the fire under him must have burned. No one can be sure what verdict the grand duke will hand down, but an honorable execution is possible.
An honorable execution means a single clean stroke, severing the head without pain.
Condemned nobles usually die this way. It’s a showcase of the executioner’s skill, but if he fails to kill in a single stroke, he might be beaten to death by the enraged crowd.
That’s how executioners are usually treated.
Thank heaven I pulled Arzt out of that swamp.
"Release me, Baron."
The moment Count Heinlein saw me, he demanded release. His eyes were bold and full of conviction. Did he still have a card up his sleeve? The treasure chest hidden in his mansion, perhaps?
"Would this final offer of yours happen to involve this pepper pouch?"
When I dangled the silk pouch full of plump peppercorns in front of him, the count’s eyes bulged like they might pop out of his skull. Judging by that reaction, I’d guessed right. He must have been certain we’d never find it in the mansion.
"H-how on earth did you find it?! I hid it where no one could ever look!"
He certainly had hidden it well. An ordinary man would never have found it. But I have a system that is anything but ordinary, and with it, something called a Searcher Scouter.
"Don’t tell me the butler betrayed me!"
"That butler is already dead. He defended you to the very end."
I hadn’t intended to kill him, but I glared so viciously that he simply dropped dead. That was the first time I learned a look alone can kill a man. His advanced age probably played a part too.
"...It can’t be. Is there truly no Christos (Messiah)?"
At that, Count Heinlein crumpled to the ground.
Terror, defeat, despair — a swirling storm of the darkest, most tangled emotions. I watched him for a moment, then resumed the march. In that brief span, Count Heinlein seemed to age decades.
On my way to see the grand duke, I ran into the crown prince.
"Did the business in Schafen wrap up well?"
"Yes. There were no forces capable of interfering, so we suppressed it easily."
"I see. Then again, who could ever interfere with anything you do, Baron?"
Maybe it was my imagination, but the crown prince seemed to be in an excellent mood.
Ah, of course. The imperial crown prince went home, so there’s no one left to torment him.
"Before you go see Father, could you spare me a moment?"
"For Your Highness, I can spare time whenever you wish."
"Hahaha, truth is, I have a favor to ask of you, Baron."
The crown prince led me to the flower garden. He instructed an attendant to prepare wine and refreshments, and thankfully, no Boden wine appeared in front of me.
But why was the crown prince beating around the bush like this?
I checked his mindset with the scouter. He seemed to be in an awkward spot.
"The truth is, I need your counsel regarding my personal guard."
"Because the royal guard has left their existence in limbo, correct?"
"You saw right through it, as expected. Yes, my personal guard has become an unwanted burden."
"With the royal guard doing everything they were meant to do, it’s no surprise."
The crown prince’s personal guard, organized in a fit of youthful passion back when assassins threatened his life, is now as good as defunct. Eisenach could still climb the ranks well enough, but the remaining members are the problem.
They had endured meager pay on the sole pride of guarding the crown prince in person. Then the royal guard appeared and took even that from them, leaving them reduced to errand boys.
That is not a knight’s work.
No wonder the members are wavering.
If my hunch was right, Reinhardt in particular had been itching to join the Gale Knights. The crown prince wanted to preserve his personal guard, but he’d realized his men’s hearts had already turned elsewhere.
"The decisive factor was you, Baron. My old junior, now risen to a prince of the west."
"I’ve had one opportunity after another to earn merit, while the personal guard never had any."
"At first they believed serving under me was the path to advancement, but it turned out otherwise."
"And the longer His Highness the grand duke lives, the longer that path becomes."
That’s the dilemma. Serve the crown prince faithfully, and someday the reward will surely come, but the grand duke has reigned for barely four years. And he’s younger than he looks. Mid-thirties.
Barring catastrophe, he’ll rule for another twenty or thirty years.
They must not have believed they could endure that endless stretch of time.
And my existence loomed largest of all. Among young nobles and knights, I am both a rival and a target they long to catch. So the crown prince understood their position and let them go.
"Which brings me to my request. Could you take the guard members into the Gale Knights?"
"Reinhardt wanted to join, but I can’t speak for the other three. If they wish it, I’m willing to accept them. But they’ll have to serve under the man who was once their junior knight."
"They’re not the type to puff themselves up as senior knights in front of a prince. Don’t worry."
The crown prince looked as if a weight had lifted. Knights with real combat experience are always welcome. And we’ve fought in step before, in that thirteen-man cavalry charge near Feuzen.
Gert, Reinhardt, Vincent, Ernst.
Come to think of it, Vincent Ritter von Bay once faced me in a tournament. A manageable opponent for my first outing. He helped me find my footing, in fact.
"Ah, and this is perfect timing."
"Hm? What’s this silk pouch?"
"A modest gift. Please accept it as a token."
"...You call this precious pepper modest?"
The crown prince’s jaw dropped when he opened the silk pouch. The Altringen royal house has plenty of pepper, but none of it belongs to the crown prince personally. I told him it had been confiscated from Count Heinlein.
"That court count was quite the rich man. Fifteen silk pouches of pepper, no less."
"I ran a rough calculation. Each pouch is worth about ten gold coins."
"I’m not sure I should accept this as a gift. There’s nothing modest about it."
"It’s fine. I owe you, after all. Please take it."
He seemed reluctant, and only accepted after I pressed the pouch into his hands. That was the surface, anyway. When I opened his mindset with the scouter, it was overflowing with delight. He simply couldn’t show it, for appearances’ sake.
"I only asked you for a favor, and here I am receiving such a precious gift. Truly, thank you."
"For our friendship, this much is nothing."
The crown prince seemed deeply moved that I valued our friendship so highly. After seeing him off, I went over everything once more to be sure I hadn’t missed anything, then entered the grand duke’s office.
The grand duke had apparently been buried in state affairs, yet he received me without hesitation. Bureaucrats stood waiting in long lines around the room, but at a wave of his hand, they filed out in a rush.
"You seem to have brought quite a lot. Was it a success?"
"It was handled flawlessly. All the ringleaders have been arrested, and their assets and every piece of evidence confiscated. You can review the full details here."
"Well done. Poison mushrooms must be uprooted completely, or trouble follows."
"Poison mushrooms still remain in Breisburg."
I meant the Finance Minister. But the grand duke wore a knowing smile and showed me a letter. It was from Clara. The moment I read it, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
"...The Finance Minister!"
"Yes. Poisoned to death."
Before I knew it, the letter had slipped from my hand.