Chapter 9: The Gold coins carries the truth
Anyone who saw my sloppy acting would have guessed right away.
That something else was going on with me. It was as people guessed. I wasn’t simply putting on a madman act to be expelled from the family.
The starting point was when I had a private conversation with my father Duke Aselton before I started the madman act. It was around the time when Duke Aselton was in shock after hearing the truth about Yubas’ conspiracy.
To the seriously worried Duke Aselton, I suggested a way to turn the tide. Let’s take advantage of Yubas’ plan, lead the cancellation of the marriage, and gain the church’s protection instead of them.
This was a win-win strategy for both Duke Aselton and me. If I joined the church and became a close aide to the Pope, Duke Aselton would play the role of mediator between the church and local nobility.
Anyway, as the third son, even if I received a divided inheritance, it would just be some raggedy land. It would be better to comfortably become a clergy and live a moderately corrupt life. Even nobles need money to be nobles.
The only concern was whether the church would accept me, but considering the split from Yubas, the possibility was high.
The Pope, who wanted to expand his influence in this area, would surely take note of the political value I possessed – my bloodline connection to the local nobility despite joining the clergy. It was a great story for the church looking to replace Yubas.
Of course, not everyone would like this plan. There was already someone who openly disliked it. Yubas. Yubas would try to stop my expulsion and entry into the clergy by any means necessary.
And as I guessed… Yubas’ ‘stopping’ wouldn’t be some gentlemanly and mild means like diplomatic pressure or a show of force. I could vaguely, no, clearly guess what method it would be.
I had said before that when hatching a conspiracy, one must always prepare a Plan B. So in the plan to claim inheritance rights as an illegitimate child, what would Plan B be? I calmly conveyed to Duke Aselton what I had realized.
“But father, there is one fatal variable in the plan I proposed.”
“Variable? What variable?”
Duke Aselton still looked confused. He certainly seemed lacking in this regard. Duke Aselton, as a noble with self-respect who was affectionate towards his family, did not know how despicably the medieval top 1% could behave.
Looking at the Duke letting out a sigh mixed with groans, I voiced my own speculation.
“Yubas, who sought to expand their power by gaining the church’s protection, could not be ignorant of the church’s might. Even if they didn’t know, they would have found out by now. What would they do if another tries to seize that power? Especially if the grand scheme collapses?”
“…You’re saying they’ll start a war?”
Yubas, who forced the marriage with a show of force, would raise an army this time too. Duke Aselton squeezed out those words while stroking his goatee. It felt less like he hadn’t thought of it, but rather that he didn’t want to think about it.
Perhaps Duke Aselton already knew the answer. But it was such a shocking answer that he unconsciously turned away from it. And as the vassal who proposed the scheme, I had an obligation to inform him of what I suspected.
“Even though I disowned the child as not mine, it was born after the marriage took place. Moreover, it could have been consummated at the age of twelve. Enough to insist. From their perspective, I’ve served my purpose.”
“…”
“It’s too late to act like a madman now. Before the opinion to expel me from the family dominates, the inheritance rights must at least be preserved, if controversial. Or I can’t be allowed to join the church and nurture a force to replace Yubas.”
By this point, Duke Aselton could no longer hide his agitation. Looking at me with a pallid, sickly complexion, he let out a groan mixed with a creak.
“Narva.”
“They must be preparing for assassination, father.”
Although Duke Aselton’s agonized appearance was pitiful, the truth had to be told. Yubas would prepare assassins.
The first target would be me.
If you think, ‘Surely not assassination…’ then you’re already a walking corpse. Yubas’ conspiracy did show some sloppiness in its execution. But the plan itself was quite complex and meticulous.
It started with targeting the third son.
In places where the eldest son grew up safely and the line of succession was stable, they rarely paid attention to the third son. They might educate the second son as a backup, but not the third. It would be creating a rival for the heir.
For this reason, third sons are relatively loosely managed. Unless the ones above die in succession, they rarely inherit. So it’s natural that slightly unsuitable marriages are encouraged for them. To prevent in-laws from aiming for the heir’s position by bringing them in.
But if a third son ends up inheriting, it’s like hitting the lottery for the in-laws.
Just think, this guy didn’t really learn anything to be ruler, so he just ascends the throne and looks at the vassals, then what? The in-laws would say, “Oh our son-in-law is struggling, let us help!” and devour everything.
And in our medieval fantasy strategy life simulation game, Fantasy Monarch, just waiting for the lottery to hit is the lowest of the low. Literally only some lowly would do.
True nobility creates opportunity. And usually that opportunity arises when stabbing people with knives. This is exactly what I’m concerned about.
Considering Yubas’ meticulousness, there would be more than one or two vassal lords already in communication with them. Perhaps ever since they were allied with the church, they dug a rathole in advance.
It’s a bit like cockroaches.
You happened to see a black object moving in the shadows early one morning. You grabbed whatever was in your hand to try and smash it, but it was already gone. You’re sure it’s there, but don’t know how to find it – that’s the situation right now.
This is when a shift in perspective is needed. You can’t catch it by trying to smash it. The saying “burn down the thatched huts to catch fleas” means the opposite – if you burn down the thatched huts, you’ll catch the fleas.
I had to put in a lot of effort to convince Duke Aselton by putting forth this idea.
“You mean to suspect the servants? Those who have served loyally here.”
“The loyal will reveal themselves without a word when asked to prove their trust. Father, Yubas’ assassination attempt is much more realistic than you think. If Yubas kills me right away, our family will also be suspected.”
“Suspected? Us?”
“In the midst of continuing to show reluctance to the marriage, the son acts like a madman, so they take the opportunity and have him killed. If such a rumor spreads, it could provoke Yubas’ intervention, as they would not turn a blind eye to their innocent son-in-law’s death.”
This is what I suspect is Yubas’ Plan B.
Even if I was expelled from the family and driven to a monastery, if I died on the way, our family would naturally come under suspicious eyes. At this point, it was a mud fight. People would move not based on the truth, but according to public opinion.
And in a mud fight, the one with the stronger fist had the advantage.
But having the stronger fist didn’t always mean winning.
“We must take action before that.”
Sometimes, the dirtier side wins.
***
This was the latter part of the private conversation I was summoned to by Duke Aselton right after slapping the mother’s cheek.
It’s roughly the background on why my madman act was necessary. In any case, there was an opaque truth surrounding the mother and the baby. But then a suspicious gold coin of unknown origin was found in the servants’ quarters.
At a glance, it seemed an unrelated incident, but those with vivid imaginations were already revving up the graphics cards in their brains. Even the steady-seeming braided Edwina, who constantly attended me, was no exception.
Watching the procession of servants walking sloppily entwined like bundles of dried pollack, Edwina slightly narrowed her brow. If it weren’t for the soldiers gripping their sword hilts with severe looks, she would have already approached and interrogated them thoroughly.
“I wonder who received the gold coins. Was it that man with the slightly bald head, who wanted to order a hair growth tonic from the alchemist? Or that auntie who seems to have a favorite man besides her husband, receiving this and that from him?”
“Edwina, are you that curious?”
Her inquisitive demeanor amused me, so I asked. Edwina then turned her deadpan expression towards me and kept nodding.
“Yes. I’m really curious.”
Our Edwina has that kind of expression, but she’s actually quite candid. Much better than those who needlessly beat around the bush and get huffy when you can’t figure it out. I decided to indulge Edwina’s curiosity and give her a chance.
“Well, I was planning to interrogate them soon with Sir Overth of the intelligence division. Would you like to join?”
Despite offering her the prime opportunity to engage in a direct Q&A, her reaction was lackluster. Edwina looked at me with an indescribable gaze, then slowly turned her head away.
“…No.”
“Edwina, you surprisingly don’t do well when presented the whole chessboard, huh.”
“…”
Well, if she doesn’t feel like it, I won’t force her. After seeing off the servants heading towards the medieval horror attraction with my eyes, I pointed my index finger towards a corner of the corridor.
Thanks to the soldiers in silver chain mail keeping their hands on their sword hilts with bulging eyes, it was an extremely safe place.
“Then Edwina, wait over there for a bit. We’ll talk again after I interrogate the servants.”
“Excuse me? …Are you referring to that place where the soldiers have their hands on their sword hilts?”
“I trust our Edwina, you see.”
This is true. Edwina has neither the emotional baggage nor motive to betray our family. Moreover, the master Edwina serves is me, who dearly cherishes and takes care of subordinates.
I believed Edwina would never betray me. Although I said to burn down all the thatched huts, how could Edwina be a thatched hut? The fact that I had to suspect the loyal Edwina made my heart ache.
But since this was Sir Overth the intelligence officer’s judgment, what could I do? I ended it at sending her to the corridor instead of the dungeon he had suggested, so Edwina would understand my heart.
“Our intelligence captain has a different view from me. He’s inspecting all the servants right now, so just obediently stay by my side. If you need the restroom, tell the soldiers separately, and also…”
“I’ll go to prison!”
For me, who believed in Edwina’s innocence more than anyone, it was truly an absurd statement. I stared at Edwina with wide eyes.
“Why would you go to prison?”
At times, trust can move people. My sincere belief in Edwina’s innocence was the same. Looking at me with slightly teary eyes, Edwina pursed her trembling lower lip to hide her rising sobs.
“I’ll go where you order me to…”
“Oh come now. You don’t need to say such things separately. What need is there for those kinds of words between us?”
People are truly the most valuable asset. I couldn’t help but nod at Edwina’s display of unwavering loyalty. I turned my gaze, sharper than arrows, towards the soldiers glaring at this side – more precisely, at Edwina.
“Did you hear? Inform the captain later.”
When I indirectly told them it was okay for her to go, their response was to refuse. Four soldiers simultaneously dropped their heads in embarrassment and thumped their chests with their fists.
“Young Master, our duty is to safely escort you. Until you rejoin Captain Overth, we cannot leave your side. …Especially when a suspect is present.”
“I see your predicament as well. Very well. Escort me then.”
Only now did I realize that if I had simply dismissed them, they would have been severely reprimanded. Considering their position, I allowed them to escort me. And as I was about to head to the dungeon, for some reason Edwina had turned deathly pale.
“Young Master.”
“What’s wrong?”
“…If earlier, I had gone to those soldiers’ side.”
I thought something serious had happened, but it was just this again. Edwina worries too much. To reassure her, I slightly raised the corners of my mouth in a smile.
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to know. It’s no longer a concern for you.”
“…”
Around that time, the soldiers who had gathered by my side had already taken their hands off their sword hilts a while ago. After sweeping my gaze over the slovenly soldiers and the pale Edwina, who kept lowering her eyes to the ground, I said:
“Let’s go. Captain Overth will be waiting for us.”
***
The medieval horror attraction that is the dungeon has many tags attached to it. Among them were aspects that people easily overlook.
Even I, who had enjoyed the medieval fantasy strategy game Fantasy Monarch for thousands of hours, had forgotten about it. #More #important than gore. That was #unhygienic #filth.
As soon as I entered the dungeon, I couldn’t help but grimace at the pervasive stench and the indescribable foulness. Even the locals seemed to struggle, grimacing to that degree.
I shook my head side to side with my sleeves covering my nose and mouth. This was truly beyond imagination. I’m so fortunate to be from the pristine medieval-esque nobility class. If I lingered here any longer, the smell would cling, so I hurriedly looked for the local guide.
Fortunately, it seemed the news of my arrival had already spread, as a warden prepared by Captain Overth was approaching with his shirt sleeve covering his mouth.
“I greet you, Young Master. We’ve just had someone confess to taking a bribe.”
“Is that so?”
“Captain Overth is over there. I will guide you to him.”
The warden explained this place with utmost sincerity. Out of respect for his professionalism, I listened to his explanation in full, but…
Even modern prisons that claim to uphold prisoner rights vary wildly by facility. What about this medieval-like world’s dungeon? Peering through the bars at the people crammed together like sardines, I clicked my tongue.
“A reason has arisen to end this quickly. Warden, your story was most enjoyable. But we must hasten our steps a bit. There may be innocents here.”
“Indeed…! Understood, I will guide you to Captain Overth as swiftly as possible!”
Praise must be a hunger-inducing occupation. With a noticeably brightened expression, the warden shrugged his shoulders and strode briskly down the chilly dungeon corridor. At the end were not bars, but what seemed to be a massive iron door made entirely of solid metal.
The warden opened the iron door with his bulging, vein-protruding arms and grinned crookedly.
“Captain Overth, the Young Master is here!”
What I thought was a mere room turned out to be a torture chamber. As soon as I entered, an unpleasant odor filled the air – a bloody base mixed heavily with musty and putrid smells, creating a sticky atmosphere.
The queasy would have vomited instantly. But Captain Overth looked at me with an unfazed expression and politely bowed his head.
“A feeble man, he confessed right away.”
“I’m sorry, it was me…! Please!!!”
The man tied to the chair was the one with the slightly balding head. The servant Edwina had mentioned wanted to purchase a hair growth tonic from the alchemist. He was screaming as tears and mucus streamed down his face.
Indeed, he seemed quite feeble, just as Overth said. There were no signs of torture yet, like crushing fingernails, inserting needles under the nails, or waterboarding.
It was right as they were about to begin that he confessed to his own crime. Looking at this pitiful man, I clicked my tongue.
“I know of your innocence, yet you dare falsely confess?”
“?”
Horror and resignation disappeared from the would-be hair tonic purchaser’s face. Only bewilderment and doubt filled it instead. Edwina, who had been standing by, seemed to feel the same way.
“Young Master, how do you know this man is innocent?”
“Well.”
I met Captain Overth the intelligence officer’s gaze. Overth nodded, giving me permission to speak. Only then did my momentarily hesitant mouth continue:
“We were the ones who planted the gold coins in their luggage, so how could I not know?”
There is a spy hiding among the servants. If we investigate each one, we’ll miss our chance.
-An extraordinary measure is used precisely for times like this.
