Baron Willhem, whose cruelty knew no bounds, had dismissed the report about Kishiar and the Cavalry with a wave of his hand, as if there was no need to speak further on the matter.

“My head aches, so let's leave it at that. How is the First Prince Pruelle? Does he seem like he still has no intention of leaving?”

“Yes. When I casually asked, he said that he needs to take some more time to return, so that His Grace the Duke’s anger about him suddenly coming here will subside.”

“I see. Indeed, it’s fitting for a person of the same bloodline to know His Grace the Duke’s temperament well.”

Baron Willhem, who had replied indifferently, changed his complexion as if something had crossed his mind at the mention of the word ‘Duke.’

“By the way, how are things with the children? I told them to meet with him daily and build a rapport, if possible. I have been too preoccupied to ask if it’s going well.”

Baron Willhem had been making efforts to have his daughters meet with Pruelle whenever the opportunity arose. There were more instances of marriages within the branch family than with external noble houses. If things went well, one of his daughters might become the next duchess, and even if it didn’t work out, at least the relationship with the main house could be strengthened. It was not a bad idea. The current duke and his wife had no interest in children, so capturing the heart of the one to be married was enough, and this was one of the reasons he was eyeing Pruelle.

“They have met a few times, I hear. But…”

“But what?”

Baron Willhem, who had recently come to hate the word ‘but’ more than anything else in the world, sharply asked. The servant, who had been making the report, reflexively hunched his shoulders and cautiously continued.

“The First Prince has been too preoccupied with taking care of the cat he brought this time to invite the young ladies into his room. Moreover… since finding the cat, he has frequently dined with His Grace Duke Peletta, making it difficult for the young ladies to visit.”

“...What? A cat?”

Baron Willhem’s eyebrows writhed uncontrollably. He vaguely recalled a report about Pruelle losing a cat and the servants of the main house being distressed.

“That must be an excuse, you stupid. Why did you not mention first that the two were meeting so frequently!”

“My, my apologies. But Your Lordship has been rather busy lately for Tainu. I was overstepping my boundaries and worried that if I delivered even the trivial reports surrounding the First Prince, it might cause strain on your body.”

“Even if I'm busy, still!”

Though he did lose his temper, Baron Willhem felt a little better at the servant’s words. At a time when the Duke of Tainu's insulting messages were pouring in several times a day, and there was no sign of suspicious movements in Tainu settling down, knowing that there was someone who understood his situation satisfied him. His hot-headed thoughts cooled down, and his usual shrewd mind began to whirl.

“Hmm, no… Come to think of it, it might not be entirely a bad thing.”

The Duke of Tainu had been harassing Baron Willhem day and night with the task of secretly and securely moving the ‘items’ hidden in Tainu and chasing suspicious movements. It was quite like him to refuse to come in person even if he was so troubled, instead only losing his temper.

Because of this, he had not been able to focus on the investigation of Duke Peletta, or the recruitment of the Cavalry member who had achieved merit in the Great Sarain Forest, as he had originally planned. If Pruelle was taking over these roles, then it was rather a welcome matter.

‘Besides, if it had been before, I wouldn’t know, but now the First Prince… He clearly seems to have the intention to become the successor. Since he has started showing interest in family matters, his approach to Duke Peletta must surely be more than simple.’

Pruelle had not been here long when he subtly asked Baron Willhem about the secret trade. The Baron was deeply surprised. He had thought that Pruelle, who had been known for his lack of interest in family matters until now, had finally come to his senses and was laying the groundwork for his succession.

Anyone who was not a stranger would know about the recent Great Sarain Forest incident in their sphere of influence, so it appeared that Pruelle was striving to grasp information about it himself. Baron Willhem stroked his chin, unable to imagine that his speculation was completely wrong from beginning to end.

"You've found your way even though I was too busy to properly care for you; truly wise of you. I must inquire whether you can meet him and assist in the matter of Duke Peletta's new sword and that impudent Cavalry member's persuasion."

"Indeed, my lord, you read all the plays even while sitting down."

"You rascal, your tongue is indeed smooth."

Baron Willhem laughed heartily for the first time in a while. Then he began to check on the real matters he had been putting off due to a headache.

"Is there still no contact from the Commander of the Tainu Knights?"

"Yes. Those injured in the explosion still haven't come to their senses, so they don't even know the appearance of the culprit."

"Laziness and pathetic. How are they sleeping at night? Is it over if they can't catch him just because they don't know what he looks like? They should use some other means. They're just repeating the same interrogations without thinking of finding a new method."

Baron Willhem rubbed his forehead, not holding back his insults towards the Commander of Tainu's Knights, Jeymer Phil.

"I suppose it's because they don't know what was stolen from the Red Deer Consortium. I don't think those lowly people could read what was inside, but the fact that it was stolen leaves me with no excuse to Duke Tain!"

Baron Willhem recalled the dizziness he felt when he found out that the safe he had been secretly keeping in the Red Deer Consortium was ransacked by intruders. He didn't tell the Commander of the Knights or others, but inside were documents containing records of the new trade business that Duke Tain had been pushing, including the ledger of goods going back and forth during the operation.

To the ordinary eye, it would seem like a standard ledger, filled with all sorts of complicated numbers and nouns designated by code, but if one knew the content, the story was completely different. Even reading it properly would allow them to trace the flow of goods from the West through the Great Sarain Forest to Tainu.

"Those scoundrels are definitely targeting Duke Tain's trading business. So the next target must be the intermediate base. They must have infiltrated the Red Deer Consortium and the security management team to find it..."

"Why on earth those lowly people are making such a fuss over this, I cannot even guess."

At the housekeeper's words, Baron Willhem snorted and replied,

"What would those lowly people be thinking? You must look at the shadow behind them."

"Shadow, you say?"

"Those who were displeased with Duke Tain's business. It could be movement within the family, or perhaps something else. It's not for me to know, but the answer is obvious, isn't it?"

"Ah, I see."

"They must be hiring Awakeners to bother us, no doubt about it. With their protection, that's why so many of them can hide like rats inside Tainu."

"What will you do next, my lord?"

"Duke Tain said yesterday that he can wait no longer. Keeping the goods in Tainu any longer is too risky. So, from today on, rather than just focusing on catching those guys, we must find time to think about ways to move the goods."

In the meantime, Baron Willhem doubled his patrols and conducted surprise inspections in order to find a group of Awakeners who had killed Tainu Knights in the Great Sarain Forest and dared to come here and cause the explosion. However, the culprits had vanished without a trace. Days were wasted with no results, and the frustration had reached a point where merely reading Duke Tain's curses made Willhem's head ache. He could no longer solely focus on this matter.

"I must call that lazy Knight Commander and order him to search even the places that have not been searched yet. Check everywhere, including already verified inns, mercenary groups, and places recently visited by strangers. If anything is suspicious, even if it's from here, arrest them all."

Though it was a harsh measure that would further tighten the already tense atmosphere in Tainu, there was no other choice.

'What can I do? At least this way, I'll have a chance to breathe.'

Dealing with Duke Tain, who seemed to have no consideration for others' situations, was no easy task. If Willhem failed to produce results, he might face an assassin sent by the Duke tomorrow. So, he had to do this to appease the Duke's fury.

"My Lord! Just now, just now, Commander Phil has sent news."

At that moment, a servant urgently knocked on the door and raised his voice.

"That stupid fool must have finally woken up and written a report. Let him in!"

However, the news from Commander Jeymer Phil was not a simple report.

"I apologize, but just now, several warehouses of the Red Deer Consortium were completely destroyed!"

"What?"

Baron Willhem froze momentarily.

"The assessment of casualties and property damage is ongoing, and coincidentally, Advisor Graham Willhem was also severely injured."

"Graham?"

Baron Willhem opened and closed his mouth several times before finally rising to his feet, his face pale.

"Lead the way! I must see it myself. Hurry!"

—---

"There seem to be few servants wandering about today, don't you think, assistant?"

"Yes."

Yuder, stretched out in the reception room, calmly replied as he sat next to Kishiar, who was looking out the window with the door open.

"It was fun playing games under their watchful eyes, but it's not so motivating without an audience."

Had Baron Willhem's servants heard this, they would have wept, but Kishiar was merely jesting.